Crisis of identity, 1920–1945 (A-level only) key terms

Isolationism

A foreign policy approach that emphasizes avoiding involvement in international conflicts and alliances.

Prohibition

The legal ban on the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages in the U.S. from 1920 to 1933.

Keynesian Economics

An economic theory advocating for increased government expenditures and lower taxes to stimulate demand and pull the global economy out of depression.

Social Security Act

A 1935 law that created a system of old-age benefits and unemployment insurance, marking a significant expansion of the federal government's role in social welfare.

Economic Recovery

The process of overcoming a recession or depression, characterized by increased production, employment, and consumer spending.

Structural Weaknesses

Inherent flaws in an economy that can lead to instability, such as reliance on specific industries or lack of diversification.

Flapper

A young woman in the 1920s who defied traditional norms of behavior and dress, symbolizing the new liberated woman.

Speakeasy

An illicit bar or nightclub that operated during Prohibition, where alcohol was sold and consumed illegally.

Nativism

Nativism is a political policy favoring the interests of established inhabitants over those of immigrants, often manifesting in hostility towards immigrants.

Great Migration

The Great Migration refers to the mass movement of African Americans from the rural South to urban areas in the North between 1916 and 1970, seeking better economic opportunities and escaping racial oppression.

FDR

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States, who served from 1933 to 1945 and led the country during the Great Depression and World War II.

Pearl Harbor

A U.S. naval base in Hawaii that was attacked by Japan on December 7, 1941, leading to the U.S. entering World War II.