The essence of the roaring twenties can be described as the uncoordinated combination of modernism and anti-traditional spirit. During this period, it seems that modern science can make everything possible, and the development potential of economy and technology seems infinite. Everyone feels that a brand-new and completely different era is coming. Train, car, telephone, radio and other audience-oriented communication means make modernism spread among the people, and the principle of pragmatism makes all unnecessary and redundant decorations removed, whether in the field of architecture or in daily life. At the same time, cheerful entertainment activities such as jazz and dance flourished, so this period was also called "Jazz Age".
1economy in the 1920s
Traditionally, because many new consumer goods flooded into the market, the prosperous 1920s was a period of economic prosperity. At first, North American economy spent a lot of time in the transition from wartime economy to peacetime economy. Soon after, explosive growth began. In the roaring decade, the United States grew into the world's first economic power with the mass production of industry and the prevailing consumerism culture in society, while the economic take-off of Europe began after 1924.
Although great progress is being made in social, economic and technological development, the situation of African Americans, new immigrants, farmers and some proletarians is no different from the past. In fact, millions of people still live below the poverty line of $2,000.
In addition, the explosive economic growth also laid the groundwork for the Great Depression that swept the world in the 1930s.
Impact of Demobilization on Economy
After World War I, a large number of American and Canadian soldiers returned to North America with cash in their pockets, and the new goods on the market prompted the money to be finally consumed. Although the United States also faced a short-term economic recession after the war, with the demobilization of American and Canadian soldiers, the factory labor force was supplemented and a large number of factories were rebuilt, and the economies of the two countries recovered rapidly.
* * * and the party's economic policy
At that time, a series of economic policies formulated by the ruling party and the party were considered to have had an important impact on economic growth. The government implemented a laissez-faire economy without any administrative intervention, which created conditions for the outbreak of the epidemic. 1922 The Fordney-McCumber Tariff Law effectively guaranteed the prosperity of domestic industry and commerce by preventing foreign capital from entering. Finance Minister Andrew Mellon ($ TERM:1921-1932) cut the additional tax from 50% to 20%, which helped those business consortia to consolidate their monopoly positions in their respective fields.
New products and technologies
In the 1920s, the unprecedented development of mass production made technology products cheaper. In fact, many products that have become commonplace in this era existed as early as before the war, but they just could not be popularized among the people. The automobile, film, broadcasting and daily chemical industries are booming, among which the automobile industry should be particularly pointed out. Before the war, the car was an extreme luxury; By the 1920s, cheap mass-produced cars had spread all over North America. By 1927, Henry Ford had sold150,000 Model T cars. In Canada, there are only 300,000 cars in 19 18. Ten years later, this number has soared to 6.5438+0.9 million. Cars have a wide impact on economic and social development. The automobile industry has rapidly grown into a leading big industry, and peripheral industries such as gas stations, motels and petroleum industries have also been pulled up.
In the roaring age, radio became the first broadcast mass media in history. People can afford radios, and programs are becoming more and more interesting. Because of its wide audience, broadcasting has gradually become an important medium for product promotion. In this "golden age of broadcasting", the content of radio programs is as extensive as that of TV sets today. Moreover, because there was no independent censorship system widely introduced today, the editors at that time could try their best to attract the audience at will, which was also the beginning of violence and crime in movies and other popular cultures in the future. It was not until 1927 that the Federal Broadcasting Committee was established that this absolute freedom was restrained and a new era of controlling broadcasting came.
Small advertisements inserted before the film screening further expanded the already growing mass market. At the beginning of the 20th century, only silent short films (silent films) gradually changed, paving the way for the "golden age of movies" in 1930s and 1940s. Because the price is much lower than other entertainment consumption, watching movies is also recognized by the blue-collar class.
Expansion of infrastructure
The rapid development of science and technology promotes the enthusiastic demand for new infrastructure, and government-led construction projects account for the vast majority. The great development of automobile industry has led to the expansion and transformation of expressways, and the total mileage of trunk roads and toll roads has continuously set a new record. The emergence of a new class with high consumption capacity has increased the demand for consumer goods, including cars.
The backward power facilities in the war made rapid progress in the 1920s, and the scale of the power grid continued to expand. Most industries began to use electricity instead of primary energy. The construction of new power plants has mushroomed, and the power generation in the United States has tripled.
At the same time, the telephone line finally crossed the North American continent, ordinary families began to lay indoor sewer pipes, and a modern sewage treatment system was initially established.
