Social And Cultural Development Flashcards
Overall positive changes
1910-1919
Better economy led new consumer society
Huge amounts of advertising in cinemas and radios
Records were sold very widely
Mass and it’s daring dances were very popular among young people
Women began to smoke and experience a more free life sporting heroes became rich and famous
New ‘fads’ became popular such as standing on top of a pole
Who was not happy between 1910-1919
Christian fundamentalists did not want to teach Charlie’s Darwin okideas in school
Older people complained about the lack of morals in young people
Others didn’t have money or ability to enjoy cultural and social changes
How world changed after war
After WW1- people had more free time and money for leisure activities due to new machinery and economic boom
Organised sport developed - golf and tennis
Madison square garden was rebuilt 1925 to hold sporting events for sports and increased popularity of radio
Sports became more profitable
Coca-cola was first company to sponsor 1928 Olympics
Sporting heroes past 1920s
Babe Ruth - sports star of 1920s, best baseball player of his time - “The Bambino”
Jack Dempsey - heavy weight boxing champion of world 1919-1926
Famous for hard hitting and vicious style
Cinema 1920s
Influenced people on fashion and behaviour
Ever small town would have a cinema and many would go several times a week as cheap
During WW1, going cinema was popular - to escape world troubles now
1920s - movies were silent. Hire pianos
Hollywood was perfect for outdoor filming - dry and sunny
Major Hollywood movie companies inc Warner Brothers
By marketing movies - succeeded in generating huge interest in movie stars
The cinemas - luxurious and pleasant places in which Americans could socialise and they could get to them easily in their cars
What was the influence movie stars had
They increased popularity of cinema
Charlie Chaplain - sex symbol - appeared in many early films earning $1 millions
When dead - some women commit suicide
He was one of the founders of United Artists film company 1919
Clara Bow- “The it Girl” - played a flapper influencing many young girls
Very influential 1928-1929
Cinema progression
Birth of talkies
1927- average 60 million Americans went to the cinema on weekly basis
Increases to 110 million 1929 - partially due to development of audio films 1927 w Al Jolson starring in The Jazz Singer
The 1920s were also age of cartoon such as Mickey Mouse (1928)
1929- Oscar’s to honour film stars
What restricted cinema and who disliked it
Hays Code drawn up by Hays 1930- scenes of nudity and sexual dancing prohibited and kissing - only 7m of film.
Adultry could not be counted as good and film should condemn killing
Many esp religious people, concerned about lack of morals and influence of films of young people
Music 1920s
Jazz originated from South US, from blues and ragtime music of black People
Jazz was more rhythmic and livelier and easy to dance too
Led to young people smoking, drinking and some say behaving indecently
College students, esp, were willing to challenge parents value and life style
Famous black magicians inc Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith, The Empress of the Blues
Racism - major problem during this period
When Bessie Smith has serious car crash 1937- taken to hospital for white people. Hospital refused to treat her and she died
1920s
Impact of radio and gramophone
Radio - most famous form of entertainment
Mass production, spread of electricity and buying on hire purchase - meant approx 40% of pop had radio by end of 1920s
Not everyone could read so radio was good at communicating news to people
Jazz led to inc radios and records and gramophones
People could listen to favourite team taking part in sport matches esp if could not afford to go to game or travel
Radio was able to grow and succeed because companies paid to advertise their products on the medium
1920s impact of WW1 on women
Before WW1 girls expected to behave modest, wear long dresses and had to be accompanied by older or married women when they went out
Unacceptable to smoke in public
Women had feminine jobs such as nursing
During war - different jobs eg factory - replacing men who had gone to fight war
Organisations like NAWSA had been fighting for decades to get vote for women. As women contributed so much to war effort- it was difficult to deny it.
1920- 19th Amendment
Change in work - 25% working during 20s
10.6 million working 1929
By now, independent women of middle classes and above had more money to spend - so advertising companies targeted these women to buy new products
1920s changing attitudes towards social etiquette
Flappers
Women started to smoke in public
Became acceptable for women to drive and take part in energetic sport
They were known as flappers
Hollywood periods characterised this and as a result behaviour and dress sense imitated by millions across world
1919- skirt 6 inch above ground
1927- knees level
Corset went out of fashion and makeup jewellery and bob hair cut came in
Famous flapper - Joan Crawford in films - famous for flapper style - many young girls admired. She married son of Douglas Fairbanks which proved her importance in society
Positive Influence of Jazz culture
Crucial in allowing flappers express selves
Can smoke and dance here
Also drank illegal alcohol in speakeasies
People liked more daring dances like Shimmy
Petting parties - flappers would kiss men in public
Flapper slang ‘I have to see a man about a dog’- buy whiskey
Negative influence of Jazz culture
Poor women could not afford fashion and didn’t have time for social events
Black women could not benefit from changing lifestyle either
Women in Bible Belt did not adopt new way of life
Many older women outraged and some formed Anti flirt club
Social impact of Great Depression
Urban industrial America experienced mass unemployment, coup kitchens and desperate job seekers crisscrossing the country by freight train
Rural American went through equivalent miseries in the years of the Dust bowl
The New Deal improves the problems people faced. State intervention creates jobs and welfare systems and did much to restore national self-belief
Country side vs city
KKK
Rebirth 1915- had 40 million members by 1920
From 1930 it modernised
New members appeared such as David Stephenson
2 young public relation experts, Edgar Young Clark and Elizabeth Tyler used aggressive marketing techniques to build up membership
The Klans own newspaper ‘The fiery Cross’ spread KKK ideology - and its attack on big business, German Americans, Communists, Jews, Catholics and African Americans nationwide
40,000 Klansmen by 1925- seen as politically respectable not a terrorist group
1925- Stephenson was convicted of rape and manslaughter and sentenced 25 years in jail. Ruined Klans image as defender of womanhood and moral purity
But this did not ruin the values it stood for
Explain Scopes Trial
Money Trial, Tennessee 1925- national sensation
Tennessee passed the Butler Act, outlawing the teaching of evolution or any theory that might challenge the Bibles version of Creation
Scopes, a science teacher, volunteered to challenge the law my teaching evolution in his classes
Bryan - chief witness for prosecution - religious fundamentalist
- Darrow= defence for scopes
Scopes found guilty and fined $100
press reported Bryan won trial but lost argument -
Darrow and ACLU successful in publishing evolution evidence
Bryan died after trial
Scopes was convicted - state authorities made sure he didn’t go to jail. The Butler Act stayed in force for another 40 years until 1967. Even then- few teachers were brave enough to teach it in school
Revolution, freedom of speech or money?
