Prohibition was a staple of the 1920s that affected all aspects of life. The prohibition of alcohol led to the creation of mafia controlled speakeasies. Since speakeasies took place of the former nightclubs and lounges the speakeasies needed to offer live entertainment through music and shows. F scott’s fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby conjures images of what a glamorized underground drinking party looked like. Women in short and elegant dresses with short hair cuts dancing to jazz and rock music. Large mansions owned by newly rich men with questionable pasts are glorified.
After looking up images of the 1920s part of my assumption was correct. Flappers are commonly shown and tied into the 1920s nightlife, party scene that was pushed underground because of prohibition. In addition to vibrant city night scenes, suburban life with images of planes and cars are prominent. World War One made mass production of war time goods a necessity. After the war ended the techniques of mass production remained and the technology adapted to fit peacetime activities. Instead of producing tanks, Henry Ford was able to use the same technology to mass produce automobiles. Mass production alongside credit made it so many Americans can access cars. While homes were not being mass produced in the 1920s furnishings for homes such as radios and kitchen appliances were being mass produced. Luxury items for homes encouraged more people to stay home or conjugate at people’s homes, businesses that had such luxury goods. Pictures of planes are also common which makes sense since the United States was responsible for mass producing planes to satisfy war time demand. When the country entered a time of peace commercial flights entered their infancy where people could travel further and goods can easily be transported for lower prices on a national and international scale.
Overall the 1920s was a decade of rapid societal and technological changes, advancements as a result of the first world war.
Work cited:
https://www.history.com/news/flappers-roaring-20s-women-empowerment
Ramapo College senior majoring in history. My concentration is in the 1920s machine politics in major cities. In particular the unsustainability of the machine politic model.
