The Culture of 1920's America

Essay by gstevens124University, Bachelor'sA, May 2008

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In the following paper, I will explain how the ways America changed in the decade following World War I. The 1920s is known by different names to describe the impact it made in history. Names such as the Roaring Twenties, the Jazz Age, and the Golden Age are well known. Before World War I, the United States was already an industrial giant. After the war, industry and technology vastly improved the way people lived their lives. The following paper, will discuss how consumer products such as, the automobile, household appliances, and the radio changed Americans lived. It will also, analyze how, women and minorities faired during this period. Finally, it will compare how advertisements in the 1920s and present day are related and how they represent the people affected.

Consumer ProductsDuring World War I, most industries were, geared for weapons manufacturing, but when the war was over their products were no longer in demand so they turned to mass-producing consumer related products.

To sell the abundance of products manufactures turned to installment plans to purchase durable goods. Durable goods are described as any household product that can be used, on average, for three years or more. Goods such as automobiles and automobile parts, furniture, household appliances, radios, phonographs, and pianos fall into this category. (Murphy, 1995) Manufactures figured that since, their products would last longer than three years, then setting up a five-year installment plan with low payments they would be, paid in full. People on the other hand wanted the latest in modern conveniences and were willing to go into long-term debt to get them. In order to purchase an automobile with cash during this period, a typical American family would have to save for almost five years. With the spread of credit between 1919 and 1929, the percentage...