Modernism vs traditionalism
Sacco and Vanzetti
Italian anarchists who were sentenced to death for murder 1921 after an armed robbery in Massachusetts
Serious flaws in trial but numerous appeals against the death sentence were rejected
1925- controversy over Sacco and Vanzetti became national obsession with liberals and intellectuals denouncing conviction as being based on anti immigrant prejudice and social conservatives insisting the verdict be upheld
Men executed 1927
Shows prejudice against immigrants
How did social values change
1920
Prosperity
New prosperity was accompanied by new social values.
The swing back to ‘normalcy’ under Harding and Coolidge was reflected in consumerism and a more materialistic outlook.
Urbanisation and rapid expansion of the advertising industry accentuated these trends
How did social values change
1920
Conservatism
Backlash of social conservatism from rural and small town America
In religious with condemnation of modern ‘godlessness’ by the churches, by popular evangelists like Billy Sunday and by leaders of new political movements like Francis Townsend
The clash of values had a lot to do with mass support for KKK in 1920s
The new values were also opposed by idealistic voices from the left, agonising over loss of democratic idealism and concerns for social justice
How did social values change
1920s
Progressivism
Support for progressive ideal had seemed strong at end of war, with constitutional amendments to confirm female suffrage and prohibition
Both came with backlash
Why was prohibition introduce
The Volstead Act was passed because it had wide political support
It was progressive
Noble and social experiment
What was the result of prohibition
Producing, importing and distributing alcohol was taken over my criminal gangs
‘Bootleggers’ and ‘speakeasies’ and homemade ‘moonshine’
Enforcement proved too difficult
Law enforcement officers were on small budgets and few outmatches criminal networks aided by corrupt public officials
Many ignored law knowing people like Harding drank
Federal and local gov were losing money
Police corruption led to it getting out of control, with people like Al Capone being glamorised
A new bureau of investigation set up 1924- Al Capone sent to jail for tax evasion
Corrupt Mayor of NY, Jimmy Walker, was forced out of office 1932
How was prohibition repealed
1933- early measure of the New deal was beer-wine act which loosened restrictions on milder forms of alcohol
By end of 1933- 18th Amendment voted down my congress
Divisions south north and west
South
Segregation attitudes
Attempts to introduce an anti lynching law 1921- blocked by southern democrats in senate
Surge in migration to the north by African Americans
Growth of oil industry in Louisiana and Texas bought some economic modernisation but also a furious anti-business backlash
Divisions south north and west
North
The social mix of the north was altered highly by the migration of African Americans
By 1940- 8% of Chicago were black. The district of Harlem became a vibrant AA community
Northern cities were hit hard by the depression due to unemployment
There were also major strikes such as the ‘Ford Massacre’ in 1932 when police opened fire in a ‘Hunger March’ during strike
Divisions south north and west
West
Economic growth in west
Population of LA was 1 million 1930
West not fully integrated with national economy until WW2
Economic instability made life difficult for ethnic minorities like Chinese
Native Americans - marginalised-
They had been displaced due to the rush of the western settlement up to 1890, and never reintegrated into society
During interwar years - some efforts had been made to repair situation : in 1924, Congress declared all natives citizens
1934- FDR signed Indian New Deal (Indian Reorganisation Act) but this was only partial restitution on Native rights
The Indian new deal - FDR put a reformer in charge of Indian policy.
In 1933- Congress approved Colliers conservation scheme to provide 85,000 jobs for young native men
1934- Indian Reorganisation Act gave federal funds for tribes to purchase new lands and repealed many restrictive laws from past against native language and customs
Social impact of depression
Mass unemployment, soup kitchens and desperate job seekers crisscrossing the country by jumping freight train
Rural America went through equivalent miseries in years of dust bowl
Westward migration of ‘Okies’, the small farmers of Oklahoma and Nebraska, who were forced off their land by soil erosion and dust storms
African Americans progress during migration and world war 1
1914 sudden drying up of immigrant workforce and armament factories expanding to supply the war
Increased employment opportunities after WW1
Experience of black troops in trenches and in Europe, opened their eyes to other possibility
Harlem Hellfighters - first 2 black soldiers to receive French Gallantry medals
1917 Buchanan vs Warley- success over racial segregation in Louisville Kentucky
African American hinderances
Migration and world war 1
1915 KKK - birth of a nation
WW1- southern segregation firmly imbedded. Restrictions on voting rights firm
Northern - de facto - and much less spend on black education
Severe discrimination in workplace. Unions discriminated against black People
Sharecropping poorly off and affected by enviro issues
Segregation WW1 and lack of recognition for service provided
Chicago race riots 1919
Post war recession
Irish and polish workers attacked city’s black ghettos leaving 23 black dead
1000 families made homeless
Competition for jobs
Bilbo Mississippi Governor 1916-20- racist and crude language. Opposed civil rights
