Politics

Politics of the 1920s were a “return to normalcy”, from the previous politics of President Wilson. Throughout most of the 1920s, America prospered and businesses flourished. America returned to forms of isolationism and limited government involvement. Presidents Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge both used forms of laissez-faire economics, which opposed government intervention among industry and the economy. (1) The United States refrained from foreign involvement, but Harding’s Washington Naval Conference, along with Coolidge’s signing of the Kellog-Briand Pact did make an attempt at preventing future foreign conflicts. Domestically, the 1920s was a relatively peaceful time for American politics, compared to previous decades. During the Harding and Coolidge administrations, there were several incidents such as the Great Railroad Strike of 1922 and The Blair Mountain Miner War, which required government intervention and military force. For the most part however; politics of the 1920s represented little government intervention and insisted on maintaining the status quo. (2) As a result, agriculture and the inner cities suffered during this time period, due to the limited government involvement. With the election of Herbert Hoover in 1929, political policies in the government changed significantly. Unlike Harding and Coolidge, Hoover did not support laissez-faire economics. Instead, he thought the government should take a more active role in American industry and social programs. (3)  Unfortunately for Herbert Hoover, he came into the presidency right before the greatest economic crisis in American history. The Great Depression.