Explain how the culture of the 1920s was radically different from what preceded it. What new values were being formed? What were they, and what were the manifestations of those values in our culture?

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cvarnccyrtvey101

Humanities

HIST 136

Brookdale Community College

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The essay should be from 5-9 paragraphs in length.

Roark, et al., The American Promise: A Concise History, Volume 2, Sixth Ed. (Bedford St. Martin’s, 2017)

Michael P. Johnson, Reading the American Past, Volume 2, Fifth Ed. (Bedford St. Martin’s, 20 12)

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The Road to the Great Depression The Economy of the 1920’s The “Roaring Twenties” • Key aspect of our sense of the 1920s: economic prosperity • Closer look: • • • 1914-1919: economic boom 1920-1922: recession 1922-1929: another boom The “Roaring Twenties” • • Economic statistics, 1922-1929 • • • • • Industrial output doubled GNP rose by 40% Wages rose by 17% Industrial productivity rose by 75% (industrial output per manhour) Population rose by 10% (to 121m) American workers highest paid in the world Sources of Economic Growth in 1920s • Transition to a full-blown consumer economy • • • Especially in durable goods → last at least five years Spending by middle and upper classes Consumer revolution made possible by • • • Low prices: inflation low throughout the decade Advertising: changes to more graphics-based (from text-based) ads Buying on credit: “installment plan” for most significant purchases Consumer Revolution • For first time, average Americans can afford products that make their lives easier • • Especially housewives Leads to creation of more leisure time • Which helps propel mass culture • Radio shows • Movies • Magazines • Books • Sports Causes of the Great Depression • So if everything was so great, what the hell happened? • Basically, the “Roaring Twenties” prosperity masked several deeper economic problems that eventually led to the Great Depression Causes of the Great Depression • Let’s look at SEVEN FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEMS: 1. Durable goods sales by definition can’t be sustained by domestic consumption Need to sell to other markets 2. Wages, while high, didn’t keep up with productivity gains, so workers eventually can’t buy what they’re making → requires exporting of surplus production Causes of the Great Depression 3. Many traditional industries not “roaring” Industries that employed many workers and had high capital investment Railroads, coal, textiles in particular Causes of the Great Depression 4. Farmers don’t “roar” at all in the ‘20s Farm exports plunge after 1919 Per capita agricultural income, 1929: $273 Per capita national income, 1929: $681 Causes of the Great Depression 5. Installment buying (credit) got out of hand Farmers always in debt Average American consumer debt skyrockets 1919: $100 million 1927: $7 billion Credit buying only works if economic fortunes continue to improve Causes of the Great Depression 6. Distribution of income very unequal as 1920’s progressed Wages up 17% Dividend (payments to stockholders) income up 65% Saving account totals up 50% Problem: as incomes of the wealthy rise, less of their income is spent on consumer goods, more spent on investment (e.g., stocks) and saving Causes of the Great Depression 7. U.S. goes from net debtor nation to net creditor nation That is, other countries now owe us more than we owe them → HOW? Problem because in order for our economy to grow, we have to export surplus production to other countries (see Reason #2 above) But for other nations to pay back their loans to us, we need them to export goods to the U.S., to make money that they can turn around and send to us as debt payments The 1920s THE AGE OF CELEBRITY The Age of Celebrity  Pre-1900, America celebrated “heroes”  Political figures like Washington, Franklin, Adams, Jackson  Businessmen like Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller  Inventors like Edison, Ford  What did we celebrate about them?  Their accomplishments  But also their character and values They represented “us” in some meaningful way  Models of certain behavior or beliefs  Helped to create a mythic narrative of America  The Age of Celebrity  Post-1920, America celebrated “celebrities”  A person who is always in the public eye   Interest in all they do, say Dependent on the creation of a “mass culture” Celebrities need fans, after all  Celebrity possible only after creation of “mass media”  Movies  Magazines  Radio  “Mass media” makes possible national cultural figures in ways not possible before  The Age of Celebrity  So who were these celebrities?  Mostly, figures from popular culture Movies  Sports  Music   What did we celebrate about them?  Their exploits  But also primarily their personality and private lives  That is, what they did and were like when not doing “their jobs” on the screen, the playing field, or the radio The Age of Celebrity  Celebrities must have accomplished something  No Kardashians, that is  And that’s why Babe Ruth was a celebrity but Jimmy Dykes wasn’t  But they become “celebrities” because they represent something that someone else believes can “sell” a product  And because they make fans feel better about their own lives and flaws The Age of Celebrities  Where did the “worship” of celebrities come from?  Basically, from the rise of the consumer-based economy  How do companies distinguish their product from others?  Should you go to a Metro movie or a Warner Brothers movie?  The one that has your favorite movie “star”  Which newspaper should you buy?  The one that has pictures of your favorite athlete  Which cigarette should I smoke?  