Because most of the construction costs of these infrastructures are borne by the government, local governments with the good idea of "benefiting in the future" are deeply in debt trouble after investing a lot of money. This also became a major problem during the Great Depression. On the other hand, contrary to the generous investment of local governments, the central governments of the United States and Canada have paid off their war debts in this decade and gradually recovered some taxes introduced during the war.
speculate
A large number of private deposits began to flow into speculative funds, especially the new york Stock Exchange. A lot of speculation and speculation caused an economic bubble, which created conditions for the 29-year crash. In addition, from 1925 to the following year, another investment bubble burst, which was called "Florida real estate boom", which was not the same as that in 29 years.
Population explosion and urbanization
Another important trend in the 1920s was urbanization. With the rapid growth of industry, the continuous expansion of road and railway transportation systems and the emergence of skyscrapers, the number of urban residents in the United States and Canada surpassed that in rural areas for the first time in history. The financial and insurance industry has tripled, and the proportion of service industry in GDP has risen sharply. Today, the earliest generation of white-collar workers was born in the city, and a large number of women began to enter the office to engage in secretarial work. By the end of 1920s, women accounted for 20% of Canadian workers. Due to their proximity to the vast crop-producing areas, cities in the Midwest and the Great Lakes region of the United States, including Chicago and Toronto, developed most rapidly during this period. The Panama Canal opened in 19 14 also benefited the west coast of the United States.
The culture of the 1920s.
lost generation
The so-called lost generation refers to those young people who began to doubt and be confused about the world around them after World War I. This word often refers to some American writers living in Paris, including Hemingway, Scott Fitzgerald and Gertrude Stein.
Social criticism
When Americans were generally intoxicated with the accumulated wealth and luxury goods, some people began to notice all kinds of hypocrisy and greed in the social atmosphere at that time and satirized them with literary means. The writer sinclair lewis's work "Main Street" published on 1920 is one of them. This novel satirizes many ignorant and stupid citizens living in towns in the Midwest. Later, his other masterpiece Babbitt described a middle-aged industrialist who showed disdain and resistance to his comfortable life and family, only to find that the younger generation was as hypocritical as himself. He also published Elmer Gantry, which tells how a swindler cooperated with a missionary to promote religion in a small town for profit.
Other social critics, such as sherwood anderson and H·L· Mencken, published a collection of short stories, Fort Wines, Ohio, focusing on the development history of a small town. Mencken attacked the increasingly vulgar cultural taste of Americans through a large number of essays and other articles.
Art deco
Decorative art is the representative of architecture and design in this era. It originated in Europe and spread to the United States in the late 1920s. At that time, Chrysler Building, the tallest building in the world, was a representative building of cubist style. Cubism emphasizes purity and geometric features, but it does not restrict artists from getting inspiration from nature. In addition, cubism art is not static from the day it was born: in the early days, it was dominated by line bending, and in the later period, it gradually became popular with rectangular design.
Expressionism and surrealism
Since the 1920s, the art of painting has embarked on its own path in North America and Europe. During this period, surrealism prevailed in the former and realism prevailed in Europe. As man ray said in 1920, after Dada's art publication new york Dada was published in the United States, Dada could not live in New York.
film
The main movie stars in this period are: warner baxter, clara bow, louise brooks, Bebe Daniels, Billie Dove, Dorothy mccall, mary astor, nancy carroll, Jenny Gaeno, Charles Farrell, William Haines, Conrad Nagel, John Gilbert, Dolores Dellio, Norma Talmadge, Colleen Moore and Nita. John barrymore, harold lloyd, Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, Mary pickford, douglas fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin, buster keaton, rudolph valentino and Al Qiao Sen.
In the early 1920s, movies were still black and white silent films. 1922, the first full-color film The Price of the Sea was released. In 26 years, Warner Bros.' Don Juan became the first movie with complete music and sound effects. The following year, Warner Bros.' new film Jazz Singer finally got a sound.
The public is ecstatic about audio movies, and film production seems to have bid farewell to the silent era completely overnight. 1928, Warner Bros.' s Light of New York adopted full voice, and the following year, the first full-color full voice film accompanying it pushed the film technology at that time to a new peak.
Harlem renaissance movement
/kloc-During the 1920s, African-American culture developed rapidly, which was called "harlem renaissance" in history (Harlem is a famous minority area in new york). 192 1 year, black swan record company was established. At its peak, the company released 10 records on average every month. All African-American (all African-American) company also put into operation in the same year. In 23 years, robert douglas founded Harlem Fuxing Basketball Club, which was recognized as one of the top teams in the world in 1930s.
Opportunity magazine was published. The film, written by black playwright Willis Richardson, held its first performance at the Frazee Theatre. Famous black writers such as langston hughes and Zolanel Heston began to gain social recognition in the 1920s. In addition, black culture has played a vital role in the development of jazz.
