The Boom (America) Flashcards
What changes happened to cars
-cars were mass produced in Detroit
What was the first model and colour of cars
Model T, black because it was the cheapest to produce
Who did mass producing cars affect?
Cheaper so poor people could pay for cars
People with families
What were the changes to entertainment
New music
New dance styles
Hollywood - Charlie Chaplin Valentino
What was the new style of music and where did it originate from
Jazz from slave songs
Why was jazz music disliked by older generations
Because of the origins of slave music
What were the new dance moves
Charleston
Who did the changes in entertainment affect
Main cities where there were cinemas
Mainly the rich could afford it
What were the changes to construction
New buildings - skyscrapers Roads Motels Diners Factories
Who did the changes to construction affect
Gave men new building jobs
What were the changes to advertising and shopping
Mail order catelogue
Who did advertising affect
Women as they did the majority of shopping
Convenience
How was Henry Ford able to produce cars rapidly
-used the assembly line from Chicago used to speed up production
-he standardised ever car (one colour and one engine)
By 1929 Ford was producing six cars per minute
Why were the positives of the Model T
Negatives
An affordable car for everyone Worked in all weather Price never increased 1909- $1200 1928- $295
Although it was difficult to drive and slow
Why was the assembly line so important
Needed fewer skilled workers which cut the price of wages
Faster, meant he could produce six cars a minute
Why was mass production so good for people and workers
Workers in the factories were given 3x the average wage
Lots of jobs in the main Detroit factory 81,000 men
Jobs in the oil, rubber and steel industry were created
How did mass production benefit other business
How much of America’s steel glass rubber and leather was used by the production line
Car production used 20% of steel, 80% of rubber and 75% of plate glass and 65% of Americans leather
-created more business for the companies
What were the general positives of of mass production
4
- more transport for average people
- jobs were created
- sense of freedom
- people could buy houses out of town and drive to work
What were the negatives of mass production
3
- more pollution
- more accidents
- more traffic
Who were the four main groups who didn’t benefit from the Boom
Farmers
Old Industry
African Americans
Native Americans
Why didn’t farmers benefit from the Boom
When war ended Europe began to recover their farms- less demand
Countries began to put taxes on crops
What was the impact of the Boom on farmers
Many lives below the poverty line
6 million farmers (42%) lived on less than $1,000 a year
Many starved
Why didn’t the old industry benefit from the Boom
Cotton and wool industry has less demand for their product because of new man-made fibres (rayon)
Why didn’t African Americans benefit from the Boom
Majority lived in Southern America on farms and labourers. Living conditions were appalling
Why didn’t native Americans benefit from the Boom
- majority of their land had been seized by mining companies
- forced to move to reservations where the soil was poor and near impossible to grow crops
- in 1920s most Native Americans lived in extreme poverty
Why didn’t the poor benefit from the Boom
-richest 5% had 33% of money
In 1926 207 people were millionaires by 1926 there were 15,000
-60% were below the poverty line
Rich kept getting richer poor kept getting poorer
What were the positive changes for women in the roaring twenties
1929- 10.5 million women were working
Women were unchaperoned
More role models Clara Bow
19-20 vote gained Divorce rate double New technology Shorter dresses Smoking and drinking
What were the negative changes for women in the roaring twenties
Women in unskilled jobs
Smoking and drinking
New anti flirt league
Why the the twenties not roar for all women
- rich women were able to be unchaperoned but poor women could not afford to go to parties
- inequality between gender
- some people though flappers were disgusting to show skin and endorse male attention
What were flappers
Flappers were characteristically fun fashionable party goers
Short dresses
Tanned skin
Aggressive
High heels
What was the traditional women like
Long tied up hair under hat
Pale skin
Long hemline
Long sleeves to cover arms
When did the prohibition happen
1920 - 1933
Why did the prohibition happen
4
- saw it as immoral and sinful
- waste of money - temperance movement
- anti-saloon league
- WW1 seen as unpatriotic to drink beer from Germany
How did the government enforce prohibition
4
- 1500 prohibition agents to enforce the law
- located places which sold or made alcohol and made arrests and confiscations
- Attempted to stop alcohol smugglers from crossing the border
- By 1930 3000 agents had been employed
How did prohibition affect society
4
- more bars than before
- moonshine alcohol could be so strong it could cause illness
- alcohol poisoning increased from 98 in 1920 to 800 in 1926
- people were prepared to break the law to drink
What did prohibition fail ?
