World War I did not impact the American continent, and the country suffered no mass destruction or loss of life. A new stage of American development started at the beginning of 1920, due in large part to the automobile industry. The increase of the U.S. share in international economic relations created conditions for more active participation of the country in world politics, in particular in the League of Nations. At the same time, there was a popularization of mainstream culture, enabling famous people to initiate philanthropic projects. That is to say, the development of the automobile industry, the popularity of culture, and the first attempts to maintain international peace boosted the U.S. in a significant way.
Political Changes
The League of Nations was the first world organization that provided a framework for preserving peace and promoting international cooperation. It was created to overcome the national political egocentricity that had led to the catastrophe by developing multilateral interaction (Gram-Skjoldager and Ikonomou 421). The Organization and its Charter were intended to give legal and moral sanction to the policies of great states, to legalize them in the eyes of public opinion, which by the 1920s was already becoming an influential political factor – primarily in democratic and liberal countries.
Protecting national interests and multilateralism are not incompatible; moreover, they can complement each other. It was the reason behind the League of Nations, whose founders, far from being idealists, were convinced that the internationalist spirit and political realism were inextricably linked. The objects of the League of Nations were reflected in its Covenant (League of Nations). They included disarmament, prevention of war, collective security, settlement of disputes between countries through diplomatic negotiations, and enhancement of the property of life in the world. This organization is crucial in developing international politics because it has managed to make a practical contribution to regulating relations and reducing the risk of war.
In addition to territorial disputes, the League has also tried to intervene in other struggles. Among its successes have been efforts to combat the international opium commerce and slavery and its commitment to alleviate the plight of refugees. One innovation was the creation of the Nansen Passport, the first globally recognized identity document for stateless refugees. This international paper was the prerequisite for the Refugee Travel Document, ratified by the 1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees (Gram-Skjoldager and Ikonomou 423). This example illustrates the effect of the League of Nations, which laid the foundation for stable political relations and global progress.
As the League evolved, its role expanded, and by the mid-1920s, it had become the heart of international activity. This change can be seen in the relationship between the organization and non-members. It is necessary to note the activities of the United States, which, although not a member, actively accepted the League of Nations as the center of diplomatic activities. They also used the organs of the institution as a mechanism to improve relations and settle disagreements (Bogliolo et al. 4).
Although contradictions about collective security led to its weakening and termination, the organization managed to resolve more than forty political conflicts. Furthermore, the principles and objectives of the Charter were the first practical attempt to establish stable political relations. The League’s achievements have become a benchmark for future change and progress for every constituent of international relations, including the United States.
Social Changes
Babe Ruth was a unique baseball player who turned the world of sports upside down and became an essential part of the United States social change. His athletic talents, together with his unique charisma, made him a real legend of the 1920s. He considered social work a significant part of everyone’s life, so Ruth regularly participated in various charitable activities, visiting children in hospitals and orphanages.
One of the most well-known stories about Ruth involves a child in a hospital. In 1926, Babe heard about an 11-year-old boy named Johnny Sylvester who was in dire straits after an accident. The kid was a huge baseball fan, and the only thing he wanted to get happier was a ball from his favorite team. He got it very soon; moreover, Ruth promised Johnny to hit a home run. He kept his promise and did it three times, and afterward, he visited the boy in the hospital and helped with his treatment (Li). This case is a testament to the baseball player’s social principles that made Babe a brilliant athlete with great intentions.
Moreover, Ruth felt that every child’s life should be full of happy moments and fun. He set up a charity to help them get what they needed and experience less suffering. Futhermore, during World War I, when many kids could not even purchase shoes, he bought a bunch and gave them away to children in New York (Carr and Bradley 160). He also accommodated the US. Government promote bonds for the war effort.
Even as Babe became more famous, he always kept his promises. After he finished matches, he could stand on the field for hours and sign baseballs for all the kids (Alpert 8). In this way, Babe gave hope to millions during the Great Depression. He became not only a standard-bearer of baseball but also a reliable supporter of society. His activism helped to improve the state and made Ruth a role model today.
Economic Changes
The post-war period in the United States until 1929 is also described as the Age of Economic Prosperity, and Ford contributed significantly to this. Automobile factories were built as far back as the beginning of the 20th century. However, only in the early 1920s did cars become more affordable and mass-produced because of Henry Ford. By right, a symbol of America in the 1920s was his car (the first mass car in world history) Ford Model T. This vehicle was available to many since the price was less than $ 300, and the average annual salary of an industrial worker was equal to $ 300 (Henry Ford: on Product Price and Business Principles). Due to Henry Ford, the car was no longer a luxury and turned into a means of transportation. In the 1920s, the car fleet grew by 250%, and by 1929 reached 26 million examples, with a population of 120 million people.
The development of the car industry and mass production contributed to economic progress. Since the cars were already being used on a mass scale by citizens, infrastructure development started—for example, roads, hotels, gas stations, and fast-food outlets. Legislation in 1916, 1921, and 1925 was the creation of an entire network of numbered highways. By 1929, 250,000 miles of modern highways had been created – 1.5 times as many as had existed 20 years earlier (Ford 13). The automobiles produced by Henry Ford were also a major export product, so they had a tremendous impact on the U.S. and the world economy.
The expansion of mechanical engineering has stimulated the development of chemical companies, the steel industry (annual production has increased by 20%), the fuel and energy industry (oil production has grown by 1.5 times), glass and rubber production. The positive impact on the Ford economy also created new positions: one in 12 workers was employed in the automobile industry. By the end of 1929, the U.S. was producing 5.4 million cars yearly. The U.S. contributed 48% of the industrial production of the entire capitalist world – 10% more than Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan combined (Long 46). The lion’s share of production came from the Henry Ford Corporation, which could be named the generator of prosperity. Sales increased 4.5 times, and the total market value tripled, which helped improve the country’s economic advancement.
Thus, the 1920s were a decade of change when many Americans first bought cars, radios, and telephones. Through Henry Ford, there was the rapid growth of the entire U.S. economy and infrastructure system. There was also social change when the famous baseball player Babe Ruth, besides his career, paid attention to social projects and demonstrated the value of supporting people in need. Moreover, in the 1920s, there was the first international organization whose purpose was to establish and maintain peace. It set the beginning of peace negotiations, which America subsequently used. In general, all three factors had a complex effect on the recovery of America as a nation and the belief in a prosperous future for its citizens.
Works Cited
Alpert, Rebecca. ‘Babe Ruth: Religious Icon.’ Religions, vol. 10, no. 5, 2019, pp. 1-12.
Bogliolo, Luís, et al. ‘Foreword: The League of Nations Decentred.’ Melbourne Journal of International Law, vol.21, no. 2, 2020, pp. 1-4.
Carr, Richard, and Bradley W. Hart. The Global 1920s: Politics, Economics and Society. Routledge, 2016.
Gram-Skjoldager, Karen, and Haakon Ikonomou. ‘Making Sense of the League of Nations Secretariat–Historiographical and Conceptual Reflections on Early International Public Administration.’ European History Quarterly, vol. 49, no. 3, 2019, pp. 420-444.
‘Henry Ford: on Product Price and Business Principles (1922), Excerpt.’ American History, ABC-CLIO, American history. Web.
Ford, Henry. Today and Tomorrow: Commemorative Edition of Ford’s 1926 Classic. Routledge, 2019.
League of Nations. The Covenant of the League of Nations, 1919.
Li, David. ‘Famous Babe Ruth Ball Given to Kid in Hospital Goes for $250K.’ New York Post. 2014. Web.
Long, David. Henry Ford: Industrialist. Cavendish Square Publishing, LLC, 2016.