The Roaring Twenties Flashcards
Why did America change from a country of rural towns and settlements to more than half of the population living in urban areas?
The combination of industrial development, mass immigration and urbanisation
Historian’s see this as the shift when America became ‘modern’. What do modern societies tend to be?
-be more urban than rural
-be more industrialised
-emphasise rationality and science, rather than religion and superstition
-feature more highly developed structures of a nation state, such as a central government or bureaucracy
More employers adopted welfare capitalism. What is it?
An approach in which employers provide benifits such as housing, education and recreational activities to their workers to encourage productivity and loyalty (prevent unions)
What did large employers do to discourage workers from joining unions?
They blacklisted(banned) unions members
What was the Red Scare?
A series of anarchist bombings in 1919 that resulted in a fear of foreigners, communists and socialists
What three ideas did Henry Ford brought forward?
-The assembly line
-The central idea of modern mass production, which was that parts should be interchangeable
-The principles of scientific management (Taylorism) using time and motion studies to break down worker’s tasks into small components
Henry Ford used welfare capitalism but still had a large turn over due to?
-Set up Sociological Department to study his worker’s lives and their behaviour
-150 agents visited homes to ensure that children were attending school, homes clean and money was saved not spent on gambling or alcohol
-Very strict regulations
How did the car change American in negative and positive ways?
-Offered freedom and mobility
-Provided young people with sexual freedom
-Crime as bootleggers and gangsters used them during prohibition
What did flapper’s represent and what did they tend to do?
-Represent youth, personal liberty, physical freedom, sexual freedom and youthful abandonment
-Smoked, drank alcohol, used cosmetics, danced to jazz , frequented cabarets and speak easies
What did most women reject from the previous decade?
The restrictive clothing
How were young women empowered through their lifestyle?
-More mobile, physically active, sexually aware and more likely to challenge traditional conventions
What did society consider a women to be ‘a traitor to her sex’ and why would she be considered as such?
-Married women who worked
-Women’s work was seen as temporary if the woman was single and could only be justified in married women by dire financial necessity. Marriage and motherhood was seen as the ultimate career.
What did new appliances do to housework?
Made it quicker, easier and more glamorous
What became easier in the nature of marriage and why?
Divorces due to becoming cheaper and easier to obtain
How did advertisement adapt during this time?
More colourful, catchphrases and empowered consumers to change their lives
