1920s Flashcards
(48 cards)
What did the government annonce in 1926
the standard of living was the highest it had been in the courtires history
How many millionares were there in 1928 compared to 1914
35,000 - 7,000
How low was unemployment in 1926
At its lowest- 1.9%
What was the boom of the 20s dominated by
The ‘new’ industries: cars, chemicals, electricity and eletrical products.
Cars led the way which also led to boom in car related industries such as steel, glass and rubber
Electricity in the 1920s
By 1929 what did most homes in the cities had Electricity and nearly 70% of all American households had electric lights.
- consumption of electricity doubled in the 20s
- led to a whole new range of domestic goods (fridges, washing machines)
To what extent did cars, radios, telephones and fridges numbers rise in the 20s
- Cars 9 million (1919) -> 26 million (1929)
- Radios went from 60,000 (1920) -> 10 million (1929)
- Telephones went from 10 million (1915) -> 20 million (1930)
- for every 1 fridge (1920) there were 167 (1929)
How did transport see an improvement
- by 1930 miles of paved road had doubled
- number of trucks had tripled to 3.5 million (1929)
- Aircrafts for civil flights made their first appearance in the 20s making 162,000 flights by 1929
How did construction see an improvement
- industrial growth created a demand for new factories
- boom in office buildings
- Age of the skyscraper, big companies sought to demonstrate their power and prestige by creating ever taller and grander buildings
- there was growth in public buildings as well
How did advertising and shopping see an improvement
- advertising industry grew to promote the vast range of consumer goods on offer
- Chain stores opened to stock a new range of goods now produced
- clothing for women was now mass produced
- Clothing sales went up 427% in the 20s
- Goods could be delievered by mail order with most famous being Sears, Roebuck and Co, of Chicago in 1928 there sales were worth $347 million
How did entertainment see an improvement
- Newspapers and magazines expanded enormously- by 1922 ten magazines claimed a circulation of over 2.5 million
- increasing affluence and leisure time saw the growth of spectator sports
- 1920s Hollywood became the film making capital of the world
- By 1930 almost 100 million tickets were sold a week
- the birth of the nation became the first blockbuster movie and made $60 million profit
Why was there a boom in the 1920s
Resources- USA had a great stores of natural resorces which helped them become a great industrial country and allowed for future expantion in the 1920s
- First World War
- Technological change- help modernise old industries and develop new ones.
- Mass production- much more, much cheaper
- Mass marketing
- Credit- people could and did buy outside their means
- Confidence mentality
- Rebublican policies
What rebublican policies helped the boom in the 1920s
- rebublicans pro-business
- lowered taxes on income and company profits
- put tariffs on imported goods, helping american economy
- didn’t interfer with businesses or put any controls of financial institutions
- ‘the business of america is buisness’ calvin coolidge
- “the man who builds a factory builds a temple. ‘The man who works there worships there’ Calvin Coolidge
- government believed they would help the most by interfering as little as possible
- rugged individualism- people overcoming their own problems, those who work hard will be rewarded
Why was Henry Ford so significant in American history
Invented the Model T and develped the assembly line which meant a whole car could be made in 1 minute
- by mid 20s one in every two cars sold were a model t
- helped other industries develop assembly line so everything became cheaper
- 1914 doubled the daily wage to $5 and still made a profit
What was the impact of the model T
-meant ordinary americans could own a car
oby 1928 it was only $295
-released a farmers wife from the isolation of the farm
-brought a sense of freedom to rural america
-contributed to the boom of other industries (90% if petrol, 80% of rubber, 75% of plate glass was consumer by cars in mid 20s)
Why didn’t everyone benifit from the boom
-poor got poorer during 20s
-1928 42% of the american population were living below the poverty line
-Farmers - surplus of food, faced competition with Canada, more than 3 million farmers were earning less than $1000 a year, small farmers and labourer lost out
-New Immigrants- took whatever work they could get and were taken advantage of by large monopolies and countries, wages only rose 4% throughout 20s
-Textile workers- 1926 males paid $18 a week women were paid $9 compared to average weekly wage of $200 in NY
Blacks- faced discrimination, lots of companies had white only policies
How did societies attributes and values change in the 20s
more wild behaviour and sexual freedom became evident with people losing there traditional christian values
What effect did Jazz have on society
- black music (jazz,blues or soul) dominated all other music
- great impact on the young
- came with the black migration to northern cities
- other people saw it as a corrupting influence linked to sexual excess “…Jazz stimulated to extreme deeds, to a breaking away from all rules and conventions; it is harmful and dangerous, and its influence is wholly bad.”
How was life different for women in the 1920s with work
- increasing number entered the work force -> physical strength due to the introduction of machinary was not as important
- great expantion of office work
- they could pay women a lower wage than men
- by end of 20s over 10 million women where in paid employment
How was life different for women in the 1920s with social habits
Clothes changed- freedom in clothing represented the change in freedom
Hair went from long to bobbed-> sign of liberation
-women smoked in public, drove cars , wore makeup, had pre-marrital sex
-no longer bound to the home
-advertising geared towards women
-women had the right to vote (19th ammendment)
What was a flapper
- name given to an liberated urban woman. Flappers represented an extreme example of the changes tat were affecting many women
- idenified by their short skirts, bobbed hair, powdered knees, bright clothes and lots of make-up.
What ammendment of the constitution prohibited alcohol
18th Ammendment- Jan 16, 1920
Why was prohibition introduced in America
- the growth of the temperance movement (christian temperance union and Anti-Saloon League)
- particularly strong in rural areas in south and midwest
- campaigned to each state to ban alcohol
- used arguments such as that it was unamerican, people are less efficient, kills children, filled prisions
- Helped by World war 2- most brewers were german, protrayed alcohol as the cause of german agression and refusing drinking was a patriotic duty
Why didn’t prohibition work
- Just made it more secretive and more expensive
- consumption wasn’t against the law
- more speakeasies in New York than pre 1919 saloons
What were bootleggers
- bought illegal liquor supplies into the cities
- soon it was big business and big businessmen got involved
- organised themselves into gangs which became very powerful
