America 1920-73 - Part one: American people and the 'Boom' Flashcards
What was the ‘Boom’?
The Boom was a period of rapid economic growth in the 1920s. During this time, industrial production, employment, and consumer spending all increased.
How was advertising used to promote consumerism?
- Newspapers, magasines, radio, celebrity endorsements.
- Used catchy slogans and vibrant visuals.
- They associated products with desirable lifestyles.
What was hire purchase?
Allowed people to buy expensive products like cars and pay in instalments.
How significant was hire purchase?
- Made many more products affordable.
- Thus boosted consumerism which drove demand
Why was mass production so groundbreaking?
- Increased output
- More jobs
- Deceased time of production
What was Prohibition?
Prohibition made it illegal to brew, import or sell alcoholic drinks.
What were the main cultural changes of the 1920s?
- Jazz
- Cinema
- Sport
How did Jazz come about?
- Jazz originates from the Southern States, created by African Americans.
- Spread as African Americans migrated north.
- Became very popular in big cities - in bars and nightclubs.
How did sport become more popular?
Through new technology like radio and television. Also through newspapers and magazines.
Which amendment stipulated the prohibition of alcohol.
18th Amendment
When did prohibition start and end?
1920 - 1933
Why was Prohibition introduced?
(Four reasons)
- Many people saw alcohol as contributing to the decline in moral values
- Religion - Many religious groups and churches opposed it.
- Immigrants - Most beer was brewed by German immigrants or imported from Germany. People who drank beer during WWI were labelled as traitors.
- Rural areas - People in rural America saw alcohol as the reason why there was so much violence and crime in the big cities. They were big supporters of the ASL.
What does the ASL stand for?
(In the 1920s)
Anti-Saloon League
What did the ASL do?
They led a big campaign for the prohibition of alcohol, which passed into law in 1920.
Who was Al Capone?
Al Capone was an infamous criminal who participated in all types of organised crime.
What was organised crime?
Illegal activities which gangs would participate in to make money.
Give examples of organised crime.
(In the 1920s)
- Fixing horse and dog racing
- Running brothels
- Racketeering
- Smuggling alcohol across the border
What were well known names in organised crime?
(In the 1920s)
Al Capone
‘Lucky’ Luciano
‘Machine Gun’ Kelly
Vito ‘Chicken Head’ Gurino
(You don’t need to know all of these, just Al Capone)
Give some statistics on Al Capone.
At the height of his power, he was making $2 million a week through organised crime.
He made $10 million a year from racketeering alone.
What was bootlegging?
Smuggling alcohol over the border illegally.
What was racketeering?
When a gang threatens to smash up a buisness if they don’t give them a large sum of money.
What was a speakeasy?
An illegal bar during Prohibition.
Did Prohibition have its expected effect?
No. It made crime go up, not down.
Why did Al Capone escape persecution for so long?
Because he bribed the police and witnesses never testified.
How did Prohibition end?
The 18th amendment was repealed in 1933 by Franklin D. Roosvelt.
Was FDR for or against Prohibition.
Against. He gained many votes because his stance against Prohibition was very popular.
What were some of the cultural changes that came about in the 1920s?
- Jazz
- Cinema
- Sport
In what year did women get the vote in the USA?
1920
What amendment passed womens’ right to vote?
The 19th Amendment
How did the position of women change in society in the 1920s?
- Some women started to behave differently - smoking and drinking in public, and wearing more revealing clothes.
- More women lived on their own
- More women divorced - less likely to remain in an unhappy marriage.
- More women were working.
State some statistics to support how the position of women change in society.
- The divorce rate doubled during the 1920s
- 25% increase in the number of women with jobs between 1920 and 1929
What was a ‘flapper’?
An independent and fashionable young woman of the 1920s.
What did flappers do?
- Some rode motorbikes and went to nightclubs with men late.
- Their liberal attitude shocked the more traditional members of society.
Who were flappers mainly?
Middle and upper-class women of the Northern States.
In what region was change slower to come?
(For women’s rights)
In the Southern states and poorer, rural areas, life didn’t change significantly for the millions of women there.
What were some republican policies implemented in the 1920s?
- Tariffs
- Low taxation
- Laissez faire
What are tarrifs?
By how much could they increase prices?
Taxes the American government put on foreign goods.
They could make prices increase by 60% - 400%.
Why were tarrifs implemented?
To encourage people to buy American goods and products.
What did ‘Laissez faire’ do?
Made the government interfere as little as possible in American businesses and lifestyles.
What were the consequences of low taxation?
People had more mone to spend, the government had less money.
Tax cuts benefited the rich especially.
How did America’s policy of Isolationism benefit it during WWI?
America sold weapons and supplies to European countries.
America had greatly profited and had very little debt at the end of the war.
Give some stats on Bank and Government influence in the 1920s.
Some people borrowed up to 90% of their investment.
Republican polices meant that people had more money to invest.
Banks let almost anyone borrow money ‘on the margin’.
