Prosperity HIST 202B
Examine the economic prosperity of the United States after World War I. Why was the US prosperous, and in what areas? Was this prosperity a global phenomenon? Did everyone in the country experience prosperity? Why or why not? Were dark clouds of economic catastrophe looming by the end of the 1920s? What were they?
The Roaring Twenties
I. Prosperity
A. Technology and consumerism
B. Conformity
II. Pain
A. Economic Sufferings
B. Morality Defined
It takes time to transition from a wartime economy to a peaceful economy. The economy slows down until 1912, and it is the availability of improved technology and consumer products. After the war, people start buying automobiles. Henry Ford creator of the first affordable car produced in an assembly line by whites. In an assembly line the workers are responsible for making specific things, which brought the costs of cars down. Henry Ford was very conscious and understood that workers were his customers. However, most people made a 2-3 month salary, so then auto loans came into play. Electricity during the Great Depression in the 1930s was very popular. If you had electricity, you had oil and petroleum products. After the WWII furniture in homes and AM radio became prevalent. A typical radio program would be fifteen minutes long and there would be sponsors. After WWI, Thomas Edison brought picture motion cameras and that’s when Hollywood Land was created. Consumerism is telling people to consume and what to consume. Examples of consumerism included Listerine, cigarettes, shampoo, coconut oil, sun-maid raisins, and Coca-Cola. The question was, how did you know what people wanted. Surveys and statistical methods were used to determine what would sell better than others. The primary target would be housewives and middle class women, because they controlled the home and making sure it had the products their husband wanted. The twenties were a society of conformity and mass media. The goal of a middle class woman was
The Roaring Twenties
I. Prosperity
A. Technology and consumerism
B. Conformity
II. Pain
A. Economic Sufferings
B. Morality Defined
It takes time to transition from a wartime economy to a peaceful economy. The economy slows down until 1912, and it is the availability of improved technology and consumer products. After the war, people start buying automobiles. Henry Ford creator of the first affordable car produced in an assembly line by whites. In an assembly line the workers are responsible for making specific things, which brought the costs of cars down. Henry Ford was very conscious and understood that workers were his customers. However, most people made a 2-3 month salary, so then auto loans came into play. Electricity during the Great Depression in the 1930s was very popular. If you had electricity, you had oil and petroleum products. After the WWII furniture in homes and AM radio became prevalent. A typical radio program would be fifteen minutes long and there would be sponsors. After WWI, Thomas Edison brought picture motion cameras and that’s when Hollywood Land was created. Consumerism is telling people to consume and what to consume. Examples of consumerism included Listerine, cigarettes, shampoo, coconut oil, sun-maid raisins, and Coca-Cola. The question was, how did you know what people wanted. Surveys and statistical methods were used to determine what would sell better than others. The primary target would be housewives and middle class women, because they controlled the home and making sure it had the products their husband wanted. The twenties were a society of conformity and mass media. The goal of a middle class woman was