Topic 2 - 1920s U.S. Society (Understanding) Flashcards
What caused the American entertainment industry to grow in the 1920s?
- People had more leisure time to visit entertainments (average working week dropped from 47.4 hours to 44.2 hours).
- People had more disposable income to spend on entertainments (on average, wages increased by 11%).
- Growth of cities and suburbs meant that more Americans could access entertainment.
- Cars allowed Americans to travel to and from entertainments, sporting events, beach holidays, etc.
In what ways did the entertainment industry change in the 1920s?
- Entertainments increased in popularity (such as attendance at sport events and the cinema)
- New and less conservative genres of music and dance grew in popularity (such as jazz music and the Charleston).
- New types of film were developed by Hollywood (such as “talkies” and more racy movies).
In what ways did the entertainment industry change American society?
- There was a greater division between the traditional American way of life and the newer forces of modernity (e.g. older generations saw jazz and everything associated with it as a corrupting influence on the youth; the Hays Code introduced in 1930).
- The rise of the Jazz Age enabled some African-Americans to gain fame.
- Women were exposed to a much wider range of role models, such as in movies, which would have encouraged some women to abandon the traditional roles expected of them.
What was the irony surrounding the Cotton Club in Harlem, New York?
The entertainers and staff were mainly African American, but only white Americans were allowed to attend the Club.
What evidence is there that women experienced greater freedom and opportunity in the 1920s?
- The 19th Amendment (1920) gave women the right to vote, and successful political campaigns gave women further rights (e.g. Maternity and Infancy Protection Act).
- There were more employment opportunities for women (24% more women working by 1929), which meant more women had economic independence.
- In cities, traditional rules of behaviour became less strict, which meant some women were able to behave with greater freedoms (i.e. flappers).
What evidence is there that women’s lives didn’t change in the 1920s?
- Women did not win equal rights or achieve political equality (e.g. they could not stand for election).
- Traditional rules of behaviour often remained strict, especially in rural and southern areas (e.g. Anti-Flirt Association).
- Women were still paid less than men, even when they did the same job.
How did domestic (home) life change for women?
Domestic work was made easier/quicker by the mass production of new electrical goods (e.g. vacuum cleaners and washing machines), which meant that women had more leisure time.
Why did the lifestyles of some women change in 1920s America?
- The car gave women more freedom (e.g. travel to entertainments; carried boyfriends and girlfriends beyond the gaze of their parents).
- Domestic work was made easier/quicker by new electrical goods (e.g. vacuum cleaners and washing machines), meaning women had more leisure time.
- More women were working, meaning more had their own disposable income to spend.
- Women were given access to new role models (e.g. in films), which led to the development of new fashions (e.g. shorter skirts and hair) and new behaviours (e.g. going out without a chaperone).
Which women experienced the greatest changes to their lives in the 1920s?
Changes were mainly experienced by young, middle-class women in urban areas in the north. Religious and traditional values in rural and southern areas meant many women here remained in restricted and conservative roles (e.g. housewives).
Why did intolerance towards immigrants increase in the 1920s?
- The Russian Revolution (1917) meant that Americans feared that recent immigrants from eastern Europe would bring radical Communist and anarchist ideas to the USA.
- The wave of strikes and riots in 1919 were seen as the work of Communists or other radical political groups, such as anarchists.
- Bombings in 1919 and 1920 were blamed on immigrants with anarchist ideas.
What were the consequences of the Red Scare in 1920s America?
- The government introduced measures to restrict / limit immigration (e.g. 150,000 a year from 1924).
- Immigrants were blamed for strikes and bomb attacks which caused a harsh government reaction towards immigrants in America (e.g. Palmer Raids and deportations).
- Rising intolerance led to a lack of economic opportunities (e.g. forced to accept low-paid, menial jobs) and lower standard of living (e.g. lived in poor, over-crowded areas of cities), and prevented integration in US society.
What does the case of Sacco and Vanzetti suggest about American society in the 1920s?
- The case is evidence of rising racial intolerance towards immigrants in 1920s America (e.g. Judge Webster Thayer accused Sacco and Vanzetti of being anarchists and convicted them on weak evidence).
- The case is evidence of a divided society in 1920s America (immigrants were not even equal in the eyes of the law).
Why did the KKK become more popular in the 1920s?
- The film ‘The Birth of a Nation’ (1915) glorified the Klan as heroic defenders of decent American values, which made the movement’s ideas seem more acceptable.
- Powerful and influential people were Klansmen (some were were even elected into positions of political power), which gave them good publicity and made the movement seem more acceptable.
- There was widespread racial prejudice in 1920s America, which meant many agreed with the ideas of the KKK.
- The competition for jobs grew after World War One, which led to increased racial tensions after the war.
In what ways did the lives of African-Americans change in 1920s America?
- Increased threat of violence in the southern states (e.g. the rise of the KKK).
- Problems in the farming industry led to greater poverty amongst African Americans in the south (e.g. many were sharecroppers).
- To escape discrimination and poverty in the south, many African Americans moved to northern cities, where there was a higher chance of good jobs and education (though most faced discrimination in northern cities and still lived in great poverty).
- For some there were greater opportunities in northern cities (e.g. the rise of the Jazz Age).
Why was Prohibition introduced?
- ECONOMIC ARGUMENTS: Business leaders believed their workers would be more productive if alcohol was banned.
- MORAL/ RELIGIOUS ARGUMENTS: “Dries” argued that alcohol made people behave in immoral and criminal ways, and destroyed family life.
- WORLD WAR ONE AND PATRIOTIC REASONS: Big breweries in America were run by German immigrants, who were now seen as the enemy. “Dries” also argued that grain should be used to feed soldiers fighting in the war, rather than to produce alcohol.
