The Great Depression And The World War II

The 1920s, often referred to as the Roaring Twenties, was a time of great change and a time of powerful enthusiasm in many areas of society. The world had just finished the biggest war in history, the First World War, and the United States was left almost unharmed by the war. The United States was able to experience a decade of peace and success following the war. During this decade, America became the wealthiest country in the world (Trueman, 2000). The people in the United States went through a colorful period during the twenties. However, at the same time the 1920s was also a very rebellious and difficult time for many. The culture of the 1920s has influenced the culture of America’s society today.

Living the American dream was a part of the road to Suburbia. As soldiers were returning home from the wars, births were reaching record highs known as the baby boom. Just in the year 1957, a total of 4,308,000 babies were born.4 Desiring large families and great economic prosperity, the women’s role as mother and homemaker were built-up in movies and television and magazines. Ultimately, with additional “leisure time” at home, Americans bought televisions, nice record players, lawn mowers and other electronic products. Manufactures and advertising agencies jumped at the opportunity to profit on consumerism. “More and more, ad executives and designers turned to psychology to create new strategies for selling. Advertisers appealed to people’s desire for status and “belongingness” and strived to associate their products with those values.”5 The Baby Boomers that began the consumerism in the mid-1950’s socially altered the United States then and still do

Modernism began around the late 1800s or early 1900s, with artists and writers in Europe producing many extraordinary and influential works. This period spans many events, including both World Wars and the Great Depression. World War I appeared to be a major event that helped to start Modernism; this was because of the destruction and ruin that came from it and events that followed. This poem is consistent with the values of Modernism because of alienation, time, and self- consciousness; however, it continues to resonate with readers today because isolation, change, and insecurities are things that humans may face.

In the late 1800's, American society began to burst with cultural activity. After the Civil War and the Reconstruction, Americans were eager to return to their normal lifestyles. The period that followed, however, was quite different from what the country was used to. During the war, many pushed hard for a rise in industry, leading to an explosive industrial revolution far beyond what people had expected. America's business and economy had boomed, and, as the new century approached, many had a new outlook on life. They were eager to escape the dull regiments of both the past Victorian era and the new urban lifestyle. This was easy for the upper and middle classes, both of which were growing due to the rapid increase in industry. It

Former President Calvin Coolidge said, “In other periods of depression, it has always been possible to see some things which were solid and upon which were solid and upon which you could base hope, but as I look about, I now see nothing to give ground to hope- nothing of man” and to some extent it was true. Americans lost all hope in life entering a deep dark tunnel with no light in the end. The Great Depression was not something that appeared out of thin air; it grew over time like a tumor and eventually plagued America with an excessive disease. No decade was more terrifying in the twentieth century than the 1930s. The stock market crashing, due to people buying stocks on load, the debts from WWI farmers and consumers in deep debt, and

There was a domino disaster effect that took place from the early 1930’s to 1945 that affected world civilization.The Great Depression lasted from 1929 until 1942. WWII also was known as the Second World War, it was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945; the Holocaust started 1933-1945, also referred to as the Shoah.This is how The Great Depression, World War II and The Holocaust show the world is corrupted and how strong racism can be resulting in war.

The 1920’s brought mass culture to almost everyone through radio, movies, advertising, sports, cars, and the influence of Hollywood. These influences sold a new way of life to the people and created demands for things so that consumers felt as if they needed these products to succeed in life. For example, Listerine mouth wash was taken from an antiseptic into something that should be used in every home. The advertising for this product would show sad people with unsuccessful love lives due to bad breath, though with the help of Listerine they could find love; it was made into an essential for having romantic love. Though, these products were mainly targeted and applicable to the white consumer who had the ability and desire to move upward in status, unlike many immigrants and people of color who did not have that luxury. Overall, the wave of advertising and mass culture brought the United States a new model of life that was dependent on consumerism and is a significant concept to the image of the “roaring”

This act was created in 1974 there are many events that could have impacted the need for such a policy. One event that impacted the need for the RHYA is the Great Depression. The Great Depression led to about 400,000 young boys being homeless. Another important event is the Vietnam War, though it was coming to an end around the time that the act was passed, it lasted for many years and effected the family structure of American households. The draft caused by the war made a lot of families turn into one income families, which could have made teens need to leave home before they were old enough to support themselves in order to leave more resources for the rest of the family.

