The Impact of Ww1 Had on United States Government Policies

The impact of WW1 had a significant effect on United States government policies, some more drastically than others. During this period, the United States was the superpower. USA’s four main policies were; isolationism, immigration, normalcy and the economy. All of these policies were implemented in order to retain America’s dominance over the rest of the world.

Isolationism, was the ideology that America was separating itself from the rest of the world in order to remain superior. Tariffs, such as the Fordney-McCumber Tariff in 1922; this particular tariff raised taxes on imported goods. Therefore the government believed people would be more inclined to buy American goods because they were more affordable. As a result, American money remained circulating in America. Another way America tried to separate itself from others was by choosing to not join the League of Nations, this organisation consisted of countries working together to help each other’s economies. However, America believed that in joining they would have to spend money on other countries to help save their economies, which in turn may sacrifice their own. Isolationism was also enforced through reducing the number of immigrants coming into America. This government policy had an effect both economically and socially on America. This can be seen from the boom in the 1920s. In this period, people had more money to spend on the increased consumer goods and social beliefs began to change, women were able to partake in more social activities which before the war seemed an unlikely characteristic for women. On the other hand, isolationism already existed before the war  

WW1 stimulated patriotism throughout the nation, although this was good for America, it had a negative effect on immigrants. The profound impact of the First World War worried many Americans. To reduce Americans fears the Emergency Quota Act was introduced in 1921; this reduced the number of immigrants to 357,000 every year. In 1924 this amount was reduced again to 150,000 under the National Origins Act; this act aimed to restrict southern and eastern European migrants. It also forbade immigration from Asia, in turn this infuriated the Chinese and Japanese population that were already in the USA. Mass production meant that skilled workers were no longer required, as a result the migrants were coming to America and finding jobs which many believed were for Americans not unskilled immigrants. In letting immigrants into the country the government were also permitting a range of different cultural and religious backgrounds, such as; Roman Catholics and Jews; this had a large impact on American society. The intolerance of specific races and religions in America rose dramatically, groups like the Ku Klux Klan reemerged in order to prevent it. The impact of four million men being drafted to the war raised the need for others to replace them in the workforce in this case black American’s and immigrants were the answer. When returning to America from the war, soldiers were shocked to see the vast change in society, many wished for America to return to a period where America was prospering and whites were the obvious race (Normalcy). In contrast, immigration was occurring long before the First World War had begun. Between 1880 and 1920, more than 25 million immigrants came to America. In 1927 a Literacy Test was introduced by the government. Immigrants now had to pass a range of reading and writing tests, this dramatically reduced the number of migrants coming to America.