The one endorsed by your favorite athlete or movie star The Age of Celebrity  In order to make and keep a celebrity, an entire industry is created      Publicity people who work for studios, sports teams Agents representing celebrities Public relations companies (think “Mad Men”) Newspapers reporters and columnists Fan magazines covering movies/stars, sports/athletes  In the end, “accomplishments” morph into “image”  And once established, the image is the most important  It’s the image that gets sold The Age of Celebrity  As the twentieth century progresses, the “accomplishment” becomes less and less “accomplished”  And today one can be famous for, well, being famous  “Image is everything” Celebrities of the 1920’s America’s Biggest Hero: Charles Lindbergh Movie Stars of the 1920’s Rudolph Valentino Charlie Chaplin Buster Keaton Harold Lloyd Harold Lloyd, “Safety Last” (1923) Douglas Fairbanks Mary Pickford Lillian Gish Clara Bow Theda Bara Theda Bara as Cleopatra (1917) SPORTS HEROES Babe Ruth Jack Dempsey Red Grange Bobby Jones Bill Tilden Gertrude Ederle World War I Propaganda Public Opinion & the Great War • In April 1917, Americans ambivalent about entering the Great War – How is this our problem? – In what way are American values or interests threatened? – Recent immigrants from both sides of war • Plus, the Irish – More draftees than volunteers • Only such war in American history – Most popular song in 1915: • “I Didn’t Raise My Son to Be a Soldier” Public Opinion & the Great War • Public opinion needed to be mobilized in order to win the war – And it was: most popular song in fall 1917: • “Over There” The propaganda arm of the US Govt. during WWI: COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC INFORMATION (CPI) Created in June 1917, headed by veteran journalist and magazine editor GEORGE CREEL, the CPI performed many tasks aimed at controlling information about the war and encouraging Americans to engage in appropriate war-related behavior. EXAMPLES: • worked with newspapers and news services to insure that sensitive war information did not appear in news stories •organized a nationwide group of “Four-Minute Men” to serve as public speakers •Volunteers who spoke weekly on government-approved topics • produced or co-produced short movies about the war, soldiers, training camps, and the responsibilities of civilians • shown before main features at theaters around the US CPI’S PROPAGANDA CAMPAIGN WENT THROUGH TWO STAGES: • 1917 •Very much “pro-American” • Based on calls for Americans to “do their duty” in a variety of ways •1918 •Very much more “anti-German” • Demonizes the enemy as a source of motivation MOST FAMOUS ASPECT OF CPI’S PROPAGANDA CAMPAIGN POSTERS Most posters were commissioned from well-known graphic artists of the 1910s • James Montgomery Flagg • Howard Chandler Christie • Charles Dana Gibson (of “Gibson Girl” fame) They appeared in post offices, stores, factories, schools, and other government buildings – in short, EVERYWHERE Some targeted civilians, others focused on young men eligible for military service ENLISTMENT POSTERS POSTERS AIMED AT CIVILIANS ANTI-GERMAN POSTERS World War I Propaganda Public Opinion & the Great War • In April 1917, Americans ambivalent about entering the Great War – How is this our problem? – In what way are American values or interests threatened? – Recent immigrants from both sides of war • Plus, the Irish – More draftees than volunteers • Only such war in American history – Most popular song in 1915: • “I Didn’t Raise My Son to Be a Soldier” Public Opinion & the Great War • Public opinion needed to be mobilized in order to win the war – And it was: most popular song in fall 1917: • “Over There” The propaganda arm of the US Govt. during WWI: COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC INFORMATION (CPI) Created in June 1917, headed by veteran journalist and magazine editor GEORGE CREEL, the CPI performed many tasks aimed at controlling information about the war and encouraging Americans to engage in appropriate war-related behavior. EXAMPLES: • worked with newspapers and news services to insure that sensitive war information did not appear in news stories •organized a nationwide group of “Four-Minute Men” to serve as public speakers •Volunteers who spoke weekly on government-approved topics • produced or co-produced short movies about the war, soldiers, training camps, and the responsibilities of civilians • shown before main features at theaters around the US CPI’S PROPAGANDA CAMPAIGN WENT THROUGH TWO STAGES: • 1917 •Very much “pro-American” • Based on calls for Americans to “do their duty” in a variety of ways •1918 •Very much more “anti-German” • Demonizes the enemy as a source of motivation MOST FAMOUS ASPECT OF CPI’S PROPAGANDA CAMPAIGN POSTERS Most posters were commissioned from well-known graphic artists of the 1910s • James Montgomery Flagg • Howard Chandler Christie • Charles Dana Gibson (of “Gibson Girl” fame) They appeared in post offices, stores, factories, schools, and other government buildings – in short, EVERYWHERE Some targeted civilians, others focused on young men eligible for military service ENLISTMENT POSTERS POSTERS AIMED AT CIVILIANS ANTI-GERMAN POSTERS
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Running head: THE AMERICAN CULTURE DURING THE 1920s

The American Culture during the 1920s
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation

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THE AMERICAN CULTURE DURING THE 1920S

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The American Culture during the 1920s
The U.S. has undergone numerous political, social, and economic changes throughout
history that have shaped its values and contributed to its contemporary culture. The early years of
the 20th century embody changes in the country that shaped most values that the society holds
today. The century underwent various social transformations that turned out to be significant
events and left an everlasting legacy on the nation. Increased urbanization led to the shift of
populations from rural to urban areas, promoting interactions and fostering massive cultural
transformations. The country’s economic boom characterized by increased wages and reduction
of product prices led to improved living standards among Americans. While these economic
changes did not radically transform the lives of most Americans, they provided individuals with
a platform to adopt new values. Notably, the changes contributed to the mass culture, jazz age,
modernism and emergence of flappers, which characte...


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