Mass production during the 1920s fed the mass consumerism that had emerged among the American

When considering time between 1865 and 1945, United States history evolved and differed from period to period. It began with times of slavery and reconstruction, and proceeded with transformation in the Gilded Age. This then led to the Progressive Era, World War I, the Great Depression and its aftermath, as well as World War II. As one can see, history seems to fluctuate from times of peace and order to times of chaos and turmoil. A process of trial and error explains both how and why the U.S. changed the way it did. In other words, these periods and events reveal that history in itself is a recurring process of learning from past mistakes.

The 1920s were the beginning of remarkable social and political changes. The nation’s total wealth more than doubled between 1920 and 1929, and the economic growth drew many Americans into a prosperous but unfamiliar “consumer society.” With the rise in nationwide advertising, and the start of chain stores, people everywhere where buying the same clothes, shoes, listened to the same music danced the same and even used the same slang. Due to the sometimes racy “mass culture”, many Americans were uncomfortable. In United States, the 1920s brought more confrontation than happiness.

The 1920s were a time of dramatic social and economic change in America. For the first time in America’s history, more people lived in cities than on farms due to industrialization. Labor laws put in place after the Progressive Era not only raised hourly wages, but also gave workers more free time. People had money to spend and plenty of time to spend it, which led to consumerism. This era of consumerism took place from 1920 until 1929, Americans were challenging the traditional ways of the past. Changes in traditional values led to tensions between old and new generations. The tension was manifested in how society viewed women and consumerism. Women didn’t play the traditional role that they were expected to in the past which conflicted with how all of society viewed women. The new era of consumerism and buying on credit was seen as a luxury to the younger generation and a waste to the older one, raising even more tension.

The depression of the 1890s afflicted working-class men and caused them to question their masculinity, so imperialism was seen by some Americans as a needed test of manly honor. Other people justified international expansion with their responsibility to help “lost” people by spreading American culture. Dr. Drake said multiple times throughout the course that economic change leads to social change. When the economy flourished in the 1920s, Americans turned to consumerism. People began buying and selling products that exceeded their needs like automobiles, record players, washing machines, and vacuums. Consumer goods made life more enjoyable and efficient; however, they also created tension. Critics of consumerism saw the cultural change as shallow materialism and conformity. The new technologies for the home resulted in unrealistic expectations for women, but consumerism liberated some women because they could be financially independent. The new woman represented the cultural changes of the time by wearing makeup, smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol, wearing short skirts, and dancing to jazz. The culture also changed for African Americans because they were not as confined to sharecropping and were able to move to the urban North. Jazz, blues, art, and a new sense of black pride came out of the Harlem Renaissance.

“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself,” is a famous quote once said during the Great Depression by Franklin D. Roosevelt. After one world war, great financial fallout, and another world war to follow, the twentieth century was already shaping out to be a handful. When the Great Depression was coming to an end and the economy was trying to turn around, jobs started opening up and a new wave of immigrants came into New York, the Puerto Ricans. For some the American dream was to come to America and start a new life, but for others already here, it was about making it big in show business. “West Side Story”, a twentieth century musical, was greatly influenced by the immigration during that time.

This realisation changed consumerism forever and was the start of a consumer culture, which was to spread rapidly. In the 50s it was for the most part an American phenomenon due to the fact that they had the money and manufacturing productivity to make it possible, for example, “the affluence of America meant that almost every family owned a car” and food rationing was unthinkable while in Briton the opposite was