AMERICA 1 Flashcards
why did republican policies cause the boom
Fordney McCumber tariff- put high taxes on imports, making foreign goods more expensive. As a result American bought more US goods, creating more jobs for Americans
They cut taxes paid by rich people- as a result the rich invested more money to start more business, creating jobs
Taxes were low in general, so people had more money to spend which helped industrial growth
laissez faire- meant businesses were left alone to get on with creating wealth and make profits
how did the consumer society cause the boom
The number of US homes with electricity grew- from 15% in 1916 to 70% in 1927
This meant that people could by new gadgets like vacuum cleaners, radios and fridges
Huge demand for these goods created jobs in factories
catalogues made buying easy as goods could be delivered straight to your door
1919- 60,000 radios, 1929- 10 million
why did advertising cause a boom
Bilboards, newspapers and magazines urged people to but the latest gadgets. This led to a boost in sales
cinemas and radios broadcast advertisements encouraging people to use hire purchase
why did hire purchase lead to a boom
meant buyers could pay for goods in small instalments over a fixed period
this meant more people could buy them, increasing demand and so making more jobs in factories
6 out of 10 cars were bought through hire purchase
why did mass production lead to a boom
the motor industry developed assembled lines and mass production- car making used 20% of US steel, 65% of leather and 75% of its glass and rubber. More jobs were created in these industries as more cars were made
many American businesses stated to use the mass production methods developed in the motor industry eg radios, telephones and ovens. Mass production made goods cheaper, increasing demand and jobs in factories
what was the ford motor company
1913- ford introduced a new method of production- the assembly line- which meant cars could be made faster and cheaper
used the assembly line to mass produce model T cars
as mass production got faster the prices of the car fell- from $800 in 1911 to 4295 in 1928. 15 million bought Model Ts between 1911 and 1928
how did the car industry lead to a boom
created jobs building roads, petrol stations, roadside hotels etc
by 1925, over 500,000 worked in the car industry n factories
how did WW1 lead to a boom
the USA stayed out of the war at first due to isolationism- this allowed the USA to proser financially as American banks could loan money to Britain and the allies to but food and weapons form the USA, which crated jobs in factories
By the end of the war the USA became the world leading producer of basic goods
how did the stock market lead to a boom
ordinary American bought shares in companies and gained a percentage of the profits in return
this provided more for the company to invest and expand, which helped to create jobs
1920- only 4 million owned shares
1929- 20 million
inequalities of wealth during the boom- farmers
after WW there was less demand in Europe for US goods and some countries taxes US goods, making them more expensive
high tech machinery produced to much food and so prices fell.
some borrowed money form banks to buy the new machinery but due to their reduced income they couldn’t repay the loans. as a result many were evicted or forced to sell their farms
600,000. lost their farms in 1924
farm income dropped form 22 billion in 1919, y0 13 billion in 1928
inequalities of wealth- traditional industries
cotton and wool factory workers suffered as there was less demand for them as a result of new fibres like rayon. this lead to the prices of them dropping, which resulted in workers wages dropping
coal mines shut and miners lost their jobs as other forms of fuel like oil and gas were being used
inequalities of wealth- poverty and unemployment
1927- 6 million families had an income of less than $1000 a year
15,000 millionares in 1927
richest 55 owned 33% of the money
how did sport develop in the 1920s
the first time sportspeople achieved celebrity status eg baseball player Babe Ruth was earning $80,00 a year by 1930
radio, newspapers and magazines helped bring major sporting events to mass audience- 60 million radio listeners heard the coverage of the 1927 world heavyweight boxing fight
how did jazz music develop in the 1920s
jazz originated for the southern states and was popular with African Americans
by the 1920, jazz music had spread as African Americans moved north in search for work
became popular with the young
provided opportunities for black musicians like Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith as they made lots of money from radio performance and record sales
older generation saw it as a bad influence on the young
jazz music made new dance crazes become popular like the Charleston
how did cinema develop in the 1920s
weekly audience of 35 million in 1919, changed to 100 million in 1930
Charlie Chaplin, Rudolf Valentino and Clara Bow were popular
by 1929 Hollywood were making around 500 films a year
1927- first ‘talkie’ was made- the jazz singer
many movies horrified older Americans as they were worried about the sexual content of some films and the impact this was having on the young. this lead to Hollywood introducing the Hays code in 1930 which included strict rules in films
what other social developments were there in the 1920a
Car- helped cities to grow by opening up the suburbs. meant people could travel to sporting events and holidays.
average working week dropped from 47.4 to 44.2 hours a week so people had more leisure time
wages rose by 11% so people had more income which could be used for entertainment
what was life like for women before the war
had restricted lives- wore long skirts, wore little makeup and didn’t some, poorly paid jobs and couldn’t vote, unmarried women had to be chaperoned if they went out with a boyfriend
how did WW1 change lives for women
when men went away to fight, women took over their jobs, this meant they no longer had to rely on their husbands wealth
given vote in 1920 because of their war effort
1929- 10.5 million working, 20% more than in 1920
with money of their own they had more freedom to make decisions- divorce rate doubled during the 1920s, wore more revealing clothes, smoke and drank in public. 1900- 80% had not had sex before marriage, in 1920 it was 31%
took on new jobs- 1929- 10 million women working, 24 % more then 1920
what were flappers
mainly middle and upper class women from northern states went to nightclubs with men, smoked, wore shorter skirts anti flirt league was formed to protest against flappers behaviour and many older Americans saw flappers as an example of the evils of modern life
why did some women lives not change
many were too busy working or raising families to go to nightclubs and didn’t have enough income to afford luxuries like makeup and smoking
despite gaining the vote they were still not equal to men and earned less than men in the same job
why was prohibition introduced
morality- seen by some to be contributing to a decline in moral values and through America would be better off with alcohol banned
pressure groups- groups like the anti-saloon league campaigned for alcohol to be banned
patriotism- most of the beer came from Germany or was brewed by German immigrants0 during WW1 it was argued that those who drank this beer were traitors
religious- many religious organisations and churches opposed alcohol as it cause a lot of problems like poverty and addiction, like the temperance movement said 30000 babies were killed by drunk parents
when did prohibition become law
16th January 1920- volstead act
why was prohibition hard to enforce
the USA had 18600 miles of coastline and land boarders to control- there were only 1500 agents so it was hard to stop alcohol coming in
why did prohibition fail
not enough agents- 1500
many were willing to break the law and continue drinking
gangs ran illegal speakeasies which sold bootleg alcohol.gents seized over 280,000 stills. 32000 speakeasies in New York, there were only 15000 legal bars before prohibition
corruption- gangs made so much money that they were able to avoid arrest and persecution because they bribed the police and judges
lots of crime
