The Roaring Twenties and Social Tensions Flashcards
Impact of the First World War
-many one way trades with Britain during the war
-many industries had come more successful
-the war led to no advances in technology
-the people of America felt good about success
-Germany fell behind in medicine because they had to focus on war production, allowing USA to overtake them and become the main producer
-could exploit markets other powers lost in war
how did the invention of the assembly line and mass production effect the us economy in the 1920s
-new techniques meant that goods could be produced much more cheaply on a large scale
-Henry ford had pioneered single production in the car industry by introducing a robot to assemble cars before the war
-he made cars cheaply, so they were expensive. This revolutionised manufacturing and sped up production
-The more goods that were produced, the more jobs were created, and goods became caper so more people could afford them. Many industries copied fords mass production techniques
How did the development of mass marketing affect the us economy in the 1920s
-mass production requires mass marker or else it will collapse
-this leads to companies spending lots of money on letters
-these sophisticated techniques persuade people to buy and cause the a pension of travelling companies and gives wider access to the foods on offer
How did new technologies affect the us economy in the 1920s
-Electrification of households(numbers exceeding 20% increase in less than three decades)
-the growth on consumer durability oriented products became a norm, which increase productivity
-machinery in factories propagated the cycle of prosperity allowing jobs to increase which in turn increases spending
-spending became more common, which products like Bakelite
How did republican economic policies affect the US economy
-they were pro-business
-they thought that the government would help by never interfering - less regulations
-decreased taxes on income and company profits,more money to invest in American industry and buildings
-put tariffs on imported goods, encouraged buying of American producers
-this is known as laissez faire economics
How did the introduction of credit affect us economy in the 1920s
-the growth of credit made it easier for people to buy goods even if they didn’t have enough money to pay for them on the spot
-firms arranged for customers to pay by instalments or hire purchase
How did confidence affect the us economy in the 1920s
-Americans had confidence that their American boom would continue and that anyone could be rich
How did America’s natural resources affect the us economy in the 1920s
-Domestic raw resources allowed for internal trading, which decreases the price of resources as there are no import duties
-oil, coal and iron
-having taw materials in your own country creates more jobs in extraction and processing
-having raw materials allows for trade and export with other countries with any surplus material left over
-allows for increased consumer items which boosts the economy and adds to the cycle of prosperity
Facts for mass production and henry ford
-a model T car was produced every 10 seconds, taking 1.5 hours per car
-original cost of the model t car was $950, by 1925 it was only $290
facts for credit
-in 1925, 75% of cars and 50% of electrical devices were bought using hire purchase
facts for advertising
-by 1929, $2 bn a year was spent on advertising and 600,000 people were employed in the industry.
how did stock market popularity impact of US economy in the 1920s
-More Americans became involved in buying shares in the American stock market
-Led to companies to sell shares, which would give them the money they needed to develop their businesses, allowing them to hire more people, providing them with money to invest in shares or buy consumer goods with, resulting in greater profit.
-people made lots of money from speculation, allowing them to spend money
how did consumerism impact the US economy in the 1920s
-advertisers and marketing companies actively tried to encourage consumerism
why did farmers income drop in the 1920s in USA
-Europe imported less food because European nations were poor at the end of the war. They also responded to the tariff policies of the US by imposing import tariffs on food produced in America
-The US population was falling, meaning there was less demand
-Increased competition from the highly efficient Canadian wheat producers
-improved machinery, like harvesters, and improved fertilisers made American agriculture very efficient, by 1920 they were producing wheat surpluses which no one wanted
facts for consequences of farmers in the 1920s
-prices plummeted - in 1921 most farm prices fell by 50%
-total US farm income dropped from $22bn in 1919 to $13bn in 1928
-there were 5 times as many farm bankruptcies in the 1920s as there had been in the 1900s and 1910s
-hundreds of rural banks collapsed
-6 million rural Americans were forced of the land in the 1920s. Most were unskilled and they struggled to get jobs in the cities.