Jazz era
1922, the first commercial music station in the United States, KDKA, was born in Pittsburgh. Subsequently, new radio stations appeared all over the United States, and jazz gained a wide audience with this wave. Jazz forms in this period are eclectic, containing almost all elements from modern to decadent. The famous groups in this period include Duke Ellington, paul whiteman, Leo Reisman, Abe Lyman, Nat hilker Wright, George Olson, Ben Bernie, Bob Harlin, Ben Sellven, Earl Bertnett, Shawn Ku Heim, Rudy Vallee, Jean Goldkate, Ted Lewis, Bob Harlin and Fred Waring. ; Famous musicians include Nick Lucas, Harold Spielbert, Jean Austin, Johnny Marvin, Rudy Vallee, Ted Lewis, Frank Moon, Franklin Bauer, Jack Smith, eddie cantor, Al Jolson, maurice chevalier, Morton Downey, James melton, Ruth Ting, helen kane, Cliff Edwards and Chester Gaye.
At that time, today's jazz was actually played by only a few people, and the music enjoyed by most listeners was probably equivalent to what Americans now call "sweet music." And heavy metal music belongs to "popular music" or "race music". Louis Armstrong is famous for his improvisation and divergent changes to the traditional single melody, especially his popular SCAT singing (singing with meaningless onomatopoeia instead of lyrics). On the stage, singers often use this form when performing impromptu interactive performances. Sidney Bechet's major contributions include popularizing two musical instruments: clarinet and saxophone. Due to the increase of dance halls at that time, jazz used 4/4 beat dance tunes to meet this demand. Jazz tap dancing is very popular in theaters and streets. In the late 1920s, Duke Ellington's influence on the music industry led to the emergence of big bands.
dance
Since the 1920s, dance halls all over the United States have provided enough space for dancers to compete and try new moves. In dance theaters all over the United States, some professionals put forward suggestions to improve their dance skills. Due to the development of electric lighting and air conditioning technology, evening performances began to go to the public, and ballroom performances and live music became a major landscape of this era. At that time, the most popular dances included foxtrot, waltz and tango.
Harlem culture plays an important role in the development of dance forms. In many places of entertainment, people enjoy the same happiness regardless of race, color and class. Most of the performers in the cotton club are black, but their goal is to have richer white customers. The Sawa ballroom is mainly for ordinary working class, and most of them are black.
Since the 1920s, new dances with peculiar styles have appeared. Separation dance and Charleston dance originated from African-American music tunes and beats, including all popular blues elements. With the performance of two Broadway musicals, Charleston dance became popular in America. From 65438 to 0926, hip-twisting dance originated from Apollo Theatre gradually replaced Charleston dance and became popular in dance halls. Arrived at 1927, as the product of the further development of detached dance and Charleston dance, Lindy street dance, which combines the main essence of tap dance, has become a social standard dance. Lindy Hop dance originated in Savoi Dance Theatre, and was originally performed with jazz music such as stride piano and ragtime. This dance was popular for at least ten years before it evolved into a swing dance. But generally speaking, although these dances have been popular for some time, they are all short-lived, and people are still dancing several traditional dances, such as tango.
Elective system
1920 August 18, Tennessee passed the19 constitutional amendment. Since then, American states have at least achieved gender equality in voting rights.
The change of female role and the evolution of fashion culture
In view of the tragic economic situation after the war, many families who lost adult men had to seek new sources of income. Women began to leave home to look for jobs, which improved their self-confidence in their gender. Role switching is also common in various media: gar? Onne-style dresses provided a neutral choice for professional women at that time, although they could wear more enchanting clothes on other occasions. Jeans, hats and crutches set off the aesthetic tendency of women who hated complicated decorations and pursued simplicity and elegance at that time. Influenced by many female movie stars at that time, short hair became popular. The popularity of neutrality makes corsets obsolete, and some women begin to gird their bellies to further dilute their femininity. Short skirts have become girls' favorite. By 27 years, the hem was just below the knee (but it has been lengthened since the economic recession began).
Generally speaking, the definition of women has indeed undergone earth-shaking changes here: as a new generation of women after the war, they began to smoke and drink, sing and dance in public places, run their own chain stores, dress up with short hair, dress up with individuality, and confidently participate in various social and economic activities.
The situation of ethnic minorities and homosexuals
Ethnic minorities in cities have been treated equally as never before. This can be seen in the movies at that time. 1929' s two films "The Red Man" and "Son of God" openly criticized self-righteous white radicals and expressed sympathy for Native Americans and Asians. In movies and on the stage, whites and colored people began to perform together; In nightclubs in the 1920s, whites and blacks were often seen dancing or eating together. However, all this was hard to see after the rise of conservatism in the 1930s.
