[5] There was also a rise of leisure time, emergence of an urban middle class, technological advances, and an increase of wages. The twenties saw an increase of consumer spending. Many wages were spent on cars, radios, and household appliances. The economy was booming. Workers were making enough money to have some leisure spending and time, and industries were taking advantage of this by catering to these new audiences.
A single factory might hire thousands of workers. These jobs brought people to the cities. Third, the factory system allowed ordinary Americans to own all kinds of things. There were more goods to buy, and they became cheaper as methods of manufacturing continued to improve. For example, the first cars were so expensive that only rich people could afford to buy them but cars became cheaper when Ford invented the moving assembly line and the work went faster.
Running Head: THE ROARING TWENTIES 1 The Roaring Twenties What Made it Roar? THE ROARING TWENTIES 2 Following severe post war depression in the 1920s, the American economy was booming. The 1920s saw new discoveries that became the foundation of thriving businesses. New businesses and production methods allowed large profits of new factories and higher wages. This booming period of economic expansion was often referred to as the “Roaring Twenties”.
Apart from the social injustices, the progression and good far outweighed the bad. It was two steps forward and one step back while the economic effects were one huge leap forward and a just as big step back. There were more than a handful of inventions and discoveries that revolutionized American society, led to urban sprawl, made tasks exponentially easier, and were the centerpiece for recreation. Cars were mass produced and people decided to live outside the cities and take vacations more frequently. They produced many new jobs with the need for new roads since the American landscape was drastically expanding.
Highlights of the boom included; Consumer boom – growth of personal possessions (Woolworths, hire purchase, commercial travellers). Because goods could be produced in greater numbers and at much lower prices, more people were able to afford them. This led to huge increases in the sales of products such as cars, refrigerators, radios and cookers. Innovation in production methods, especially in the motor industry (by 1925 Ford were producing a car every
When he was younger he planned on creating something for the rich as well for common man that would involve engines. He created the Ford Model T, which was affordable for the poor, and continued to create Model A and other modeled cars (Joans 2010). By the end of World War I half of Americans owned the model T car. The affordable cars like those Ford produced transformed America (Roak et al., 2011). Ford created the automobile industry, which employed thousands of workers and inspired new industries as well (Heritage, 2010).The new industries included but were not limited to: gas stations, mechanics, fast food restaurants drive-ins (pig stands) and motels (A&E, 2006).
Changing lifestyles within the 1920s During the 1920s, there was a lot of changes in everyday lifestyle. Increasing consumerism, Harlem Renaissance, Prohibition, popularity of Radio and movies, sports Mania, and the change of role in women were the main cause. What will change next? Since families had more money to spend, the rise of incoming money arose. The expansion of physical output meant that business men had a larger volume of goods to market.
The stock market was a place where you could invest in stocks basically buying a share in a certain business. The stock market put America in the golden age and virtually abolished poverty in the 1920’s. The many changes in the economic, social and political changes in the twenties had a huge impact on American life. We had a very successful era and it show that we can rebuild America, as we know
Manufacturing output per hour of work increased .productivity increased from improved machinery. Industry changed from steam to electric power allowing machines to replace the work of human hands. Electrical appliances such as stoves, vacuum cleaners, refrigerators, toasters and radios became available. The principal driving force of economy of the 1920’s was the automobile.
Warren G. Harding won this election. This era was full of great advance as the nation became urban and commercial. Invention and technology developed more since World War I during this era which shaped people’s lives. An invention like the automobile was brought in during this era. The Roaring Twenties was also called