Society and Culture in Change - Topic 3.3

Question 1

How did popular music change after WWI?

1918-1929

Answer 1

New music, such as jazz, was sweeping through cities in the US, which had come from the Great Migration earlier on; blue and ragtime had peaked in popularity by the time of WWI.

Jazz dances such as the Charleston and the Black Bottom had emerged and were very sexually suggestive and very common among youths who were tired of old dances. With more freedom, young people drank and smoke a lot more too.

Business boomed at the same time people were looking for a new, faster lifestyle, with most people going to speakeasies to drink, gamble, listen to new music and dance as popular forms of music was being banned by cities across America, notably New York and Detroit.

Question 2

Describe how the radio developed post-War

1918-1941

Answer 2

Commercial radio stations were set up in 1920, with the first one (KDKA) broadcasting on election day and revealed the results before newspapers. By the next election, there were 600 commercial radio stations.

Radio stations were independent originally, so had to advertise to earn money, which began in 1922. The Radio Act of 1927 licensed radio stations as radio waves became jammed. Politicians and religious leaders would use the radio to get their messages across

• Roosevelt’s Fireside Chats
• Father Coughlin critical broadcasts of the KKK

Mass production made radios cheaper and people felt part of a mass culture all listening to the same broadcasts at the same time, together. Popular music reached all parts of the country as it was free compared to records that became a luxury, especially during the Great Depression.

Question 3

How did film and cinema develop post-War?

1918-1929

Answer 3

1920s:

• Movies were the biggest entertainment source but only silent movies existed for the most part, with a live orchestra to play during films. The first ever talkie released in 1927 (The Jazz Singer), but there was little dialogue, however it revolutionised the industry; talkies had a high cost for producers however
• A-list movies costed $200,000-$500,000
• B-list movies costed $50,000-$100,000
• Fan magazines were made, devoted to the lives of Holywood stars and would have regular issues and gossip columns; there were about 20
• Many young women wanted to dress like Clara Bow have ask for her cut, while young men would ask for a Clark Gable
• Eight companies that worked together had almost all control of the stars, staff and industry. They chose what movies were shown and where and classified these films according to their own suitability ratings. If a star was blacklisted, it would hard for them to find work ever again

Question 4

How did popular music develop during the Great Depression?

1930-1941

Answer 4

Jazz continued to rise in popularity while swing music became the most popular with the public by 1935. The swing dance accompanied the genre and was popular with both white and black Americans, but especially the youth.

Mass unemployment meant that few had the finances to buy a jazz record or enjoy an evening at a jazz club, and in 1932, record sales had fallen to its lowest ever

Question 5

How did the Great Depression and WWII affect the film industry?

1929-1945

Answer 5

1930s:

• Despite high unemployment levels and movie theatres closing through the Great Depression because of limited staff and rising costs, 60-70 million Americans still went to the cinema a week
• The Hays Code of 1934 restricted what coild be shown in films to protect peoples’ innocence. All movies had to conform and some studios began to make their own ‘morality clause’ in there contracts with stars, where they signed up to good living.

1940s:

• Messages protrayed trhough films had a profound impact on peoples’ opinions on the war; main themes included the wartime struggle, heroic figures and shortages in goods. Half of the population attended weekly film showings and helped with the peoples’ understanding of war as well as a way to escape its harsh reality.

Question 6

Describe how popular music developed during WWII and post-War

1941-1949

Answer 6

1940s music was built off jazz but a lot of the music reflected the pain felt during the war. With this, there were many breakthough artists such as Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra. Swing became less popular as jazz took back its place, with Louis Armstrong returning and Billy Holiday making the charts.

Country music began to garner attention as they were used most popularly in western/cowboy movies.

During the 1940s, the first electric guitar was designed and buit by Les Paul

Question 7

What was the social impact of television post-War?

1950-1980

Answer 7

TV developed rapidly as recording techniques improved and special effects were enhanced. Broadcasts aired for longer and more shows were pre-recorded. TVs were mass produced, making them cheaper, and it became a standard of living to have a TV for a house, and eventually one for your child too.

• TV was sponsored similar to radio and created a ‘nation culture’ of consumerism. Adverts targeted the growing baby and child market and began to sell their goods using special offers
• Political parties used television to air their politicians. Eisenhower used it in his 1952 campaign and Kennedy too. The public could see their politicians in action. Kennedy made sure he looked good and was persuasive, which helped him to win the 1960 election.
• CBS aired two Kennedy-Nixon debates in 1960 and those who watched the first debate via TV said that Kennedy won because he was conscious of the camera, while Nixon looked uncomfortable on air.

Question 8

Describe how non-commercial TV developed

1967-1981

Answer 8

The Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 set up the government funded PBS in 1969. PBS made up lots of local stations, most run of profit, but with education as their main aim. Educational TV took off, with Sesame Street being the biggest, as it taught children about racial tolerance, sharing, numeracy and reading.

Documentaries were developed, meaning the public became more aware of major issues around them. One such documentary was Walter Cronkite in Vietnam.

Real life began to reflect entertainment, with satirical shows taking the waves by storm. Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In was one of the first sketch shows that openly made fun and criticised politicians. Often disrespectful, they looked out for mistakes and looked at politicians in a different light.

Some shows reflect black family life, and were mainly sitcoms. Still quite unrepresentative, it was an improvement compared to showing black Americans as savages, or servants, and it helped with some Americans to see that black Americans were like the rest.