It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of production, it was the age of prohibiton, it was the epoch of nativism, it was the epoch of racism, it was the season of skepticism, it was the season of anti-communism, it was the spring of gain, it was the winter of loss – in short, it was the 1920's. Indeed the decade of the 1920s was a truly “roaring” and prosperous time, but at the same time, it was a period of hostility and conflict that left many Americans disillusioned. The events that happened during this decade influenced the world as we know it today. Events such as stock market crash and prohibition altered U.S history. The scopes trial paved the way for the teaching of evolution …show more content…
For the first time, more Americans lived in cities than in farms. The nation’s total wealth doubled, and the great economic growth generated a consumer society. However, the 1920’s didn’t began as prosperous as it it thought. Instead it started with a serious economic recession. After WWI productivity felt, unemployment increased, and consumption decreased. This suddenly changed when the Coolidge and Hoover administrations’ pro-business policies promoted the economic growth by reducing taxes on corporations and rising tariffs on imported goods. By 1922, the economy started to grow robustly due in part to the manufacturing industries. In addition to this, the real wage of workers increased, which was stretched even farter thanks to the falling cost of mass production goods. These factors market the beginning of a mass production and consumption economy. Since most Americans had extra money, they could afford luxuries such as refrigerators, radios, washing machines, etc. This new goods reduced the housework and gave more leisure time to Americans. However, the most important consumer product was the …show more content…
was the most popular and sold automobile. When it was first introduces in the market its cost was $1,000, eventually the price went down to $300. In short, the price of cars fell dramatically thanks to Ford’s assembly line because cars could be made faster and cheaper. The assembly line brought prices from $850 to $250. The assembly line consisted on a process where parts were added to the vehicle as it passed along a line. It allowed workers not to learn skills, but only learn to fix one specific part. At the same time, car industries created a lot of jobs in factories that supplied parts. By 1925, a car was produced every 10 seconds, and almost 500,000 workers were employed. In short, the 1920’s saw the revival of a second industrial revolution in consumer goods, where investors enjoyed great profit while also raising the living standard of most of the