PrepWisePrepWiseThe Economic Boom
America 1920-1973Deep Dive

The Five Key Causes (Remember: "WCRAM")

Part of The Economic Boom — GCSE History

This deep dive covers The Five Key Causes (Remember: "WCRAM") within The Economic Boom for GCSE History. Revise The Economic Boom in America 1920-1973 for GCSE History with 10 exam-style questions and 9 flashcards. This topic shows up very often in GCSE exams, so students should be able to explain it clearly, not just recognise the term. It is section 5 of 12 in this topic. Use this deep dive to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.

Topic position

Section 5 of 12

Practice

10 questions

Recall

9 flashcards

⚙️ The Five Key Causes (Remember: "WCRAM")

Use this mnemonic: War, Credit, Republican policies, Advertising, Mass production

  • W — World War One: Europe devastated, USA enriched. American factories supplied the war, then had capacity to supply peace. Europe owed $10 billion.
  • C — Credit and Consumerism: "Buy now, pay later" meant people could afford expensive goods. 60% of cars bought on hire purchase. But this built up DEBT...
  • R — Republican Policies: Low taxes (Mellon reduced top rate from 73% to 25%), high tariffs (Fordney-McCumber 1922) protected US business, minimal regulation let companies do as they pleased.
  • A — Advertising: New industry spent $3 billion/year persuading Americans they NEEDED new products. Radio allowed companies to reach millions at once.
  • M — Mass Production: Ford's assembly line revolutionised manufacturing. Workers did one simple task repeatedly = faster, cheaper production. Model T became affordable for ordinary families.
    • "The chief business of the American people is business."
    — President Calvin Coolidge, 1925

    Keep building this topic

    Read this section alongside the surrounding pages in The Economic Boom. That gives you the full topic sequence instead of a single isolated revision point.

    Key Evidence: The Numbers That Tell the StoryCommon Mistakes to AvoidSetting the SceneDeep Understanding: The Chain of Causes

    Practice Questions for The Economic Boom

    By how much did Henry Ford's assembly line reduce the time to build a Model T car?

    • A. From 12 hours to 6 hours
    • B. From 12 hours to 93 minutes
    • C. From 8 hours to 2 hours
    • D. From 24 hours to 4 hours
    1 markfoundation

    What was the purpose of the Fordney-McCumber Tariff introduced by Republicans in 1922?

    • A. To reduce taxes on American workers' wages
    • B. To place high taxes on imports to protect American businesses
    • C. To increase government spending on public works
    • D. To regulate the advertising industry
    1 markfoundation

    Quick Recall Flashcards

    Model T price drop?
    $850 (1908) → $290 (1925)
    What % of cars bought on credit?
    60%

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    Key Evidence: The Numbers That Tell the Story

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    Common Mistakes to Avoid