1920s Popular Culture

1. 1920s Popular Culture • There are several key elements in the 1920s culture. • Questioning authority • Fascination with new things • Consumerism • Leisure time • Mass communication • Contradictions

2. Questioning authority • The horrors of World War I scarred people • People felt disillusioned with government and no longer felt a need to be obedient. • Young people felt that the older generation had mislead them. Writers like Fitzgerald and Hemingway captured these feelings. • Young women get more bold and sexy in their fashion and habits.

3. Fascination with new things • New inventions like radio and movies were instantly popular. • Newer inventions like planes and cars became more common. • People liked breaking with tradition and being modern. • Jazz music captured this sense of freedom and breaking the rules.

4. Consumerism • Mass production of goods and the improving economy helped Americans to afford lots of new goods. • Advertisements became more slick and were used in magazines, on the radio or made into billboards to encourage people to buy stuff. • Investing in stocks seemed like a surefire way to make money and became common among middle class people instead of just the wealthy.

5. Leisure Time • The improved economy gave more free time to people living in cities than they had had before. • Sports, movies, beach trips, amusement parks and nightclubs became popular outings for the increasing middle class. • People also enjoyed “taboo” activities like hearing jazz in Harlem nightclubs or going to illegal bars known as speakeasies.

6. Mass Communication • Movies and radio shows were enjoyed by people throughout the country. • For the first time, people were all experiencing the same entertainment. • Created a common mass culture .

7. Prohibition • The 18th Amendment outlawed alcohol in 1919. • At first it was believed that alcohol would just be illegal in saloons but still legal for people to consume at home. • When all alcohol was banned, many people felt they were justified in bending or breaking this laws. • Organized crime grew in cities to supply the people with alcohol.

8. Project Menu • Use the themes of the 1920s in completing one of the following creative writing assignments: • Write a short story in which a young man or woman questions authority • Write the radio broadcast of a sports announcer commenting on Babe Ruth winning a game for the Yankees. • Write an advice column to a couple who have gotten caught up in comsumerism and are now in debt. • Write a news report on a speakeasy raid or a street fight between the cops and bootleggers.