An+Economy+in+Turmoil-dpham

=An Economy in Turmoil=

As the war came to an end, demand for weapons fell. Many of the jobs created during the war became expendable, and government regulation was being retracted. Consequently, prices rose drastically, unemployment increased greatly, and returned soldiers had few jobs available to them.

Inflation Leads to Strikes
Money was and is the key issue. Increasing inflation threatened to completely depreciate the gains workers made during the war. On the other hand, companies had to pay higher operating costs and refused to pay higher wages. Workers' unions had become more common during the war, and organization improved. Businesses became afraid of the power unions had and were hard pressed to dismantle them. 1919 saw a legion of strikes.

The Seattle General Strike
For five days, over 60,000 people of Seattle participated in a general strike. It was originally started with the shipyard workers of Seattle demanding shorter hours and higher wages. Eventually, the situation escalated as more and more unions joined the strike.

The Boston Police Strike
"There is no right to strike against the public safety by anybody, anywhere, anytime." said Calvin Coolidge (soon to be vice president). Rioting and looting ran rampant in the streets of Boston as 75% of the police force defected from work. Coolidge, to maintain order, sent for the National Guard. The strikers were later fired and replaced.

The Steel Strike
350,000. Three-hundred fifty thousand steelworkers went on strike, much for the same reasons as the ship-yard workers did. Using different tactics, the head of U.S. Steel attempted to break the union. He refused to recognize and to communicate with the union and he inflamed racial tensions, inciting the strikers with anti-immigrant feelings. He blamed the strike on foreign radicals and called for loyal American to return to work. (Appleby et al)

The strike eventually broke in 1920 which caused a great set back to the unions of the steel industry.

Joyce, Appleby et al. //The American Vision Modern Times//. -United States of America: The McGraw-Hill Companies, -2008. 349. Print.