The Road to Normalcy: The Presidential Campaign and Election of 1920 (The Johns Hopkins University Studies in Historical and Political Science) - Softcover

Bagby, Wesley M.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1421435608 ISBN 13: 9781421435602

Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2019

Synopsis

Originally published in 1962. Prior to World War I, two significant streams of progressivism maintained center stage in American politics―the Progressive movement and the world peace movement. The war proved not to be prohibitively distracting for the Progressive movement, which carried on well into the war years. But the war also introduced new elements into American political life, such as the restriction of free speech, popular outbursts of intolerance and hatred encouraged by war propaganda, and a belief in the necessity and efficacy of violence. Many of these elements eroded the ideals undergirding the Progressive movement. The international peace movement reflected the spirit of idealistic internationalism that characterized the tenor of American foreign policy from the beginning to the end of the war. However, the election of 1920, the first presidential election after World War I, addressed the question of whether America would resume its progressive efforts at home and abroad following the war. The election ultimately stymied both political currents, proving to be an end for both the Progressive movement and the world peace movement. Wesley M. Bagby explains how the election of 1920 contributed to momentous shifts in American politics by detailing why the major political parties abandoned sentiments that were widely accepted several years prior to the election.

About this title

About the Author:

Wesley M. Bagby was a professor of history at West Virginia University. Prior to that, he taught at the University of Tennessee, Pfieffer Junior College, and Wake Forest University. He also authored The Eagle-Dragon Alliance: America's Relations with China in World War II and America's International Relations since World War I.

About this edition

• Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 1421435608
• ISBN 13: 9781421435602
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 218