The 'Roaring Twenties'

The ‘Roaring Twenties’

  • The ‘Roaring Twenties’ is a term used to describe the 1920s in the USA, a time marked by significant economic, social, and cultural change.
  • This era saw an explosion of consumerism, urbanisation and technological advancements.

Economic Boom

  • America experienced an economic boom, with the Gross National Product (GNP) growing by 40% during the 1920s.
  • This rapid economic growth was fueled by new industries, such as automobiles, cinema, radio and the widespread use of electricity.
  • The Ford Motor Company revolutionised manufacturing with the introduction of the assembly line, resulting in mass production and lower prices.
  • The widespread availability of consumer credit allowed ordinary Americans to purchase goods they previously couldn’t afford, such as refrigerators, washing machines and cars.

Social Changes

  • The 1920s also brought about significant changes in American society. The younger generation started to reject traditional norms and embraced a more carefree and liberal lifestyle.
  • This era saw the rise of ‘flappers’, young women who wore short skirts, bobbed their hair, listened to jazz and flaunted their disdain for what was then considered acceptable behaviour.
  • The social progress is also evidenced by the 19th Amendment (1920), which gave women the right to vote, shaping the political landscape of America.

Cultural Developments

  • The ‘Roaring Twenties’ was notable for the evolution of jazz music and the birth of a new kind of American literature.
  • The cultural shift was influenced by the mass migration of African Americans from the South to Northern cities, known as the Great Migration, leading to the Harlem Renaissance, a cultural, social, and artistic explosion in Harlem, New York.
  • Famous figures of the period include jazz legends like Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington, and writers such as F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway.

End of the ‘Roaring Twenties’

  • The prosperity and cultural explosion of the ‘Roaring Twenties’ came to an abrupt end with the Catastrophic Wall Street Crash in October 1929, marking the beginning of the Great Depression.
  • The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression that took place during the 1930s, affecting both rich and poor. Unemployment was high, banks failed, and businesses closed.