People's tolerance for homosexuality reached its highest level before the 1960s. Until the early 1930s, gay men's clubs were publicly operated, and such places were called "pansy clubs". At that time, William Haines, the box office star, publicly declared that he was gay, and he was not the only Hollywood actor who openly expressed his sexual orientation like him. Mae west's gay drama "Drag" published in 1927 was a great success, and he was also regarded as the main advocate of gay sexual choice as a basic human right. The good times didn't last long. In 1930s, as the public became more and more impatient with the public existence of homosexuality, gay artists had to choose between retiring and hiding.
Life in the twenties
immigration law
In the 1920s, both the United States and Canada showed different degrees of xenophobia. 1924, the United States passed the immigration bill, which restricted immigrants (excluding African-Americans) from countries whose existing immigrants reached 2% of the total population of the United States in 1890. Affected by this bill, the immigration tide from Europe to the United States came to an end in the first 20 years of the 20th century. Asian and Indian immigrants are completely banned. 19 13, California passed Webb-Haniffa to prevent foreigners without citizenship from acquiring private land. Another 1 1 states have passed similar bills.
In Canada, 1923 promulgated the Immigration Act of China, which restricted almost all immigrants from Asia. The country has also passed other laws to control immigration in South-East Europe.
ban
1920, 18 constitutional amendment passed. The original intention of this amendment was to try to alleviate some social problems by banning alcohol, but it backfired, and the new problems brought by alcohol prohibition were much more serious. After the prohibition bill based on the amendment of 18 was passed, the United States began to completely ban the manufacture, sale, import and export of all alcoholic beverages. From then on, organized crime began to breed all over the United States, smuggling intensified, and all illegal underground activities related to alcohol were making huge profits. In Canada, although prohibition has never been implemented nationwide, the influence of prohibition in the United States is still very far-reaching.
Illegal bar
During the Prohibition Law 14 period, various illegal bars (Speakeasy) began to appear all over the United States, which led to the emergence of some underworld gangs. These bars are usually closely related to criminal organizations and smugglers. Although American police and FBI officials often search these bars, they have never arrested anyone who is behind the scenes. Because of the huge profits, such bars have developed into illegal places all over the United States within a few years. Illegal bars are well decorated, offering all kinds of food and live performances. Usually, the police are bribed to tip them off in case the police suddenly attack.
Literature in the 1920s.
The 1920s was a period of prolific literature. Famous writers at that time included sinclair lewis, Willa Cather, william faulkner, F Scott Fitzgerald, carl sandburg and ernest hemingway. D.H. Lawrence's novel Lady Chatterley's Lover caused an uproar for a while because of its explicit sexual description.
Some famous works born in the 1920s.
Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. This book is usually regarded as the epitome of the jazz age.
Erich Maria Remarque's all quiet on the western front. Described the cruelty of the war front and people's indifference.
Francis scott fitzgerald's Paradise on Earth. Discussed the inner world of the younger generation after the war.
Ernest hemingway, author of The Sun Also Rises. It tells the story of a group of Americans living in Europe in the 1920s.
Lindbergh successfully flew across the Atlantic Ocean.
Charles Lindbergh wrote a new chapter in the history of human aviation from 65438 to 0927. He took off from Roosevelt Airport in Long Island, new york on May 2 1 and arrived in Paris the next day, successfully achieving the first uninterrupted solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean. The plane he flew, Spirit of St. Louis, was designed by Donald Hall and manufactured by Rennes Airlines in San Diego, California. The flight time is 33.5 hours. In Paris, the French president awarded him the French legion medal; When he returned to the United States, a fleet escorted him; In Washington, President Coolidge praised his outstanding flying cross. Lin Bai is famous for his unprecedented feat.
physical exercise
The roaring decade can be said to be the prosperous time of American sports development. People, regardless of class and region, gathered in the stadium to watch all kinds of games. All kinds of sports reports are overwhelming, and the achievements of athletes always make major newspapers praise them. Legendary writers Grant Rice and damon runyon were also sports journalists.
The first person in sports in the 1920s was Babe Ruth, a baseball player who is now a household name in the United States. His signature home run opened a new era of the sport, and he made the whole United States crazy. His coronation honor and evaluation were unparalleled at that time. 1927 Ruth set a new record of 60 single-season home runs and kept it for 34 years. Together with another rising star, lou gehrig, he wrote the earliest chapter of the glorious history of the new york Yankees baseball team for a hundred years.
