19-+The+New+Era-+1920s

The Roaring Twenties

 * **American Business and Economy**
 * After a **short recession** in the begging of the decade, America experienced a longer period of **affluence and prosperity** that continued to the end of the 1920s and came to define it as **"The New Era."**
 * **Corporations** were still powerful organizations within the economy, and many of them headed towards **consolidation** to gather strength.
 * **Trade associations** sprang up to encourage **cooperation** by members within the same industry to encourage coordination in production and marketing techniques.
 * Many still **feared overproduction**, as too rapid expansions could often lead to disaster in the form of a **recession** and **economic instability**.
 * **Workers** received some benefits, such as **wage increases**, but still faced hardships such as a **low annual income** ($1500 when $1800 was considered as a minimally decent earning) and **unemployment** (lower than previous decades and especially 1930s, but still hovered around 5-7%). Some benefited from **Welfare Capitalism** , but the system collapsed by the economic troubles of 1929.
 * **Unions** were still **weak**, and could do little in a time of rapid economic acceleration
 * **Increasing Consumerism**
 * A **consumer-oriented culture** swept the nation, and as industrialization led to an increase in **new goods**, people found themselves unable to resist purchasing all these new items available to them.
 * Many expressed **conformity**, all wanting to take part in the same activities and purchase the same goods as others (had substantial impact on advertisers, the movie industry, etc.).
 * With **more currency** going around, the **economy prospered** and continued to do so in the decade as people continued to spend.
 * **Strength of the Republican Party**
 * Republicans took the **presidential office** during the 1920s with **Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge, and Herbert Hoover**
 * Harding and Coolidge seemed to exemplify the **calm, conservative** atmosphere of the decade, taking a mostly **passive approach** to their position
 * Hoover was a little different, considered to be **very progressive** as many hoped he would bring more improvement to parts of the nation (especially the economy)
 * **Modernism**
 * The nation made great achievements in fields such as **science, the arts, and entertainment**, bringing about the idea that this was a very new, modern era
 * As technology became more advanced, people found use for devices such as **mechanized farming equipment and automobiles**
 * Very important developments were those of the **radio and film**, allowing many people to share in news that was spreading all around the country and better **communicate** , as well as providing **entertainment** for a cheap price.
 * **Responses to Modernism**
 * Numerous artists and individuals found **disenchantment** in this new society, expressing themes such as **personal alienation**, a **lack of idealism or vision** in the culture, and a **need for progress and reform**.
 * **Key individuals/works** : Ernest Hemingway, //A Farewell To Arms// (1929), H.L. Mencken, //Smart Set// and //American Mercury// magazines, Sinclair Lewis, //Main Street// (1920), //Babbitt// (1922), //Arrowsmith// (1925), F. Scott Fitzgerald, //The Great Gatsby// (1925)
 * **Challenges for Equality**
 * Though the 1920s may have felt like an era of calm and stability, people still **challenged unfavorable traditional ideology** entrenched in the modern culture
 * **Women** gained some benefits in **education and labor** (being allowed to work in "pink collar" jobs), but **opportunity was still limited** to them. Themes such as **motherhood** were changing too, with the **middle-class wife** being more involved in the family **not just as a duty, but for pleasure and enjoyment** . The image of the **"flapper"** provided females with a new sense of **freedom and liberation** in modern society, although women still didn't have the same equality as men.
 * **African-Americans** continued to be **discriminated against** and faced issues with finding work and being able to live a healthy and decent life. There was opposition to this tradition, but those who challeged it were often threatened by others (including groups such as the **1920s Klu Klux Klan** ).

Sources:
 * Image of 1920s Life Magazine- []
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 * Brinkley, Alan. __American History- A Survey__. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2007.