American Economy Since 1920: How It Worked

The 1920’s are commonly referred to as the Roaring Twenties. Many factors during the time played significant roles in earning the decade this name. Economic conditions and developments in the arts and entertainment were some of the most impacting among these factors. Economic conditions and developments in the arts and entertainment helped create the reputation of the 1920’s as the Roaring Twenties. Economic conditions gave people a feeling of economic prosperity. They also allowed people to buy a lot of things on credit. Developments in the arts and entertainment created a culture of free expression by granting women the ability to express their opinions more clearly than they were able to in years prior and encouraging jazz and dancing.

Near the last decades of the 19th century, America’s industrial economy skyrocketed. As these industrial leaders like Carnegie and Rockefeller not only lead the expansion through their respective industries, but revolutionized businesses while crushing free-market competition in the process. As

The 1920s were a time of advancement and prosperity in America. The end of the first world war caused America’s economy to boom resulting in a large increase in industrial output and credit. In addition to this, the invention of the assembly line made the automobile much easier to produce making it possible for most middle class families in the United States to be able to afford one which changed the concept of transportation. Modern advertising caused Americans to desire stuff that they didn’t necessarily need. Working conditions at this time were still poor but there were major improvements from the way it was at the beginning of the century. Due to welfare capitalism workers were much less inclined to strike which also helped the booming

The 1920s was known for its prosperous and flamboyant lifestyle. The GDP during that time had risen by 30 percent and unemployment was as at an all-time low of 3 percent. This was not meant to last forever. In fact, it was nearly impossible for this to last any longer than it did due to an imbalance that society was unaware of including that not every citizen was experiencing this uncommon wealth. There were still 3 percent unemployed and even some of the employed members of society did not make enough to support a family and were considered homeless. It was in October of 1929 when this so-called luxurious lifestyle vanished as the stock market crashed at a time when the stock market seemed it would never stop increasing. This caused an economic, downhill, rolling ball effect. Those who took out loans to invest in stocks could not afford to repay the banks causing the banks to fail and close down. When the banks closed down, the depositors of that bank lost their life savings causing them to go broke and some company owners to close their doors. This led to a loss of jobs by the employers of those companies. This time period was known as the Great Depression and rightfully so. It is the most significant setback in the American Economy to date. The Herbert Hoover administration was in effect at this time giving the society an easy target to blame. Come time for the next election in 1932, Americans were ready for a change in authority to bring them out of this seemingly black

Following World War I, Americans were left with scarce amounts of job openings and a poor economy. Several were left fearing the communists, who the Americans believed were going to overthrow the government. This caused Americans to resent those who were not accepting to return to the “traditional” American values. With the 1920’s, there came both a rise in conservatism and liberalism, but only one was revolutionary, described by Merriam-Webster.com as,”Constituting or bringing about a major or fundamental change.” Furthermore, different presidents advocated for different political stances. Republican Presidents, Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, advocated America to have a conservative government and return to normalcy, while Republican

America in the 1920’s was called the new era. It is called a new era because it became a turning point in American society, and marked a separation from the 19th century and the 20th century. We soon begin to develop our own social norms, music, and culture as we evolve into a modern nation. The 1920s was also a time of significant economic, political, and social change.

The end of the Civil War brought a whole new era of economy, political control, and Presidential intervention. The economy emerged from its agriculturally based economy into a flourishing big business dominated world and eventually in 1929 came crashing down. I agree only partially with the quote " The Civil War saw the beginning of an 80-year decline of real individual economic opportunity; nonetheless, the vast majority of Americans continued to profess their belief in individualism as evidenced by the Presidents they elected. Thus, between 1865 and 1939, the majority of Americans accepted big business dominance and rejected all forms of government interference and regulation contrary to

During the Industrial Revolution everyone had to adapt to the massive work load that was created. Back then demands for products was so high, the only thought and concern the Business Man had was how he was going to keep the currency rolling in. They used Humans as machines, without care and regards to their health and well being. Once they were faced with consequence for their disregard for life, laws were put into place to protect the workers. This in turned probably caused them more money and slower production in obeying the law.

The scale of textile factories changed during this period. The small mills with a few dozen spindles and looms that characterized the initial period of the industry gave way to larger complexes. This pattern began with the Boston Associates complex at Waltham, Massachusetts. Waltham itself soon appeared small as the Boston Associates developed Lowell on the Merrimac River. The population of Lowell increased from 2,500 in 1826 to 35,000 in 1850. The Lowell Machine Shop became a center for innovation not only in textile machinery but waterpower technology as well. It also trained a generation of industrial engineers that spread throughout the economy. Lowell attracted further international attention because of its labor system that employed

The Canadian economy grew to an impressive scale during the 1910’s and 20’s but this was due to the country being established. Agriculture and tradesman ship were encouraged to grow so that the country did not have to rely on the imports from other countries. During the Great War it was very common to stockpile almost every item you could obtain. The war was initially intended to be a short lived one but Canadian became increasingly unsure during these times purchased everything that they could. Then the war ended but the demand for products had declined. If demand decreases then so will the price of the product. Those who profit off selling the products have reduced so much that they are no longer profitable and in most cases it is easier

The years preceding the Great Depression have extensive prosperity associated with them due to the inflation staying below 1%, and industrial wages increasing by 14%. While the 1920s appeared prosperous, they actually lacked true and uniform prosperity as a result of inequality, infractions by corporations, and unsustainable growth. Racial minorities and women lacked prosperity, the growth of corporations furthered wealth inequality and influenced the federal government, and the diminished regulation by the government allowed for collusion between corporations and monopolization. Easy credit allowed people to spend money they did not actually have which was unsustainable in the long-term.

Governor Dean C. Worcester said that The United States helped social and economic advances in the 1920’s. The United States helped the economical advances in the 1920’s by helping them make a modern sewer system. Which helped by wiping out smallpox, cholera, bubonic plague. Worcester also said that medical and surgical services were being sent to the Philippines. The U.S. inspired the Philippines to build roads, improved mail service, and international shipping.

When World War I ended the United States was in a recession. Millions of veterans were looking for jobs when all the industries were in cancellation of billions of war contracts. There was also a shortage in goods that were not produced that caused high prices and inflation. The cost living also doubled and that caused stress for many Americans. The Americans had little patience for the economic problems. They just wanted to start over and put it all behind them. They felt the business sector was going to help the recession. When you unions would strike they were viewed badly and had harsh punishments. They were afraid that the communists might be able to succeed and come into America.

The United States is currently experiencing a slow recovery from the recession of 2008-09. The current unemployment rate is 7.7%, which is the lowest level since December of 2008 (BLS, 2012). However, this rate is believed to higher than the rate that would occur if the economy was operating at peak efficiency, and it is also believed that there are structural issues still underpinning this performance. For example, the number of Americans who have exited the work force as the result of prolonged unemployment is believed to be higher than usual. In addition, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO, 2012) notes that long-term unemployment of greater than 26 weeks is at a much higher rate than normal, which will have adverse long-run effects on the economy, since workers with long-term unemployment often find their career paths derailed.

The use of Smartphones has also brought about a population that wants things done instantly. A revealing look at the reality and impact of our “buy-it-now, same-day-delivery, traffic-packed world” (Humes, 2016. p 37)