"[253] Though some members of Congress encouraged Vice President Marshall to assert his claim to the presidency, Marshall never attempted to replace Wilson.[254] Wilson's lengthy period of incapacity while serving as president was nearly unprecedented; of the previous presidents, only James Garfield had been in a similar situation, but Garfield retained greater control of his mental faculties and faced relatively few pressing issues.[255]

Demobilization
When the war ended the Wilson Administration dismantled the wartime boards and regulatory agencies.[256] Demobilization was chaotic and at times violent; four million soldiers were sent home with little money and few benefits. In 1919, strikes in major industries broke out, disrupting the economy.[257] The country experienced further turbulence as a series of race riots broke out in the summer of 1919.[258] In 1920, the economy plunged into a severe economic depression,[259] unemployment rose to 12 percent, and the price of agricultural products sharply declined.[260]

Red Scare and Palmer Raids
June 3, 1919, Newspapers of the 1919 bombings
Following the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia and similar attempts in Germany and Hungary, many Americans feared the possibility of terrorism in the United States. 