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Summary Social Change in the 1920s
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This covers the wide social change that occurred in the 1920s and includes topics such as entertainment and race.
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Social and cultural developments: ‘the Jazz Age’ in the 1920s; new social values and the role of women; the failure of prohibition and itssignificance; social impact of the Depression and the Second World War
1. The ‘Jazz Age’ in the 1920s - entertainment 2. New social values and role of women
Sport and Baseball Impact of WW1:
Became very popular due to radio Women worked in jobs traditionally done by men e.g. heavy industry, engineering
Named ‘Golden Age of Sport’ works, and transport.
Baseball was the most popular game, and Babe Ruth was its most popular star. The war proved women could do jobs just as well as men and encouraged greater
Babe Ruth had an influence on young people - was shy about drinking and smoking in freedom, especially in social habits e.g. smoking, drinking in public, and going out
public. unchaperoned.
Many historians claim Baseball became popular due to the charisma of Babe Ruth. 1920 - passing of the 19th Amendment which banned gender-based discrimination
Baseball was still a largely segregated sport and AA players were excluded from the in voting.
major league games. Labour-saving devices such as vacuum cleaners and washing cleaners allowed
AA players earned less than half the salaries of their white counterparts. women to have extra time and be able to go to work.
The Radio: The popularity of the cinema, radio, and dance halls provided further opportunities
First national network (NBC) set up in 1926 and CBS set up in 1927. for women.
Critica argued that the invisible energy must be dangerous and cited dead birds as Mary Pickford and Clara Bow became stars of silent movies and became role
evidence. models for young women.
1923 to 1930 - 60% of Americans owned radios. Employment:
1927 - 50 million people listened to the boxing match between Gene Tunney and Jack 1930 - 2 million more women employed than the previous decade. (Although these
Dempsey. tended to be unskilled low-paid jobs).
Radios cost $150 and were usually paid for through credit. 1930 - 1/3rd of university degrees were awarded to women, but only 4% of
1927 - 33% of all money spent on furniture was spent on radios. professors were women.
‘Amos n Andy’ had 40 million listeners. The number of women doctors declined in the 1920s.
The Cinema: The Supreme Court banned all attempts to set minimum wages for women.
By the 1920s, the cinema industry was the 4th largest in terms of capital industry. Politics:
It employed more people than Ford. Few women made progress in gaining political power e.g. Nellie Ross of Wyoming
Movies offered escape, excitement, and a chance to picture oneself in a different became the first woman to be elected governor of state in 1924.
world. 1926 - Bertha Knight Landes became the first female mayor (of Seattle).
Actors and actresses such as Clara Bow, Douglas Fairbanks, and Buster Keaton Most women had little interest in politics.
gained popularity. Charlie Chaplin rose to fame. The women’s movement failed to get the Equal Rights Amendment Act passed
Jazz: (this would have given them equality in law with men).
Originated with black slaves who were encouraged to sing in order to increase Women and Birth Control:
production. Lacking means of contraception, women were forced to perform backstreet
Jazz became popular amongst the white middle class youth, especially the flappers. abortions - these may have killed 50,000 women per year.
Jazz became the great attraction of nightclubs and speakeasies and was brought into Comstock Act of 1873 - banned the distribution of both written articles on
, home through radio broadcasts. contraception and items through US mail.
1921 - Sanger founded the American Birth Control League.
Many supporters of eugenics supported birth control as they felt the poor should be
discouraged from breeding to prevent race degeneration.
Flappers:
Middle/upper-class women living in the North.
Showed greater independence and freedom in their social lives.
The Flappers did not further women’s rights in the 1920s.
Flappers were seen to be too extreme by traditional groups with strong disapproval
from religious societies.
Many of the older generations criticised the lives of flappers and formed Anti-Flirt
League.
3. Failure of prohibition and its significance
Reasons for the Introduction of Prohibition:
Religious groups saw it as the root of sin and evil values of Americans
Industrialists like Ford argued it decreased efficiency and output at work.
Female reformers argued there were clear links between alcohol and domestic abuse.
Many brewers were of German origin and therefore Prohibition was seen as patriotic.
Reasons for the Failure of Prohibition:
Filed to prevent the consumption of alcohol as it simply drove drinkers underground.
Huge numbers of people began to break the law and many speakeasies opened.
In New York alone there were more than 30,000 speakeasies.
Hard to enforce prohibition as the USA had 18,700 miles of coastline making it hard to
prevent smuggling.
1925 - agents only intercepted 5% of smuggled alcohol.
Internal Revenue Service - set up to enforce Prohibition however, some of them
became paid at the hands of gang leaders with 10% of them being fined for corruption
(the rest escaping persecution).
Many ‘bootleggers’ produced and distributed ‘moonshine’.
The End of Prohibition:
1928 - Democratic presidential candidate (Al Smith) advocated for the abolition of
prohibition.
Hoover defeated Al Smith therefore it wasn’t abolished until 1933 with the election of
FDR.
Gangsters and Organised Crime:
Prohibition led to a huge growth in gangsters and crimes.
The gangs bought out hundreds of breweries and transported liquor in armoured
lorries.
Gangsters were able to easily control politicians - e.g. The Mayor of Chicago did little
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