Hello, I’m a fan of dancing to the rhythm of music, the instruments, the voices, and specially the personality of the song it’s what brings to life the essence of it. That essence is created by the history of the time when it was composed and written by the author.
Today we are traveling to the 1920´s, it’s important to mention and always remember that the way we learn history, is influenced by the perspective from where we tell it and usually that perspective, is from whoever made the BIG difference or impact through the time studied in occidental history, in this case United States and Europe.
Befor we begin, I want to recomend you to choose your favourite song, rithm, or music from this decades to be in anbient with the reading, if you don´t have something in mind I´ll leave you bellow some music to listen while reading. Enjoy!
The Roaring Twenties where a very importante decade full of new discoveries, new trends, fashion, music, but little do we know about what did people really lived, what happened to «otisders», injustices politics, economics etc.
How it started…
At the end of World War I, in 1918, the United States, («epicenter» of this economic boom), had a very advanced capitalist system, fueled also by advances in technology, industries, marketing, electricity, radio, oil, mass production techniques, new forms of entertainment, music, production materials, science, such as the use of Radium, as phosphorescent paint and especially in bank loans that we will see later; all this also created a massive labor market opportunities, so it was a period, where many people came to live from all over the world, especially from Polish, Chinese, Italian and German origin.
It was a radical change for society, as the 20th century was just beginning, one hundred years more accomplished for humanity, and without reaching the second decade, a world war that managed, for the first time, to put into practice what empires had been fighting for, and a pandemic that wiped out more than thirty-five million people, the world «upside down» would never be the same.
How it was…
It all began with the «liberty bonds» to finance the allies in the last years of the first world war, was where the term credit was used for the first time, when the war ended the credits were used everywhere, but above all there was a boom in the use of corporate bonds, where people could invest in companies, with «little risk» and much profit. That and the industrial success of the country, with new technologies such as Henry Ford’s assembly line, new fabrics and ways to dress, a musical revolution with jazz and of course the charlestone, radio and movies, made unemployment decrease by 73%, people were happy because they had money, there was peace, freedom and victory. In the social aspect, there were many loose ends, it is important to mention first of all, due to high immigration and the «madness of society», alcoholic beverages were illegal for a while, this caused the opening of the famous speakeasies, which made it very exciting for those who went out to dance and have a good time. Women obtained the right to vote for the first time. However, not everyone participated in the lust and debauchery, There were those who with their wealth, founded organizations and hospitals, but those who did not have that, lived in poverty and social injustice, normally, if you did not have any aspect or racial origin (WASP: White Anglo-Saxon Protestant) white, Anglo-Saxon or Protestant, were not part of what characterized this era, in fact, it was for that mentality was illegalized alcohol, it was said that thanks to immigrants (and Native Americans) there was moral debauchery. For the rich, taxes were now worth -50% and for the poor -25%.
How it ended…
The Crash of 1929 and the Great Depression. The squandering of money, which in reality was money that did not exist made that in October 1929, the stock market collapsed historically and money was in the hands of everyone and no one, since the profits of investments, the culture of consumerism led many people to bankruptcy. Factories and businesses that peaked at this time had to close for good. The maximized growth of production outstripped the policies that were supposed to help regulate injustices and taxes. Only the rich and businessmen had the luxuries, as workers and immigrants suffered abuse of power and neglect by the government, as U.S. President Herbert Hoove believed that «each state took care of its own». Alcohol prohibitions opened the way to small mafias. Voluntarism, protectionism and laissez-faire (let do, let pass) overwhelmed the economy, resulting in the removal of Hoove from office, leaving Franklin D. Roosevelt with the job of stabilizing the economy. It was not until the beginning of World War II that the U.S. achieved economic stability, out of necessity, due to its participation in the war.
Many people think that in the present, in the 20´s but a century latter, is happening the same, first of all a Pandemic, something that shaked the world, we have been having problems also with politics, social movements, education, legislations all ofer the world, the world has changed and will never be the same. What do you think? Do you agree?
Stay Curious…
-luanalq
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TP Times 