1920's History
In this decade, America became the
wealthiest country in the world with no obvious rival. This was the era before
robot technology and most work was lab our intensive i.e. people did the work.
The person who made that product would get paid and he (as it usually was in
the 1920’s) would not save all that money. He would spend some of it and
someone somewhere else would have to make that and so he would get paid. And so
the cycle continued.
Roaring Twenties
The Roaring Twenties is a term sometimes
used to refer to the 1920s, characterizing the decade's distinctive cultural
edge in New York City, Chicago, Paris, Berlin, London, and many other major
cities during a period of sustained economic prosperity. Economically, the era
saw the large-scale diffusion and use of automobiles, telephones, motion
pictures, and electricity, unprecedented industrial growth, accelerated
consumer demand and aspirations, and significant changes in lifestyle and
culture. The media focused on celebrities, especially sports heroes and movie
stars, as cities rooted for their home team and filled the new palatial cinemas
and gigantic stadiums.
Women in this decade were wealthy as well
and the women who were not wealthy would like and also tried to be. That means
that emotions and expressions were strong characteristics of this era. That was
the decade when also the novel published and one of the main characters of this
“Daisy” is described as one of those women who were living with wealth and
money. On the other side another important character is also described “Myrtle
Wilson” who belonged to that type of women trying to seem as a rich one.
Social
life and culture of 20s
Music
The 20s was
the age of jazz music, singers like Mamie
Smith and Bessie Smith were
enormously popular, and bands like those of Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and King Oliver
became all the rage. Popular dances like the Charleston, the foxtrot, and the
Black Bottom were danced by everyone.
King Oliver
Duke Ellington
Mamie Smith
Bessie Smith
Literature
The Roaring
Twenties was a period of literary creativity, and works of several notable
authors appeared during the period. D. H. Lawrence's novel Lady Lover was a scandal at the time because of its explicit descriptions of sex.
Books that
take the 1920s as their subject include:
- The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, set up in 1922 in the vicinity of New York City, is often
described as the symbolic meditation on the "Jazz Age" in
American literature.
- All Quiet in the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque recounts the horrors of World War I and also the deep detachment
from German civilian life felt by many men returning from the front.
- This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald, primarily set up in post-World War I Princeton University, portrays the lives and morality of youth.
- The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway is about a group of expatriate Americans in Europe during the 1920s.
Social Criticism
As the
average American in the 1920s became more enamored of wealth and everyday
luxuries, some began satirizing the hypocrisy and greed they observed. Of these
social critics, Sinclair Lewis was the most popular. His popular 1920 novel Main street satirized the dull and ignorant lives of the
residents of a Midwestern town.
Art Deco
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Climax of the new architectural
style: the Chrysler Building in New York City was built after the European wave of Art Deco reached the United States.
Art Deco was the style of design and architecture that
marked the era. Originating in Europe, it spread to the rest of Western Europe
and North America towards the mid-1920s. In the U.S., one of the most
remarkable buildings featuring this style was constructed as the tallest building of the time: the Chrysler Building. The forms of art deco were pure and
geometric, even though the artists often drew inspiration from nature. In the
beginning, lines were curved, though rectilinear designs would later become
more and more popular.
The
Changing Role of Women
The 1920s
saw significant change in the lives of working women. World War I had
temporarily allowed women to enter into industries such as chemical,
automobile, and iron and steel manufacturing, which were once deemed
inappropriate work for women. Black women, who had been historically closed out
of factory jobs, began to find a place in industry during World War I by
accepting lower wages and replacing the lost immigrant labor and in heavy work.
Yet, like other women during World War I, their success was only temporary;
most black women were also pushed out of their factory jobs after the war. In
1920, seventy-five percent of the black female labor force consisted of
agricultural laborers, domestic servants, and laundry workers.
