Society And Culture (2) Flashcards
(14 cards)
Television
– 1949 2.3% of Americans
– 1954 55% of Americans
Impact of WW1
*before ww1 women were still struggling for right to vote but war gave them chance to work
*as the war ended many women were fired for returning men
*august 1920 19th amendment, women had right to vote if in large enough numbers
*League of women voters created to push for more women to vote
Roaring Twenties
*Large Economic boom started to arise
*women expected to become housewives again
*If they were single would usually work low wage jobs
*1920 - women’s bureau of Labour established to improve womens working conditions and more employment
Flappers
*Young women who were self dependent
*cut hair short, wear short dresses, smoked and drank
*go to male sport events like boxing
many went to jazz clubs and speakeasies
Impact Of WW2
*The Selective Training Act (1940) provided the apparatus to train women on jobs vacated by men
*The Lanham Act (1941) Provided better childcare provision - by 1944 130,000 children in daycare
*WOMEN’s LAND ARMY - reformed to provide farm labourers
*Black women could now train for professions they couldnt previously - still faced discrimination
Post WW2 Changes
*50% of married women left their jobs at the end of the war
*some left due to day care centres closing in 1946
*Many widows had no choice but to keep working
*post war significant rise in married women workers
*majority of post-war work for women was clerical, domestic or shop work
Suburban living 1945 - 60
*Suburbs grew rapidly through the 50s - end of the 50s 19 million more people living there than the start
*Very few racially integrated suburbs - alot of racism
*Common for husband to commute to work and and wife to stay at home as childcare was expensive
*growth of suburbs and technology meant women had more free time - television, magazines
Immigration and Society in 1917- 80
*Before WW1, USA operated open door policy 170,000 immigrants per year
*DILLINGHAM COMMISSION 1907 - investigation into impact of immigration
*Stated immigration posed a serious threat to American society
*findings used to justify acts in 1920s e.g. emergency quota act in 1921
*Red scare was also a worrisome factor
Impact of WW2 on Immigrants
*Japanese-Americans were treated very harshly by authorities - 120,000 of them in internment camps
*Found their property was confiscated by the feds
*as the war continued, attitudes to immigrants worsened
*still, many immigrants had volunteered for the army
Shifting attitudes to Immigrants
*the attitudes of politicians and the public shifted on immigration periodically
*during recessions (1970 for e.g.) public were hostile to immigrants as seen as a drain to economy
*many found refugees the final straw, criticizing carter for being to weak on the matter
Impact of Pop culture and news media on society
*Before 20s nation connected by movie theatres and records
*changed when licenced radio started to emerge
*politicians and advertisers were quick to realise they could use radio
*FDR discussed his plans with the fireside chats
The Studio System
*during 30s and 40s 90% of films worldwide were made in hollywood by 8 studios
*these studios controlled the movie industry
*the biggest stars would earn a fortune, Shirley Temple earned $5,000 a week in the 30s
The Hays code
*Movie Critics claimed Women were too scantily dressed
*argued crime movies were a bad example
*Studios started to introduce a strict code of behaviours (HAYS CODE 1930-1966)
*Promoted family values
*stopped promotion of criminal activity
