America in the 1920s Flashcards
what what is isolationism
the policy of remaining separate from other countries affairs.
why did the first world war allow America to prosper inancially
The USA loaned money to Britain and its allies to buy equipment, which brought lots of new jobs and made business people very rich. They also ended up with no huge wartime debts.
What is another reason America prospered during/after the first world war
It had a very small impact on america, almost no important areas were destroyed, and America suffered much fewer losses.
what percentage of American homes had electricity in 1916 compared to 1927
15% in 1916 vs 70% in 1927
what was one of the things the economic boom allowed people to do
Buy new and modern “gadgets” such as fridges, vacuums, gramophones etc. This also brought new jobs as these goods were in much higher demand.
How many cars were there in America in 1919 vs 1929
9million 1919 vs 26million 1929
How many telephones were there in America in 1919 vs 1929
10million 1919 vs 20million 1929
How many radios were there in America in 1919 vs 1929
60,000 1919 vs 10million 1929
How many refrigerators were there in America in 1921 vs 1929
for every refrigerator in 1921, there were 167 by 1929
what was one of the reasons for the boom
the Fordney-McCumber tariff which put high taxes on goods entering the country, making american goods more attractive.
how did the government encourage rich people to help boost the economy
they cut taxes paid by rich people to encourage them to make more companies/businesses to make more jobs. The low taxes also allowed people to spend more money of the new “gadgets”
what was the “laissez faire” approach
the policy of leaving businesses alone to create wealth.
What was the significance of the motor industry in the economic boom
Car making used 20% of america’s steel, 65% of its leather, and more than 75% of its rubber and glass. The industry brought lots of new job opportunities and allowed people to travel more.
what were two things manufacturers used in car production
assembly lines and mass production
what is an assembly line
where something is built bit by bit by lots of different people, each specialising in one part of the product.
what is mass production
when something is made in large amounts very quickly and efficiently, allowing companies to sell more products for cheaper.
How did advertising help with the boom
Adverts were put up on billboards, newspapers, magazines, cinemas and radios to encourage people to buy new “gadgets.”
what is a hire purchase plan
“buy now pay later” where people would buy goods in small installments over a fixed period. 6 out of ten cars were bought this way.
what is the cycle of prosperity
mass production makes goods cheaper -> more people buy goods -> hire purchase helps people buy goods -> advertising persuades people to buy even more goods -> more people are employed to make these goods -> people spend their wages of more goods -> the cycle starts again.
How much did the model T Ford cost in 1911 vs 1928
$800 1911 vs $295 1928
how many people bought “Tin Lizzies” between 1911 and 1928
15million
why did the price of the Ford drop so much
because of assembly lines
how many cars were on the roads in america by 1926
nearly 20million and one in two was a Ford
How did the car industry create jobs
not only did more people have to work in the factories that made the cars, but it also created jobs in the industries that supplied the materials for the cars, in industries making roads, petrol companies and in gas stations. by 1925 over 500,000 people worked in the car industry.
why did the economic boom not help farmers
as european farms began to recover, there became less demand for american farm produce. There were also new machines to help with farming, meaning there was more food available than the population could eat. This meant a lot of farmers couldn’t make money and were forced to sell land or were evicted. around 600,000 farmers lost their farms in 1924 alone.
why did other industries such as coal mines and cotton/wool factories also suffer
other products such as man made fibres and oil gas or electricity became more popular, putting many companies out of business.
what were African-Americans who rented small areas of land from a landowner called
sharecroppers
why were sharecroppers hit especially hard
They were already poor, and there was not much work for them in towns or big cities, with some factories operating a whites only policy.
what happened to indigenous americans
a lot of their land was seized by mining companies and they were forced to live on reservations. Most indigenous americans lived in extreme poverty and had a lower life expectancy.
what was the spread of the money in America during the boom
the richest 5% earned 33% of all the money.
how did the amount of millionaires change in america between 1921 and 1927
in 1921 there were 21 individuals earning over $1million per year, in 1924 there were 75, in 1926 there were 207 and in 1927 there were 15,000 US millionaires.
how many people have an income of less than $1000 per year
6million families (42% of the total).
what was playing the stock market
when people bought shares in companies and made money by selling them on.
