1 The Roaring Twenties The economic benefits of

1. The Roaring Twenties • The economic benefits of the First World War. • Reasons for economic boom in the 1920 s, Henry Ford and mass production, hire purchase, advertising, consumerism and the popularity of the stock market. • Problems in farming, including over-production and mechanisation. The decline of older industries. • The leisure industry, cinema, jazz, dancing, sport, radio, advertising and motoring. • The changing position of women, including the flappers.

The Roaring Twenties The US started the 20 th century as a country with enormous potential, and finished the century as the world's only superpower. Yet there are two ways of looking at this powerful nation in the 1920 s - as a wealthy country with a high standard of living, big cars and large houses, or as a country with many people living in poverty and some enduring terrible racism.

Economic Benefits of WW 1 Although the USA did not enter the First World War until April 1917, the conflict cast a shadow over American society that would take a while to pass. There was a brief economic recession at the start of the 1920 s, but, as the decade moved on, the economy boomed and America began the age of consumerism - many Americans bought cars, radios, fridges etc. Major cities such as New York and Chicago grew rapidly and the building of skyscrapers like the Empire State Building, which was completed in 1931, seemed to show the self-confidence of American society.

Five causes of the boom • Isolationism - the republican government under President Harding (19213) and President Coolidge (1923 -9) kept out of foreign affairs, and limited foreign competition by imposing high import tariffs. • Technology - especially in the electrical, chemicals and film industries. • Mass production - especially in the automobile industry. • Hire purchase - allowed people to purchase new gadgets such as vacuum cleaners, washing machines and refrigerators. Borrowing increased the amount of money available to spend, and, therefore, the demand for goods. • Shares - firms learned to raise money for expansion by selling shares on the Stock Exchange - this was to cause problems later.

Economic boom in the 1920 s America was in a fortunate position as the First World War ended. The war had not directly damaged American society and it had led to increased demand for American goods. This resulted in the rapid growth of industry and farming. The economy grew even faster when the war ended. The keys to America's economic boom were technological progress and increased consumer demand. Businesses began to make huge profits. Industrial production virtually doubled in the 1920 s. Between 1919 and 1920: • America's gross national product (GNP) grew from $78 billion to $103 billion. • The number of households with a radio rose from 60, 000 to 10 million. • The number of people filing income tax returns for earnings of more than $1 million a year rose from 65 to 513. • The number of airline passengers grew from less than 6000 in 1926, to approximately 173, 000 in 1929.

Economic boom • The economic boom affected society. Jobs were easy to find and were better paid than before. There was a clear link between prosperity and social change. For example, as middle-class women became better off they enjoyed greater social freedom - they wore make-up, shorter skirts and smoked in public. • Above all, the motor industry (automobiles) grew rapidly. As the cars poured off the production lines there was a need for more rubber to make tyres, glass for windscreens and leather for seats. The man behind the rise of the motor industry was Henry Ford.

Henry Ford and the impact of the motor industry The motor industry led to a boom in other related industries Henry Ford developed the assembly line and conveyor belt to speed up motor production. Ford's River Rouge plant in Detroit, Michigan became the largest factory in the world. Ford produced a standard model, the Model T Ford. A new Model T Ford cost less than $300 in the mid-1920 s. By 1929, more than 26 million cars were registered in the USA. During the 1920 s, about $1 billion a year was spent on the construction of a national network of highways. The automobile industry also caused other industries such as steel, rubber, leather and paint to grow rapidly.

Henry Ford hire purchase advertising consumerism The stock market. a system by which one pays for a thing in regular instalments while having the use of it. the protection or promotion of the interests of consumers Where stocks are exchanged an audio or visual form of marketing communication that employs an openly sponsored, non-personal message to promote or sell a product the founder of the Ford Motor Company

Challenge- USA 1920 s research Working in pairs you are going to create a poster or power point exploring one of the following to the rest of the class: • The leisure industry • Cinema • Jazz • Dancing • Sport • Radio • Advertising • motoring You will have two periods on the computers to complete this

Question: Which was the most popular form of entertainment in the USA in the 1920 s? (8 marks)

Who’s who? ? ! Charlie Chaplin Jackie Robinson Warren Harding Calvin Coolidge

Who’s who? ? ! Charlie Chaplin- director/actor Jackie Robinson- Baseball Warren Harding- President (1921 -23) Calvin Coolidge- President (1923 -29)

PAPER 2 - A 3 -USA 1918 -41 In paper 2: 3 questions a) 6 mark describe question b) 8 mark compare source question c) 16 mark essay question

Essay planning (6 marker) You will be given a source and then asked how far you agree with a statement.

Starter: Tell me 2 things we can infer from the picture about women in 1920 s USA

The changing role of American women in the 1920 s • The changing role of women was a result of the work they did during the war. • The number of working women increased by 25 per cent. • In 1920, all women were given the right to vote. • 'Flappers' smoked in public, danced the new dances, and became more independent • Women wore clothing more convenient for activity and stopped wearing long skirts and corsets. • Divorce was made easier and the number of divorces doubled - women were not content just to stay at home and put up with bad husbands. • But most women were still housewives and were not as free as their men. Page 40 -43

Did everyone benefit from the economic boom in the 1920 s?

Problems in farming, including over-production and mechanisation. The decline of older industries. (p 33) Write a letter to Hoover telling him why he is wrong: Dear President Hoover, Recently you made a statement in which you implied America has triumphed over poverty. However if you look properly at the state of your country you would realise several groups still experience hardship. One group of people who do not share this triumph are farmers. This is because…………………

Farmers faced tough times. While most Americans enjoyed relative prosperity for most of the 1920 s, the Great Depression for the American farmer really began after World War I. Much of the Roaring '20 s was a continual cycle of debt for the American farmer, stemming from falling farm prices and the need to purchase expensive machinery.

Exam style question (a) Describe TWO key features of EITHER the success of the Ford Motor company OR the economic boom of the 1920 s. Ford Motor Company Economic boom • Henry Ford wanted to make a family car affordable to the every day man- it was called ‘Model T’ • The boom was possible due to credit, bank loans, USA natural resources, Technological change • Ford pioneered a new way of production using assembly lines meaning they could mass produce cars- this was copied by other industries • The boom saw people enter into an age of consumerism and begin buying goods such as radios, cars, washing machines leading to mass production (6)

Mini assessment As part of your revision, think about the arguments and facts you would use to explain: • How the USA reacted to the end of the First World War. • How the policies of the American government encouraged isolation. • What were the Roaring Twenties? • Whether the Roaring Twenties is a good description of the USA in the 1920 s. • How accurate the term the Roaring Twenties is as a description of American society in the 1920 s? • How far US society changed in the 1920 s. • How far the roles of women changed during the 1920 s.