3
- American borders- Bootleggers snuggles it from Canada and Mexico as well as the coast
- law enforcement- bribes police officers. Corrupt forces
Organised crime- the law was scared of the Mafia. Bribed politicians and police. Al Capone made $10 million a year
What was Al Capones role in the failure of prohibition
In Chicago policeman and judges turned a blind eye to Al Capone
He supplied alcohol and made speakeasies
What was life like for African Americans
Segregated- in the South Jim Crow Laws were used to segregate African Americans
The KKK ruled and the police did not help
Why did the KKK rebirth
Founded in 1860s the KKK was used to terrorise African Americans
Faded towards 19th Century
In 1915 the Hollywood film ‘the birth of a nation’ sparked audiences
How many members were in the KKK in 1925
Over 5 million
What was the appeal of the KKK to American citizens
3
- most members were poor white males
- lived in small rural towns
- southern states did not have the prosperity of northern states
What were the methods of the KKK
1
- dressed in white sheets, white hoods and carried American flags
- kidnapping,whipping and branding with acid
Why did African Americans leave the South
2 million African Americans left the south as they had stronger racial discrimination
Why was life still bad for African Americans after moving to Northern states
(3)
- last to be given jobs, first to be fired
- occupied the worst housing
- race riots
What race riot happened in 1919
In 1919 African Americans entered a white only beach
What was the Harlem Renaissance
intellectual, social, and artistic explosion centered in Harlem, New York, spanning the 1920s. At the time, it was known as the “New Negro Movement”
What impact did the Harlem Renaissance have on African Americans
(3)
- African American jazz musicians
- NAACP was founded
- some African Americans even joined politics
What were two African American jazz singers
Ella Fitzegerald
Louise Armstrong
What were the positive changes for African Americans in 1920s
(3)
- NAACP was set up
- more job opportunities
- less people were racist in the north
What was negative for African Americans in the 1920s
4
- some couldn’t afford to move to Northern states
- KKK
- Extreme violence
- African Americans had lower paid jobs
What was the appeal of the US to immigrants
4
- America had land rich in natural resources
- lots of job opportunities
- earned twice the amount as Europeans
- idea of the American dream was appealing
What were the problems immigrants faced in integrating into society
(5)
- lots of work but faced prejudiced
- poor living conditions in cities
- poor work due to lack of educations
- WW1 creates a suspicion of immigrants (xenophobia)
- Russian revolution led to a fear of communists (red scare)
What were the attitudes towards immigration in the 1920s
3
- In 1917 literacy tests banned anyone who couldn’t read a sentence of 40 words from entering
- in 1921 350,000 people were allowed but in 1924 only 150,000 per year were allowed in
- 1929 no Asians were permitted to enter
What was the Red Scare
Fear of communism
Why didn’t America like communists
-America saw communism as a disease. Worried workers would stop working
What did anarchists do
3
- 1901 president McKinley was assassinated by anarchists
- bombed several cities in 1919
- believe in chaos
Why did anarchists help to cause the Red Scare
-anarchists believe in chaos
Anarchists were believed to be communists
What happened at the Palmer Raids
- 6,000 communists arrested
- made immigrants scared
- found only 3 guns +no explosives
- Mitchell Palmer led the riots
Why did the Palmer raids happen
The underlying cause of the red scare
People believe communists were conspiring a workers revolution