There are also many stars in other sports. Jack from the mob in the bar? Jack Dempsey won the heavyweight championship in the world. Red Grange, a rugby player from the University of Illinois, later joined the Chicago Bears, and he contributed to the popularity of the sport with an unparalleled baseline sprint. Bill Thulden dominated the tennis world at that time and was regarded as one of the greatest tennis players today. Because of bobby jones's brilliant record, golf has been promoted. It can be said that before Jack Nicklaus, no one can get his overwhelming advantage on the court.
The above five people, baseball player Babe Ruth, boxer Jack Dempsey, rugby player Red Granci, tennis player Bill Thulden and golfer bobby jones, were collectively called the "Five Giants" in American sports in the 1920s, and they represented the peak of sports at that time.
A key figure in the 1920s.
Al Capone is a notorious gangster in Brooklyn, new york.
Charles Lindbergh 1927 Successful single pilot flew across the Atlantic Ocean.
Mae west is a famous American actress and playwright. Her performance was considered indecent at that time.
Wil rogersl is a famous comedian.
F Scott Fitzgerald, a famous writer, published his immortal works The Great Gatsby and Paradise on Earth.
American politics in the 1920s.
Warren. g？ Harding
The 29th President Harding's campaign oath is "return to normal". It should be noted that the word normality here is Harding's creation. "Return to normal" reflected three trends at that time: strengthening isolationism in North America, reviving immigrant exclusion and weakening government activism. Economically, Harding adopted a laissez-faire policy. From the summer of 19 19, Harding launched the "front porch movement" and officially stood for election. This movement is unprecedented in American history: major media rushed to report, news films emerged one after another, and financial giants such as Edison and Henry? Ford and others gave generously to him, and even invited Hollywood stars to take photos with the Harding couple in Marion, Ohio, in order to win their hearts. As of the eve of the autumn election in 20 years, it is estimated that 600,000 people have participated in the "pilgrimage" to Marion. During Harding's tenure, his regime was riddled with scandals, but Harding himself did not seem to be involved. Regarding the scandal, his famous saying is: "God, there is nothing worse than being president." And "it's not my enemies who have a hard time with me, just some damn friends who keep me awake all night."
Calvin? Coolidge
Coolidge became the 30th president of the United States because Harding died in office. 1924, with "order and prosperity" as the campaign theme, easily re-elected. Coolidge became the first American president to deliver his inaugural address on the radio. Later, he used this new media to create several "firsts" of the American president. For example, ten days after taking office, he delivered his first nationally broadcast political speech at the White House. Coolidge famously said, "The first task of the American people is to do business".
Herbert? Hoover
Herbert, the third1president of the United States? Hoover said when he was sworn in at 1928: "Today, we Americans are closer to completely defeating poverty than at any time in history." . The fact is, what he said is almost the opposite. The unprecedented Great Depression in America is not far away.
Changes in trade unions
19 10 Several strikes at the end of the year changed the American public's view of trade unions. The state began to use the national guard to suppress, and the criminal law increased the punishment for creating riots. Affected by this, the number of trade union members decreased sharply. Radical unionism declined under the influence of the anti-espionage law and anti-subversion law passed by the Federation during World War I. Eugene V. Debs, the leader of the socialist movement, was sentenced to 10 years in prison according to the anti-subversion law, but was later pardoned in advance by President Harding.
Canadian Politics in the 1920s
The Liberal Party of Canada dominated Canadian politics in the 1920s. In the 1920s, the Canadian government spent most of its time adjusting its economy, repaying war debts and over-investment in railways. The main wheat producing provinces in the east are in trouble after experiencing rapid development in the early 20th century. This incident directly led to the third largest party (two parties other than the ruling party in a two-party parliamentary country take turns to be in power), and the Canadian Progressive Party became the second largest party in the parliament in the 2 1 election.
The end of the roaring era
Black Tuesday
With more and more crazy hype, the Dow Jones Industrial Average has been rising for several weeks, and the bull market from 1928 to 1929 seems endless. Finally,1Tuesday, October 29th,1929 10, the Wall Street stock market suddenly crashed. At that time, the system was not perfect, and the unhealthy development of the American economy was dealt a fatal blow, and the Great Depression of the 1930s, which spread widely to the capitalist world, began.
Lift the ban
1933 On February 20th, 2 1 The constitutional amendment was passed, and the prohibition of alcohol was revoked. According to this case, the States immediately lifted the control of alcoholic beverages. Just as illegal drinking has become a symbol of the roaring era, the legalization of drinking also tells people that glory has become the past, and the economic and social development of the United States needs to start all over again.