Cambridge IGCSE World History: Depth Study D, The United States 1919-41 (0470)

Depth Study D covers the United States from the end of the First World War to its entry into the Second. In Cambridge IGCSE History (0470) you must judge how far the 1920s economy boomed and for whom, how far society changed, what caused the Wall Street Crash and what followed, and how successful Roosevelt’s New Deal was. The best answers weigh evidence on both sides and reach a supported judgement.

Where this fits in 0470

This is one of five Depth Studies, examined in Paper 1 Section B (two questions per Depth Study; you answer one, in three parts worth 4, 6 and 10 marks), and usable for Component 3 Coursework or Paper 4. See also the Depth Studies revision notes and Depth Studies practice questions.

Syllabus coverage

CAMBRIDGE IGCSE HISTORY (0470), 2024-2026 – DEPTH STUDY D: THE UNITED STATES, 1919-41

• Key question 1: How far did the US economy boom in the 1920s? Factors behind the boom; why some industries prospered and others did not; why agriculture did not share in it; whether all Americans benefited.
• Key question 2: How far did US society change in the 1920s? The “Roaring Twenties”; intolerance; why Prohibition was introduced and repealed; changing roles of women.
• Key question 3: What were the causes and consequences of the Wall Street Crash? Speculation; economic impact; social consequences; why Roosevelt won in 1932.
• Key question 4: How successful was the New Deal? The New Deal of 1933; how it changed after 1933; opposition; why unemployment persisted; whether that made it a failure.

On what factors was the 1920s boom based?

• Government policy: Republican presidents Harding (1921-23) and Coolidge (1923-29) followed laissez-faire, cut taxes and protected industry with the Fordney-McCumber Tariff (1922).
• Mass production: Henry Ford’s moving assembly line cut the price of the Model T, and car ownership spread fast. The car industry boosted steel, rubber, glass, oil and road building.
• New consumer goods: electrification allowed radios, refrigerators, vacuum cleaners and washing machines to be sold to millions.
• Credit and hire purchase: buying on instalments and advertising let families buy goods they could not pay for at once; share buying “on the margin” spread too.
• Confidence and natural resources: the USA had emerged from the war as the world’s leading creditor with plentiful raw materials.

Why did some industries and groups not share in the boom?

Older industries – coal, textiles, railways – declined as oil, electricity, artificial fibres and cars replaced them. Agriculture suffered most: wartime demand ended, prices fell, and new machinery increased overproduction, so many farmers fell into debt and lost their land. Black Americans, especially sharecroppers in the South, many new immigrants and workers in declining industries saw little of the prosperity. The boom was real, but unevenly shared.

How far did US society change in the 1920s?

The Roaring Twenties. Jazz, dance halls, radio and the cinema created a mass culture; Hollywood grew into the centre of the film industry and The Jazz Singer (1927) introduced sound. Women had gained the vote nationally with the 19th Amendment (1920); some young urban “flappers” challenged conventions, and more women worked in offices, but most women’s lives – especially in rural areas – changed little.

Intolerance. The Red Scare of 1919-20 led to the Palmer Raids. The Italian anarchists Sacco and Vanzetti were executed in 1927 after a trial many saw as prejudiced. Immigration was cut by quota laws in 1921 and 1924. The Scopes Trial (1925) showed fundamentalist opposition to teaching evolution. A revived Ku Klux Klan had millions of members in the mid-1920s, and Black Americans faced segregation, lynching and discrimination, although the Great Migration north and the Harlem Renaissance showed new confidence.

Prohibition. The 18th Amendment and the Volstead Act banned alcohol from January 1920, backed by the temperance movement, rural Protestants and anti-German feeling. It failed because demand stayed high: speakeasies, bootlegging and organised crime flourished, with gangsters such as Al Capone in Chicago and the St Valentine’s Day Massacre (1929). Corruption, lost tax revenue and the Depression led to repeal by the 21st Amendment in December 1933.

How far was speculation responsible for the Wall Street Crash?

