Between the Wars The ROARING 20s
By 1920, the Great War has officially ended By 1920, the Great War has officially ended. However, the world has seen more fighting, death, and destruction than ever before. In total, over 16 million people have been killed (21 million wounded), with a loss of 116,708 Americans. How do you think most Americans are feeling at the end of the war? What impact do you think this First World War will have on Americans’ views of society and their daily lives? 1920 also begins the decade known as the “Roaring Twenties.” What ideas, events, or people do you associate with the Roaring Twenties?
Impact of World War I Massive Casualties Flu Disillusionment
Politics There were three Republican presidents during the 1920s Warren Harding -return to normalcy -scandal- Teapot Dome -died in office Calvin Coolidge -silent Cal -the business of America is business -tariffs/no help for farmers Herbert Hoover -self-made millionaire -won, in part, because he ran against a Catholic- Alfred Smith -promised prosperity/promised to eliminate poverty
Economy Brief post-war depression/ agriculture suffered the most Gov. was pro-business/limited gov. interference/did not enforce antitrust laws/cut spending Economic boom/people gained more wealth/ people invested in the stock market (often buying on “margin”) Consumer economy/advertising Automobiles- one car per family by the end of the decade/automobile industry becomes bigger than the railroads/spurs other industries (rubber, glass, steel, gasoline)
The Arts Harlem Renaissance- (“Great Migration”) African American artistic movement where works expressed emotions from bitterness and resentment to hope and joy (Langston Hughes) Jazz (Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, etc.) The “Lost Generation”- (Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Erich Maria Remarque) Literary movement that expressed disillusionment with the ideals of earlier times (materialism, business-oriented culture, religion, sacrifices of wartime)
Entertainment Radio (NBC, CBS) Movies/talkies- Hollywood established Baseball Boxing Celebrities -Charles Lindbergh -Babe Ruth
New Era: Traditionalists People who had deep respect for long-held cultural and religious values and believed those values provided stability to society; Wanted to return to pre-war era
New Era: Modernists People who embraced the new ideas, styles and trends; Wanted to move forward and redefine society in wake of war
Traditionalism v. Modernism
Traditionalism v. Modernism
Traditionalism v. Modernism
Tensions Play Out Role of women (19th Amendment, Flappers) Prohibition (18th Amendment-Volstead Act, Bootlegging, Speakeasies, Organized Crime) Religion: Scopes Monkey Trial (Fundamentalism- Billy Sunday/Aimee Semple McPherson, Creation vs. Evolution) Immigration/Race relations (Restrictive Quotas, Red Scare, Palmer Raids, Sacco and Vanzetti Trial, Chicago Race Riots, KKK, Back to Africa Movement-Marcus Garvey)