The Roaring Twenties

The Roaring Twenties

1. Isolationism

   • Tariffs
     • But foreign countries did the same to American goods, so the USA made less money from exports
     • Fordney-McCumber tariff - made foreign goods more expensive
       • American economy flourished
   • Republicans rejected the Treaty of Versailles
     • 'America first' ideas - led to rejection of the treaty and Isolationism
   • Restricting the flow of Immigrants
     • A literacy test was introduced (1917 Immigration laws)
     • No Asian immigrants allowed in the USA
     • Only 375,000 (later only 150,000) were allowed in per year (Immigration quota act)
     • No. of immigrants entering the USA could not exceed 3% of immigrants already in the USA in 1910 (IQA)
     • Americans were worried about foreign immigrants taking their jobs and bringing communism

2. Mass Production

   • By 1928 20% of Americans had cars
   • By 1929 10 million radios had been sold
   • Producing goods quickly and cheaply so more people can buy them

3. Entertainment and social growth

   • Clubs and Jazz
     • Jazz music became very popular and accessable due to radios
     • More people went to clubs and drank due to relaxed social attitudes
     • Jazz music was a craze in the 20s
       • Both of these things became very popular especially in cities
   • Sports
     • Sports personalities became famous
     • Car ownership meant more people could go and see live sport
     • Because of the introduction of Raadios, sport became very popular
   • Women
     • Socially active women were known as 'Flappers'
       • They wore short skirts, had bob haircuts, smoked cigarettes and drank alcohol
     • Womens role in the 1920s changed due to the work they did in WW1
   • Media
     • Cars meant that cinema was more popular
     • Hollywood became a huge industry and films became extremely popular
     • Radios and therefore music became very popular
     • By 1929 10 million radios had been sold

4. Prohibition (The Volstead Act)

   • Introduced because alcoholism was a problem and because temperance groups campaigned for the ban
   • This law was often broken
     • People made 'moonshine' homemade alcohol which could be extremely dangerous to health
     • Speakeasies - illegal drinking clubs
     • Bootlegging (smuggling alcohol) became commonplace -40%+