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The Roaring Twenties
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In the 1920s many Americans enjoyed a boom: new cars, new gadgets and new fun. But not everyone shared in it.
Why the economy boomed
Mass production: Henry Ford's assembly line made the Model T cheap.
Hire purchase (buying on credit) and advertising encouraged consumerism.
New products such as radios, fridges and vacuum cleaners sold well.
Stock market prices rose, and many people bought shares with borrowed money.
Hire purchase (buying on credit) and advertising encouraged consumerism.
New products such as radios, fridges and vacuum cleaners sold well.
Stock market prices rose, and many people bought shares with borrowed money.
Who missed out
Farmers suffered from overproduction and falling prices throughout the decade.
Workers in older industries such as coal and textiles, and many Black Americans, stayed poor.
Workers in older industries such as coal and textiles, and many Black Americans, stayed poor.
Entertainment and society
Cinema boomed; talking films began with The Jazz Singer (1927).
Jazz music and radio spread across the country.
Motoring changed where people lived and holidayed.
Flappers, young women with short hair and short skirts, smoked, drank and danced in public, shocking older people.
Jazz music and radio spread across the country.
Motoring changed where people lived and holidayed.
Flappers, young women with short hair and short skirts, smoked, drank and danced in public, shocking older people.
Explain how hire purchase helped the boom.
- Families could buy expensive goods such as cars and fridges by paying in instalments.
- This meant more goods were sold.
- Factories produced more and employed more workers.
Answer: It let people buy goods on credit, raising demand and production.
The boom came from mass production (Ford), hire purchase, advertising, new consumer goods and a rising stock market. Farmers, old industries and many Black Americans missed out. Cinema, jazz, radio, motoring and flappers transformed society.
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