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Bolshevik Revolution
Vladmir Lenin leads leftist revolutionaries in a coup d’État against Russia, deposing Russia's Provisional Government and ruling Russia as a soviet state. -
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First Red Scare
The Bolshevik revolution created a widespread fear of Russians and immigrants in general in America. There were nationwide searches - spearheaded by attorney general A. Mitchell Palmer - for anyone who's Americanism was under scrutiny. Some states passed criminal syndicalism laws that deemed it illegal to condone violence to further a social cause. Many elements of free speech were restricted as well. The red scare eventually ended as Americans citizens lost trust in General Palmer. -
World War I Ends
U.S. intervention in the War helps the Allies defeat the Central Powers. -
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Treaty of Versailles
The treaty determined Germany's new boundaries and made Germany liable for reparations. The treaty was created almost entirely by the Allies, but conflicts within the covenant - between France, Britain, and America - put the treaty on hold. America in fact never approved of or accepted the treaty. This disagreement hindered the -
Reemergence of Klu Klux Klan (Month and Day Not Specified)
The Klu Klux Klan reemerged in the 1920s as a result of national resentment towards "outsiders." The group was Anti-Foreign and Pro-Anglo Saxon. Despite its reemergence, the Klan fell apart after Klan officials were caught stealing money -
Sacco and Vanzetti Case
Two Italian anarchists by the name of Nicola Sacco and Bartomeleo Vanzetti were convicted of murder of a Massachusetts paymaster and his guard. Although given a trial, the court was prejudiced against the two men because they were Italians, atheists, and draft-dodgers. The two men were executed in 1927. -
Warren G. Harding Gets Elected, Thus Commencing "Return to Normalcy"
Warren G. Harding's election to the presidency signaled a huge change in American life. Throughout his campaign, Harding promised his base that he would make American life the way it was before World War I - isolationist, business and corporation favored, etc. His election also signified the end of Woodrow Wilson's League of Nations. -
Emergency Quota Act of 1921
This act limited the amount of Europeans who could immigrate to the United States each year (3% of the people of their nationality who lived in the United States in 1910). -
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Washington Disarmament Conference
All naval powers were invited except for Bolshevik Russia. The Naval Powers agreed on suspending the construction of battleships and reducing the number of battleships already present. -
Four Power Treaty
A treaty between Britain, Japan, France, and the United States that replaced the 20 year-old Anglo-Japanese Treaty and maintained the status quo in the Pacific. -
Five-Power Naval Treaty
The U.S, Britain, and Japan agreed to reduce their naval ships to a 5-5-3 ratio, respectively. Britain and America also agreed that they would not strengthen their bases in the Far-East. -
Immigration Act of 1924
This act reduced the amount of possible immigrants from 3% to 2%. Canadians and Latin Americans were exempt from the act, because they were located close enough to the United States to be manually regulated. Japanese immigrants were banned altogether. -
Dawes Plan Act
This put in place German reparations and allowed Americans to make private loans to Germany. The Germans used the loans to pay the reparations, which the Allies used to pay war debts to Americans. -
Scopes Monkey Trial
A teacher named John T. Scopes was arrested in Tennessee for teaching his class the theory of evolution even though teaching evolution in favor of religion was banned in Tennessee. The court case received national attention, and Scopes was proclaimed guilty and fined 100 dollars. The trial exemplified the intense debate between science and religion - which could be related to the lack of tolerance some Americans had for other beliefs and faiths. -
Kellogg-Briand Pact
This was an international agreement in 1928 that allowed countries to pledge to "outlaw" war. However, "defensive wars" were still permitted. This treaty was ratified by 62 nations. -
Herbert Hoover Elected President
Herbert Hoover is elected as the 31st president of the United States. His policies of rugged individualism, small government, free enterprise, and isolationism would make sure that Harding's "return to normalcy" era would continue. -
Black Tuesday
Following a stock market crash earlier in the month, numerous stocks were sold in a panic. Stockholders lost about 40 billion dollars by the end of 1929. The events that transpired on Black Tuesday contributed greatly to the Great Depression. -
Hawley-Smoot Tariff
A protective tariff that was eventually raised to 60% - the highest percent at any point in peacetime. This tariff emphasized America's sense of individualism. -
Stimson Doctrine
This 1932 doctrine proclaimed that the U.S would not recognize territories taken by force. This was done in response to Japan's forceful invasion of Manchuria in 1931. The Japanese, however, would ignore the doctrine and invade Shanghai - they faced no opposition as the League of Nations was too weak without America's involvement. -
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Becomes President
FDR becomes the 32nd president of the United States, thus ushering a new era of federal involvement in American life. -
Roosevelt Recognizes Soviet Union (Month and Day Not Specified)
After a decade-long standoff between the U.S and the Soviet Union, FDR formally acknowledged the Soviet Union in an attempt to foster trade and strong relations with the country. -
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London Economic Conference
66 nations sent delegates to a conference in London that attempted to find a way to solve the global depression that was occurring at the time. Roosevelt did not want the conference to interfere with his own economic reform, and thus decided not to include the U.S. As a result, the conference collapsed without U.S. support. -
Good Neighbor Policy (Month and Day not Specified)
FDR promised that America would not intervene or interfere with Latin American countries. -
Tydings-Mcduffie Act
This act, passed by Congress in 1934, provided independence to the Philippines by 1946. -
Recriprocal Trade Agreements Act
This act let the president lower the tariff with a country if the country lowered its tariffs with the United States. These trade agreements increased U.S trade with foreign nations. -
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Netruality acts of 1935, 1936, 1937, and 1939
These neutrality acts initially restricted the United States from interacting with any countries, even allies, while they were at war. However, the 1939 act allowed European democracies to buy American materials - but still with minimal American interaction. -
Repeal of 1939 Neutrality Act (Day not specified)
This enabled merchant ships to be armed and enter combat zones with Britain. This act indicated that America was taking a more active role in the war. -
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United States Declares War
After Pearl Harbor, the U.S. had taken the final straw and declared war against Japan on December 8, 1941. When Germany and Italy declared war on the U.S. on December 11, 1941, the U.S. declared war on them as well. Thus, America now had an active role in the conflict - signaling the end of isolationism.
