America 1920-1973Definitions
Key Terms: The Complete Reference List
Part of Key Dates and Statistics — GCSE History
This definitions covers Key Terms: The Complete Reference List within Key Dates and Statistics for GCSE History. Revise Key Dates and Statistics in America 1920-1973 for GCSE History with 10 exam-style questions and 0 flashcards. This topic appears less often, but it can still be a useful differentiator on mixed-topic papers. It is section 9 of 15 in this topic. Make sure you can use the exact wording confidently, because definition marks are often lost through vague language.
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Section 9 of 15
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📖 Key Terms: The Complete Reference List
- Laissez-faire
- French for "leave alone" — the Republican economic policy of minimal government interference in business. Championed by Harding, Coolidge, and Hoover. Created the conditions for the 1920s boom and contributed to the conditions for the crash when regulation was absent.
- Prohibition (1920-1933)
- The 18th Amendment banned the manufacture and sale of alcohol. Instead of eliminating drinking, it created organised crime — Al Capone's Chicago empire was built on illegal alcohol. Repealed by the 21st Amendment in 1933. Shows that government cannot easily change social behaviour through legislation alone.
- New Deal
- FDR's programme of Relief, Recovery, and Reform (1933-41). Created the alphabet agencies (CCC, TVA, WPA) and the Social Security Act. Did not end the Depression — that required WW2 — but permanently changed the role of government in American life.
- McCarthyism
- The anti-communist political campaign associated with Senator Joseph McCarthy (1950-54). Destroyed careers through unverified accusations. Exploited genuine Cold War fears about Soviet espionage. Ended when McCarthy's bullying tactics were exposed during the Army-McCarthy hearings (1954). A warning about how fear can destroy civil liberties.
- Non-violent direct action
- The Civil Rights movement's primary tactic — deliberately breaking unjust laws or confronting segregation peacefully, accepting punishment without retaliation. The strategy was developed by Martin Luther King Jr from Gandhi's example. Its power lay in the moral contrast between peaceful protesters and violent authorities. It worked because television broadcast that contrast to millions of Americans and to the world.
- Jim Crow
- The system of state and local laws enforcing racial segregation in the South (c.1877-1965). Named after a minstrel show caricature. Covered schools, transport, restaurants, hotels, voting, and every aspect of public life. Given constitutional backing by Plessy v Ferguson (1896), dismantled by Brown v Board (1954), Civil Rights Act (1964), and Voting Rights Act (1965).
- GI Bill (1944)
- Gave returning WW2 veterans free college education and low-interest home loans. Created the post-war suburban middle class — but benefits were largely denied to Black veterans through racial discrimination by local banks and universities, widening the racial wealth gap.