Share prices rose far faster than company profits in 1928-29, fuelled by buying on the margin. When confidence broke, prices fell on Black Thursday (24 October 1929) and collapsed on Black Tuesday (29 October). But speculation was the trigger rather than the only cause. Underlying weaknesses included overproduction, unequal distribution of income that limited demand, weak and unregulated banks, the farming crisis, and tariffs that reduced foreign trade.

What were the economic and social consequences?

Thousands of banks failed, savings were lost, businesses closed and unemployment reached about a quarter of the workforce by 1933. Shanty towns of the homeless were nicknamed “Hoovervilles”. In 1932 the “Bonus Army” of veterans marching on Washington was cleared by troops, which damaged Hoover badly. Hoover believed in “rugged individualism” and voluntary action; his Reconstruction Finance Corporation (1932) lent to banks and businesses, but direct federal relief was limited.

Why did Roosevelt win in 1932? Franklin D. Roosevelt promised “a new deal for the American people”, projected confidence, and was not blamed for the Depression. He won 42 of 48 states.

What was the New Deal as introduced in 1933?

Roosevelt’s inaugural address in March 1933 declared that “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself”. In the Hundred Days Congress passed the Emergency Banking Act, and Roosevelt explained it in the first “fireside chat” on the radio. The “alphabet agencies” followed:

Agency (1933)	Purpose
CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps)	Work for young men in forestry and conservation
AAA (Agricultural Adjustment Administration)	Paid farmers to cut production and raise prices
TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority)	Dams, electricity and flood control in a poor region
NRA (National Recovery Administration)	Codes on wages, hours and prices for industry
PWA (Public Works Administration)	Large public building projects

How far did the New Deal change after 1933?

The Second New Deal (1935) moved towards reform and social welfare: the Works Progress Administration employed millions, the Social Security Act created old-age pensions and unemployment insurance, and the Wagner Act protected trade unions’ right to bargain.

Why did the New Deal face opposition?

• Republicans, the rich and business interests objected to taxes, regulation and support for unions; some called it socialism.
• The Supreme Court struck down the NRA (1935) and the AAA (1936). Roosevelt’s 1937 plan to add judges – “court-packing” – was defeated and cost him support.
• Radical critics said it did too little: Senator Huey Long of Louisiana proposed “Share Our Wealth” before his assassination in 1935; Father Coughlin and Dr Townsend also drew large followings.

Did persistent unemployment mean the New Deal failed?

Unemployment fell from its 1933 peak but rose again in the recession of 1937-38 after Roosevelt cut spending, and it remained high until rearmament and the Second World War. Against this, the New Deal restored confidence in banks, gave relief to millions, built lasting infrastructure, created Social Security and changed expectations of the federal government. Weaknesses also included limited help for Black Americans and sharecroppers. A balanced answer separates recovery (limited) from relief and reform (more successful).

Worked example: a (c) plan

“The New Deal was a failure because it did not end unemployment.” How far do you agree? [10]

• Agree: unemployment stayed high through the 1930s and rose in 1937-38; full recovery came with war production.
• Disagree: relief agencies such as the WPA and CCC put millions into work; banking was stabilised; Social Security and the Wagner Act had lasting effects.
• Judgement: it failed to end unemployment but succeeded in relief and reform, so “failure” is too strong.

Common mistakes

• Treating the 1920s as prosperous for everyone.
• Saying speculation alone caused the Crash.
• Mixing up First and Second New Deal measures.
• Forgetting that the Supreme Court cases and Huey Long are named in the syllabus.

Frequently asked questions

What are the key dates? 1920 (Prohibition, 19th Amendment), 1924 (Immigration Act), October 1929 (Crash), November 1932 (election), March 1933 (Hundred Days begin), 1935 (Second New Deal), December 1933 (repeal).

Do I need the alphabet agencies’ exact years? Know which belong to 1933 and which to 1935; that is how examiners test change after 1933.

Why did agriculture not share in the boom? Overproduction and falling prices after the war, debt, and loss of European markets.

Official syllabus

Cambridge IGCSE History (0470) syllabus for examination in 2024, 2025 and 2026 – cambridgeinternational.org (Depth study D, focus points and specified content). Always check the current syllabus before an exam.