new industries and tech Flashcards
how was new industries/tech the main reason of economic boom in America 1920s?
Technological progress led to mass production of goods, new mass marketing techniques, the availability of cheap credit and increased employment which in turn cultivated a huge amount of consumers.
What did technological advances led to give example.
Led to both the development of new industries and the productivity of already existing ones. The advances included automatic switchboards, conveyer belts and concrete mixers.
which industries benefited most from the new machinery?
The electricity, car and Film industry benefited most from the new machinery.
What did these mass production techniques do?
Mass production techniques such as the conveyer belt and assembly line (pioneered by Henery Ford) meant that goods could be produced more quickly and at a greater quantity.
How much did cars increase due to the conveyer belt?
For example, more then 15 million cars were produced between 1908 and 1925. In 1927 they came off the production line at a rate of 1 car every 10 seconds. By 1929, 4.8 million cars were made.
why did new machines enrich factories?
The new machines did not require high level of skill to operate them, so factories were able to employ large amount of unskilled worker. This led to lower prices and to more employment.
What did the car industry open the doors to?
As well as directly employing thousands of workers, the new technology helped keep workers in other industries in employment. Glass, leather, steel and rubber were all required to build the new vehicles. Automobiles used up 75% of the US glass production in the 1920s. The car industry opened the doors to many other industries such as the petrol industry and the road building industry.
Talk about the road building industry
In fact road building was the biggest single employer in the 1920s. The federal road act of 1916 began a period of intense Roa building all over the country. durning the 1920s, the total extent of road building in the USA doubled.
How many people owned a car in the 1920s?
Owning a car was no longer a rich persons privilege, like it was in Europe. There was 1 car to every 5 people in the USA compared with 1 car to 43 in Britain and 1 to 7000 in Russia.
What did the car make possible?
The car made it possible for people in the USA to by a house in the Suburbs, which further boosted house building. It also stimulated the growth of hundreds of other small businesses, ranging from hot dog stands and advertising billboards to petrol stations and holiday resorts.
Conclusion of how new industries/tech led to economic boom.
In conclusion, these cheaper, mass-produced products and increased employment stimulated further the demands for goods, and this created the consumer boom which led to economic prosperity.
What other industries blossomed?
During the 1920s, the entertainment industry blossomed. Due to the new machinery, the average working week dropped from 47.2 to 44..2 hours. In result people had more leisure time. Average wages rose by 11% so workers had more disposable income. A lot of this spare time and money was channelled into entertainment. Almost every house hold has their own radio set. Radio sets increased from 60,000 in 1920 to 10 million in 1929. The radio gave much greater access to new the new music industry. Jazz captured the imagination of all young people and the 1920s became known as the jazz age. Along with jazz went new dances, like the Charleston, and new styles and behaviours that can be summed up in the image of the flapper; a women that wore short dresses and make-up and soaked in public.
The industry of women
The enfranchisement of women in the 1920s accelerated. Women would take on jobs created by new industries. There was 10 million women in jobs in 1929, 24% more than in 1920. With their own money, working women became a particular demographic for advertisement and the new inspiration for many industries. For example, after the invention of rayon silk stockings were no longer a rich luxury. This cheaper subsatuite for silk increased the production of stockings and by 1930, 300 million pairs were sold to a population of around 100 million compared to the 12000 sold in 1900. Women were also exposed to much wider range of role models viewing daring heroines who further advertised make-up and the flapper lifestyle mentioned before.
