Social Change

Question 1

Newspapers

Answer 1

1. benefited from the advancement in electronic communication
2. multiple editions in a single day
3. picked from far afield and reported quickly
4. circulation expanded greatly
5. lot of space to popular culture - sports, fashion, movie stars

Question 2

Radio - entertainment

Answer 2

1. 1921 - 1 radio station
2. 1922 - 508 radio stations
3. 1930 - 40% owned radio
4. NBC - first national network setup, 1926 setup 500 radio stations
5. light musical entertainment - dance bands
6. brought popular culture directly into the home
7. interspersed with entertainment
8. American culture onto the airwaves
9. exactly the same programming - smoothing out regional difference (dialect, music, customer taste)

Question 3

Cinema

Answer 3

1. affecting moral - selling power of sex, which had been a taboo subject
2. escapism
3. 1929 - 95M audience
4. Charlie Chaplin & Mary Pickford & Buster Keaton became household name
5. newsreels - factual films about news events
6. 1927 - talkies released Jazz singer
7. code of practice - ban nudity & limit the length of kisses
8. lavish film during depression
9. ticket sale - 1920: 40M, 1930: 100M
10. several times a week, long queues
11. Huge number of films
12. cheap - 10 cents
13. Clara Bow - It girl, up in Mabel’s room, a shocking night
14. Rudolph Valentino - the Sheik

Question 4

Women - moral

Answer 4

1. liberal moral - protestant church was against this
2. increase in nightlife, cafes, nightclubs
3. flappers - pushed barriers in economic, political and sexual freedom
4. make own decision
5. exposure of women in sex - corrupting influence of Jazz music
6. beauty products

Question 5

Music

Answer 5

1. popular music shared through sheet music, piano rolls (electric organ), live shows
2. Jazz started by African Americans - appreciation to black culture
3. blues, rag, boogie-woogie
4. Dance - Charleston, Black Bottom
5. provided excitement & opportunity
6. Cotton Club - Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington
7. 1927 talkies - Al Jolson

Question 6

Cars

Answer 6

1. Freedom of movement
2. affordable - increase in demand
3. stimulated other industries
4. radio fitted in
5. colored cars for women

Question 7

Reasons

Answer 7

1. average working week dropped

2.

Question 8

Radio - advertisement

Answer 8

1. independent of active participation of consumers
2. reach to anyone - broader audience - more conservative, careful not to offend anyone
3. informed people about changes in the market
4. innovative product - cajole them into purchasing it

Question 9

Radio - sports

Answer 9

1. play-by-play description - into homes
2. popularize sports figure
3. Jim Thrope: born in Oklahoma, medaled in 1912 olympic, major football & baseball league, best athlete

Question 10

Women - finance

Answer 10

1. 1930 employed 2M more women, increased by 25% to 10M
2. office work & manufacture preferred women
3. 1/3 of university degree awarded
4. 4% of female professionals
5. Medical school allocated 5% to women, # of doctors declined
6. financially independent - not marry young - not at home

Question 11

Women - Politics

Answer 11

1. 1920: 19th amendment
2. women’s role and men’s role did not overlap
3. political decisions affected their daily lives - right and duty to take a serious part in politics
4. made little progress
5. did not see as realistic candidate
6. Equal rights amendment act - equality in law with men