The Jazz Age

Essay by Clint_EastwoodHigh School, 12th gradeA+, November 2007

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The Jazz Age was the name of an era between the end of World War one and the beginning of the Great Depression. The era was named by F. Scott Fitzgerald who saw the rise in popularity of jazz music during the time. The term was used particularly to describe North America and specifically New York City during what was called "The Roaring Twenties."During the Jazz Age, many traditional values began to change; new social and sexual attitudes began to emerge, sparking the growth of individualism. The end of WWI saw a surge of social liberalism and as society changed, women, minorities, and homosexuals were regarded with more equality than ever before. Not all changes during this period were good however, people became more used to a lifestyle of luxury and wealth due to the success of the stock market, thus giving start to a rise of hedonism and greed.

The rise of consumerism was another characteristic of the Jazz Age. The US's economy switched its role as a wartime industrial machine, into one that allowed for the mass production of new and exciting products. With the emergence of the US as the richest country in the world and the array of new technologies such as the telephone and planes, people began to feel anything was possible for them after the short Post-WWI economic recession. Little did anyone know, less than a decade later they would be plunged into the depths of the Great Depression.

The Jazz Age is remembered for the erosion of traditional values in society and significant changes in lifestyles for many Americans, as well as the unprecedented industrial growth caused by increased consumer demand and the development of a mass production supply/demand economy.

Bibliography -Allen, Frederick Lewis. Only Yesterday: An Informal History of the...