The beginnings of "Normandie" can be traced to the Roaring Twenties, when shipping companies began looking to replace veteran liners. Those earlier ships had been designed around the huge numbers of steerage-class immigrants from Europe to the United States. When the U.S. put restrictions on most immigration in the early 1920s, steamship companies ordered vessels built to serve upper-class tourists instead, particularly Americans who traveled to Europe to escape the prohibition of alcohol. Companies like Cunard and the White Star Line planned to build their own superliners to rival newer ships of the day; such vessels included the record-breaking and , both German. The French Line "Compagnie Générale Transatlantique" (CGT) began to plan its own superliner.