The Twenties :: essays research papers

Area One-Politics and Govern handst-The Harding Scandals and the Bonus Bill preventThe presidency of Harding was filled with continuous dirt. Many compare the Harding to Grant has twain being postwar presidents marked by scandals and corruption. Having appointed several handsome officials, Harding also appointed a number of incompetent and dishonest men to fill important positions, including the Secretary of Interior, Albert B. Fall and Attorney General call forth M. Daugherty.The Secretary of Interior, Albert B. Fall, in 1921, secured the transfer of several naval oil reserves to his jurisdiction. In 1922, Fall secretly leased reserves at Teapot dome in Wyoming to Harry F. Sinclair of Monmouth Oil and at Elk Hills in atomic number 20 to Edward Doheny of Pan-American Petroleum. A Senate investigation later revealed that Sinclair had given Fall $305,000 in cash and bonds and a herd of cattle, while Doheny had given him a $100,000 unsecured loans. Sinclair and Doheny were pro nounce in 1927 of charges of defrauding the government, but in 1929 Fall was convicted, fined, and imprisoned for bribery.Another scandal involved Charles R. Forbes, appointed by Harding to head the new Veterans Bureau. He seemed energetic and efficient in operating the new hospitals and function for veterans. It was later estimated that he had stolen or squandered about $250 million in Bureau funds.Scandal also tainted Attorney General Daugherty who, finished his intimate friend Jessie Smith, took bribes from bootleggers, income tax evaders, and others in return for protection from prosecution. When the scandal became to come to light, Smith committed suicide in Daughertys chapiter apartment in May 1923. There was also evidence that Daugherty original money for using his influence in returning the American admixture Company, seized by the government during the war, to its German owners.Area Two-Economics-Prosperity and InnovationThough general the economy was strong between 1 922 and 1929, certain segments of the economy, especially agriculture, did not ploughshare in the nations general prosperity. Improved industrial efficiency, which resulted in lower prices for goods, was primarily responsible. Manufacturing output change magnitude about 65%, and productivity, or output per hour increased by about 45%. The verse of industrial workers actually decreased from 9 million to 8.8 million during the decade. The increased productivity resulted from improved machinery, which in turn came about for several reasons. attention changed from steam to electric power, allowing the design of more intricate machines and replaced the work of humankind hands. By 1929, 70% of industrial power came from electricity.