Chapter 3 - The years of prosperity: 1919-1929 Flashcards
What had changed regarding where people lived after the FWW?
First time ever - more living in urban areas.
15% living in cities with more than 0.5 million.
Chicago - 2 million.
NY - 5 million.
1833 - Chicago only had a pop. of 350.
What new features marked the process of urbanization after the FWW?
Skyscrapers - especially in NY.
40 Wall Street, Chrysler Building (320m).
Empire State Building (380m).
City centres - lots of migrating south AAs.
1920s - 1200,000 whites left Harlem.
87,000 blacks arrived.
Whites - moving into suburbia.
Why was suburbia spreading?
Automobile revolution. Queens NY City doubled in population. Quality of suburb amenities improved. 1920-1930: Inside flush toilets - 20% to 51%. Central heating - 1% to 42%. Electric lighting - 35% to 68%.
How did electricity help with the growth of consumer goods?
1930 - 86% city homes had electricity.
Consumer goods aided by new materials e.g. Bakelite – first synthetic plastic - patented in 1909.
Vacuum cleaners - 30% families 1930.
Electric washing machines - 24% families 1930.
Electric refrigerators - 8% families 1930.
1929 - radio - 10 million.
Telephones - 20 million.
Did rural America have electricity in the 1930s?
Not until 1950s - US had own electricity supply.
Rural costs - too long for supplier profit.
Rural electricity - charged twice as much.
Rural contrasted with urban - used burning stoves, oil lamps and well water.
What sort of stimulants helped the increase of consumption after the FWW?
More prominent brand names on products.
Large billboards - attracted motorists.
Magazines e.g. Good Housekeeping Magazine - inspiring US image.
Radio - Pepsodent toothpaste - linked to Amos ‘n’ Andy show in 1928.
1929 - US companies - $3 billion per year advertising.
How did new methods of distribution help the increase of consumption after the FWW?
Sears Roebuck mail order catalogue - range of farmer goods to choose from.
Opened its first retail store in Chicago, 1925.
Other stores followed this and opened.
Macy’s expanded during the 1920s.
Introduced its ‘Thanksgiving Day’ parade in 1924 - creative advertising.
What was the most important stimulant in the consumer industry?
Consumer credit - began in motor industry.
Motor companies set up finance companies to help sell.
Using credit - able to buy now/pay later.
By putting down a deposit - could be paid in installments.
Great scheme - 60% furniture and 75% radios - bought on hire purchase schemes.
What sort of leisure activities were available in the 1920s?
Radios and cinemas.
Magazines - crossword puzzles ‘fads’.
Energetic Black Bottomed Dance named after a district in Detroit.
How was the radio introduced in the 1920s?
KDKA - first station to receive a licence - 1920.
1922 - 550 stations broadcasting to 3 million.
Improved quality of transmission and reception.
1922 WEAF station was commercially sponsored - US radio advertising became the norm.
Larger companies started taking over smaller ones:
NBC - created in 1926.
CBS in 1927.
RCA - highest stock holder - founded in 1919.
Rose by 929% between 1925-1929 - lots of profit.
How was the cinema introduced in the 1920s?
The Birth of a Nation - 1915 KKK film.
Film director Mille rented a barn in Hollywood for $75 per month - he wrote to his backers (Lasky and Goldwyn) - hoped they’d agree.
Cinema was dominated by Jewish immigrants from Europe.
Fox from Hungary, 3 Warner Brothers from Poland etc.
What was the film industry like in the 1920s?
20,000 cinemas.
Roxy Theatre - held 6,200 - largest.
‘Big Five’ - Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer, Paramount Pictures, Fox Film Corporation, Warner Brothers and RKO Pictures.
These owned 90% of the US film industry.
What were the quality of films like in the 1920s?
Silent movies - early part of the decade.
Charlie Chaplin and Clara Bow - movie stars.
First ‘talking’ film - The Jazz Singer in 1927 - Al Jolson.
How popular was the cinema in the 1920/1930s?
800- 1,000 films being made per year, compared to 500 today.
1930 - 100 million cinema tickets were being sold per week.
People saw more than one film per week.
Helped social divisions.
Who was Henry Ford?
CASE STUDY
1903 - opened Detroit factory - turned 2,000 cars a year.
2 men per car.
Backers pulled out - Ford bought significant shares to have majority control.
Reduced the production of expensive cars.
Developed cheaper model - Model T.
10,000 were sold.
1910 - transferred production to a new plant.
Why was the Model T so popular?
Took 1.5 hours compared to 14 hours to produce a car.
Dropped from $850 to $360 by 1916.
1925 - 9,000 cars produced per day.
Ford was prepared to forgo some of his profits per car to increase demand.
What was Ford’s workforce like?
High turnover - repetitive and not well paid.
1914 - Ford doubled wages - didn’t have to spend money training new workers.
High wages/yellow dog contracts prevented unionisation - could’ve challenged authority.
How successful was Henry Ford?
1916 - $60 million (doubled from 1914).
1921 - Ford produced 60% US cars.
Peak year 1924 - 1.6 million Model T cars sold.
Model A also made.
Closed Detroit factory in 1927 and opened River Rouge.
Wanted to own all the raw car materials and transport systems needed to carry them onsite.
1930s - 100,000+ were employed at the 2,000 acre site.
What was Henry Ford’s attitude towards the workforce?
To some - considerate employer.
To others - unreasonable.
Ford factories - spotlessly clean, superb safety record and nourished workers.
BUT reports of violence - 1932, they crushed a Communist demonstration, 4 shot dead.
What were the POSITIVE economic impacts of cars?
1929 - 27 million cars on the road.
- Other industries were involved in car making: rubber - 80%, plate glass - 75%, steel - 15%.
- Stimulated fuel stations.
- Roads needed to be built - 650,000 miles by 1929.
- Routes needed restaurants/hostels.
- 1929 - 10% workforce were car related - jobs.
- Encouraged consumer credit.