-African Americans were particularly badly hit. Three-quarters of a million were unemployed
why were older industries negatively impacted
-workers in coal mines suffered from increased competition from oil and electricity
-workers in the leather and textile industry suffered from too much competition
-new industries didn’t create many new jobs, as electrification and mechanisation meant new industries were less labour intensive
facts for older industries
-in 1928 there was a strike in the coal industry, as male workers received $18 for a 70 hour week(women received just $9) and $48 per week was considered the minimum for a reasonable life
-42% of Americans lived below the poverty line
-Unemployment stayed at 5% throughout the 1920s. Disproportionate numbers of African Americans and Hispanics were unemployed
how did cities change in the 1920s
-cities grew quickly and people flocked to them
-skyscrapers were a symbol of prosperity and growth. They were built in New York because of the limited availability of land, in other cities they were simply a sign that the city was prospering
-Some rural Americans, particularly in the South campaigned against what they believed to be the immoral nature of cities,, which they argued were full of atheists, drunks and criminals
facts for the entertainment industry
-Americans spent more time on leisure activities in the 1920s than they had since USA was founded
- Americans spent $1.8 million more on their leisure activities in 1929 than they had 10 years before
-The average working week declined from 47.7 hours to 44.2 hours giving people more leisure time
-Wages rose by 11% giving them more money to spend on entertainment
how did radio change in the 1920s
-radio grew quickly
-in 1921 there was only one licensed radio station in American, by the end of 1922 there were 508.
-By 1929 the NBC network was making over $150 million a year.
-The number of radios in the USA grew from 60,000 in 1920 to 10 million in 1929
how did the jazz industry change in the 1920s
-radio grew quickly
-jazz became available on the radio, and also became an obsession among young people. The 1920s was known as the ‘Jazz age’.
-new dances like the Charleston went hand in hand with jazz, while it was also associated with new modes of behaviour
how did sport change in the 1920s
-Baseball became a big money sport with legendary teams like the Boston
Red Sox and New York Yankees.
-In 1921, 300,000 people went to watch the baseball World Series
-Boxing was also popular, heavyweight world champion Jack Dempsey was a hero
how did cinema change in the 1920s
-the film industry developed in Hollywood, a suburb of Los Angeles, where the weather meant films could be produced year round.
-biggest starts were Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton(comedy) and Douglas Fairbanks(adventure). The first ‘ talkie’ was made in 1927.
-By the end of the decade $100 million cinema ticket a week were being sold
-In 1924, around 40 million cinema tickets were sold each week. This figure had more than doubled
how did cinema change in the 1920s
-movies became very popular
-By the end of the decade $100 million cinema ticket a week were being sold
-In 1924, around 40 million cinema tickets were sold each week. This figure had more than doubled
-the film industry sold around $2 billion in cinema tickets each year
-provided another way by which advertising could reach consumers.
-stars were Charlie Chaplin, Rudolph Valentino, Buster Keaton and Douglas Fairbanks
-they started producing films in colour in 1922 due to the Technicolor Corporation
-they introduced sound in 1927, with the first film with sound being The Jazz Singer. Previously films were silent and sometimes accompanied by live musicians
-they developed animation techniques. Steamboat Willy(Walk Disney) was the first movie to achieve success with this technique in 1928
How did motoring change in the 1920s
8 million people owned motor cars in 1920s but by 1929 the number rose to 23 million
-Mostly due to Henry Ford’s Model T car
-ownership, maintenance and driving became a leisure activity when competitors to Ford turn motoring into a hobby by offering a great variety of models(Model T only had one design and one colour)
-Easier to go on holidays or day trips(visitors to American national parks went up from 198,606 to 2.7 million in 2930
-Major cities were in reach of more people
what were the jobs of women like during 1918
-WW1 helped to improve the position of women in the workforce as they replaced the men who went to fight
-women made up 20% of the workforce in work places such as weapons factories and steel mills during the war
-most women still worked in jobs seen as traditionally female, low-paid service work like shop assistants and secretaries
-women were not expected to work after they got married unless they were from a poor background
what were the rights of women like during 1918
-Some states gave women the right to vote in local and state elections, such as New York which in Nov 1917
-Many American women still did not have the same vote or the same employment opportunities, right to equal pay and legal rights as men
what were the lifestyle of women like during 1918
-most people thought that women should do the household jobs and follow their husband’s instructions.
-women spent their days cooking, cleaning and raising children.
-expected to be accompanied by a chaperone when they went out and not drink or smoke
