Greatest Innovations… List the most important innovations of all time. What is the criteria for your decision? –Revenue generated? –Benefit to humanity? –Most widely popular/utilized/accepted? How is this question related to the 1920s?
A Booming Economy: The 1920’s Income increases People purchase more goods Companies earn higher profits Companies expand and higher more people “Boom Cycle”
* Employment and standards of living increased. * As World War I ended, technology focused on consumer goods. Ex) radios, washing machines, telephones, and cars * Increased wages caused an increase in buying power RCA Radiola Super VIII * Introduction of credit
1920s Census More people lived in urban areas than in rural Mass culture of the cities: radios, movies, magazines and advertising New technologies revolutionized American life Consumerism Growth of Advertising
The “Electrified” Home New consumer goods Vacuum, refrigerator, washing machine, store-bought clothing, and supermarkets Effect on daily life? –Reduced the number of hours and effort spent on household duties
The Automobile Henry Ford revolutionized auto industry Passenger car registration jumped from 8 million in 1920 to 23 million by 1930 Model-TModel-T $ $290 Automobile industry spurred related jobs and industries
The following industries grew as a result of the booming car industry: Effects of the Car Industry construction (roads and bridges) steel rubber glass paint oil housing (as the suburbs grew)
“You can get [a Model T] in any color you want, so long as it’s black.” -Henry Ford
Fordism: 1900s Business Model Scientific management Mass production/use of assembly line for simple, repetitive tasks –Standardization Worker’s contract: $5 a day, 40 hour-week AfFORDable to middle class –Between 1909 and 1924 price dropped 66% Purchase car on credit
1920s Advertisements For each ad… What is the message? What are the implications of the ad?
The Birth of Consumerism Using new ‘scientific’ techniques and psychological research, advertisers were able to sell more products to more Americans Magazine/newspaper ads often focused on the desires and fears of Americans more than on what people really needed Advertisers celebrated consumption, convincing people that they could be the person they wanted to be just by buying the right product
Reflection How did the Automobile change life? How did these new consumer goods change life? Do these items make our lives easier? What do we do with our added time?
On a piece of paper: List all of the electric appliances in your home. Which could you not live without?