28) Major cultural, social, and economic developments of the 1920s Flashcards
1
Q
Signs of Prosperity
A
- During the 1920s, the standard of living rose, and more and more people moved to urban centers
- Large numbers of women and men working in office jobs
- Increased emphasis on the marketing of consumer goods
- Growing investment in the stock market
- Americans able to purchases automobiles
- Number of children in industrial workforce began to decline
2
Q
Farmers in 1920s
A
- Least-prosperous group in 1920s consisted of farmers in the Midwest and South
- 1921-1929: period of falling prices for agriculture products
3
Q
Kellogg-Briand Pact (1928)
A
- International agreement in which 62 nations pledged to foreswear war as an instrument of policy
4
Q
Literature in the 1920s
A
- Key writers included Sinclair Lewis and Scott Fitzgerald
- Called the “Lost Generation” because they were disillusioned with American society during the 1920s
- Writers criticized middle-class materialism and conformity
5
Q
Jazz in the 1920s
A
- Black musicians helped create jazz
- Jazz was especially popular among the youth because it symbolized a desire to break with tradition
- Roots in the Southern black experience
6
Q
Consequences of the Assembly Line
A
- Greatly increased the speed of production and consequently lowered the cost of the goods produced
7
Q
What spurred growth of electricity from 1920 - 1930?
A
- Many of the new products coming off the assembly line such as washing machines, refrigerators, and vacuums were powered by electricity
8
Q
What happened to union membership in the 1920s?
A
- Declined
- Many factories offered workers better wages, benefits, and working conditions than in previous eras, removing the impetus for workers to join unions in the first place
9
Q
Dawes Plan
A
- US government lent money to Germany to pay reparations to BR and FR
- Dawes Plan would tie most of Western Europe to the fate of the American economy, to significant effect during the Great Depression
10
Q
What was the impact of the automobile in the 1920s?
A
- By 1929, half of all American families had cars
- Suburbanization rose as people took advantage of increased mobility to move to more bucolic areas
11
Q
Mass entertainment
A
- Movies were the most popular form of entertainment
- Led by baseball, sports became a big business
- Long-distance radio broadcasting –> national radio networks
12
Q
Religious fundamentalism
A
- Fundamentalism was an anti-liberal, anti secular movement
- Scopes Trial –> high school biology teacher in TN who was indicted for teaching evolution
13
Q
National Origins Act of 1924
A
- Primary purpose was to use quotas to restrict the flow of newcomers from Southern and Eastern Europe
- Discriminated against immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe
- Led to a decrease in numbers of Europeans immigrating
- Increase in Mexican and Puerto Ricans immigrating
14
Q
Harlem Renaissance
A
- Thrived during the 1920s
- An outpouring of Black artistic and literary creativity
- Expressed pride in African American culture
- Supported full social and political equality for African Americans
- Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes
15
Q
Great Migration
A
- Migration of Black Americans from the rural South to the urban North and West
- Demand for industrial workers was the primary pull
- Primary push: Jim Crow restrictions
