1920s Characteristics

To begin with, the Western world used the term the Roaring Twenties to refer to the period of 1920s. This period did usher in the birth of a modernized national lifestyle; because Americans who were war-weary did come to value leisure and also convenience over self-denial and leisure. The main characteristics of this new national consumer-based society were;
1. Culture clashes
People’s culture was clashed during this period where they had to adopt a new way of doing things.
2. Politics of fear
During this period, there were immigrants from different areas in the world who flooded into the land because of the various opportunities it had, since some white Americans were faced by fear it led to both ethnic and racial conflict.
3. All that jazz
The presence of cars did give the young people mobility and freedom, mainly in the major cities whereby they did flock to jazz clubs so as to dance and also listen to musicians like Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington.
4. Rise of consumerism
Due to rise in consumerism, there were already twenty seven million cars in the United States roads. Radio, telephones, automobiles, Washing machines and Electric refrigerators are some of the new appliances made available to the consumers during this period.
People from Canada, US and Western Europe gained from this period. On 29th October, 1929, which is also known as the Black Tuesday, Wall Street stock prices collapsed. Therefore, events in US resulted to a worldwide depression which was later known as Great Depression. This depression put a lot of people out of work all over the world in 1930s. Hence, people who did not gain from this period are those who did not exist in the 1920s since this period only lasted in 1920s.