The Roaring Twenties Babbitts Klansmen and Flappers I The Twenties and the Return to Normalcy 1920 President Waren G Haring is elected politically conservative era swing left side of political spectrum then back to the right business friendly decade wealth and power will once again be admired labor unions on the defensive era of tremendous cultural change 1 An era of political conservatism rejecting Progressive reform 2 An age of conflict urban vs rural new vs old modernists vs traditionalists Return to the past reactionary when things were better hold onto to good old fashion values modernists believed that all of this change urban life economic growth a good thing traditionalists older more religious more concerned a lot of populist list farming life being ideal II An Economic Snapshot of the 1920s 1 HUGE economic growth overall Tremendous economic growth first decade where America becomes a consumer society Americans become interested in buying stuff because it is fun act of buying things just cause we want it want for a consumer lifestyle modern decade one that we will be able to recognize Manufacturing increases 60 GDP increases 40 Wages for factory workers only went up 20 Still have 40 of Americans living in poverty Sharecroppers are not doing any better since the reconstruction period Improved standards of living though some get it better than others 2 exception agriculture in trouble Agriculture is doing badly half a million farmers lose their land beginnings of corporate ads known as suitcase farmers headed north to get jobs in the North III Massive erosion The Rise of Consumerism 1 The automobile symbol of consumerism Most produced car on the planet Model T don t need it but it was the most wanted item of time 1920 10 million cars 1930 26 million cars Way of escape go into town to the lake commute to work in a car live in the suburbs have fun IV A Culture of Conformity 1 Consumerism as freedom 2 Consumerism as shallow materialism a Sinclair Lewis and Babbitt 1924 1 Lewis From Ohio writes several novels over his career rural life story of a real estate living in a fictional town man in his 40s married wife are not getting along sexual and other wise two ungrateful children whole family is materialistic never occurs to him that there isn t more to life other than making money and looking good story about failure V Women and the Consumer Lifestyle 1 women s work Benefit and curse to women move into work force jobs that they are allowed to do are limited separate from what men can do women didn t make the same amount of money a man makes women s proper place was in the home once a women got married she quit non white women had limited choices picking cotton serving as a domestic 2 Consumerism and the tyranny of housework One whole day was left to do just laundry increases expectations house is to be spotless since you have vacuum cleaners and washing machines everything needs to be clean that you can eat off of it Single women can get a job you get a job and you become financial stable giving women options 3 The New Woman made possible by the new consumer culture a the Flapper wild free fun Lives in the city young urban shorter dress wears makeup was for prostitute smokes in public drinks alcohol listens to jazz music has sex outside of marriage gets in a car and go partying takes advantage of contraception Those who were worried see this as disadvantages Urban values replace traditional values VI Backlash against Modernism The Rise of Fundamentalism and the KKK a Fundamentalism a religious reaction against consumerism and modernism i Flappers whores harlots flaunting women s proper roles Babbitts unspiritual materialists b The new Ku Klux Klan Old Klan stop black men voting 15th amendment New Klan hatred reflects a changed America immigrants Catholics Jews labor unions communists ii i ii 2 iii no longer southern thing don t like flappers the whole 1920s consumerism ideas Popular among farmers and small businessmen those people not sharing in the prosperity of the 1920s and threatened by these new modern ideas and people Status Anxiety here 3
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