what was buying on the margin
when people bought shares with money borrowed from banks or with a small deposit of 10%. They would then pay the remaining amount with the profits.
how many people owned shared in 1920 compared to 1929
4million people in 1920 and 5 times as many in 1929.
what did Herbert Hoover say about playing the stock market
that “Americans today are nearer to the final triumph over poverty than ever before. The poor man is vanishing from among us.”
what were some of the crazes in the roaring twenties
Mahjong, crosswords, marathon dancing and pole sitting.
what industry thrived during the roaring twenties
sport, Babe ruth hit a home run record and by 1930 he was earning $80,000 a year (nearly £7million a year today)
what helped to make sporting events popular
radios, newspapers and magazines as they could appeal to a huge audience. In fact, around 60million radio listeners heard the coverge of the 1927 world heavyweight boxing title fight between Jack Dempsey and Gene tunney.
why were the 1920s often called the Jazz age
because a new form of music became popular, Jazz. It was known for improvisation, as fast tempo and lively rhythms.
who did jazz music appeal to
the young, both black and white, and it started being played more and more in dancehalls, bars, nightclubs and even in some of the big northern cities such as Chicago and New York.
what other craze did jazz music bring about
dancing. New dances such as the Charleston, One step, Tango,a dn the Black Bottom.
who benefitted from Jazz music becoming so popular
black musicians such as Louis armstrong, Duke Ellington, Bessie Smith, Fats Waller, and Benny Goodman.
what was life like for women before the first world war
Most women led very restricted lives. Middle/upper-class women had to be polite and cover up as much skin as possible, often with little makeup. Women also had to have a chaperone when with a man. Smoking was not allowed, women had to dance with gloves on, and they had low paying, low skilled jobs such as cleaning and secretarial work. They also couldn’t vote.
what happened to women during WW1
Women took over mens jobs. They earned money and began to feel independent. They were also given the right to vote in 1920. By 1929, there were around 10.5million women with jobs (25% more than in 1920), the divorce rate doubled during the 20s. Women also wore more revealing clothes, went on dates without a chaperone and smoked/drank in public. In 1900, a survey said almost 80% of college students had not had sex before marriage. Another survey in 1920 showed only 31% had not.
what was a flapper
a woman who rode motorbikes, went to nightclubs with men until early morning, wore more revealing clothes and makeup and was more rebellious in most aspects of traditional life.
what was other peoples reactions to flappers
some more traditional members of society dissaproved and formed an “Anti-flirt league” to protest. Other people saw flappers as an example of the evils in modern life (mostly older americans in rural areas). In fact, the president of Florida University said that the short skirts of flappers “are born of the devil and are carrying the present generation to destruction.”
did all women’s lives change
no, flappers were mostly middle and upper-class women from the northern states. Most other women still led normal lives.
what was prohibition
a law that stopped(prohibited) any american selling, making, or transporting any drink containing more than 0.5% alcohol
what group of people were against alcohol
religious organisations and churches. There were also pressure groups which campaigned against alcohol, one notable one being called the Anti-Saloon league.
what did some people say alcohol caused
social problems, violence, poverty, addiction, debt and a decline in moral values.
how many states were already against alcohol
33 set limits and some already banned it completely.
when was the prohibition made a law
16th January 1920
how many prohibition agents were then at first
1500
what was a prohibition agents job
to locate the places that sold or made alcohol, then make arrests and confiscate the alcohol. They also had to prevent alcohol being smuggled in from abroad.
how many agents were there by 1930
3000
where was alcohol mostly being smuggled in from
mexico from the south and canada from the north.
why did prohibition never work
people still wanted to drink alcohol.
how did people get hold of alcohol during prohibition
from speakeasies
who ran speakeasies
gangs
what was sold on speakeasies
bootleg alcohol and moonshine
what was moonshine
a home-made spirit that was very strong and often caused illness and death.
what was a bootlegger
someone who smuggled in achohol
what was a number of people dying from alcohol poisoning in 1920 compared to 1926
98 in 1920 to 800 in 1926
where were speakeasies found
in private hotel rooms, cellars etc
how did people gain entry to a speakeasy
passwords or coded door knocks
