Tuesday, November 30, 2010

20s Economics and Arts

In what ways did economic conditions and developments in the arts and entertainment help create the reputation of the 1920’s as the Roaring Twenties?

14 comments:

  1. The expression "the Roaring Twenties" comes mainly from the entertainment business as a genre came about, Jazz. Not only were people exposed to this new lively music, but the people as a whole have become new. The women were becoming more promiscuous and dressing with risk, while the men smuggled liqueur to ensure a good time. Dance was also becoming more then just ball room. This is where you would get the roaring 20's, because everyone was crazy to have a good time. The economic conditions also went crazy. As people started to forget the post-war rescission, everyone went crazy about shopping. They bought radios or anything they could get their hands on. The only reason for this isn't because they had the money, but because they could choose credit over cash. This caused a major problem as when they did that and didn't pay the shops, the shops went out of business, and also the products company. While all of this craziness was going on, some people choose to get out what they thought about it on paper. Authors and poets became extremely famous over the 20's because of their views and how they expressed them. All of this together created the Roaring Twenties because all of it created chaos as everything started to change a little bit, and no one really knew what to do about it but to go with the flow.

    http://www.1920-30.com/


    Heather Roberts

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  2. The Roaring ‘20's exuded a plethora of influences and breakthrough ideas. Moreover, this decade remains extremely memorable, for the economic conditions and developments in the arts and entertainment helped create the reputation of the 1920’s as the Roaring Twenties.

    In the 1920s, the economic conditions of America flourished. Increased productivity and the rising of the stock market allowed citizens (especially those of middle and upper classes) to attain a greater income. New jobs and investments, ranging from the spark of working in assembly lines to the Bull Market investments (the market is declared a bull market when stocks across the board are generally increasing in value and investors are very actively buying stock), allowed Americans to support their families and splurge on pleasurable items. People were making more money, and at the same time, spending more money as well.

    In turn, with this newly gained money, people purchased items of entertainment and the arts, making the development of the entertainment and the arts industries all the more effective to the 1920s. The advancement made to cars, televisions, movies and radios attracted American consumers. Not to mention, music was a great advancement in the 1920s. The ideals of rhythms, tempos, dynamics, and other musical techniques began to evolve into the great elements of music that we all use and see in today’s world. Furthermore, sports and live broadcasting thrived. For example, Babe Ruth influenced baseball, both the way it was played and how families at home watched it.

    The reputation of the 1920's as the Roaring Twenties came to be due to the fact that America grew in wealth and, as usual, national pride. However, everything has a price, as history displays.

    CHRIS PRICE!

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  3. The Twenties got its title as the "Roaring Twenties" because of all the great establishments that occurred during that era. The Jazz age was a time that Duke Ellington, Langston Hughes, Bessie Smith, and so many more great artists rose to their epic fame. The twenties was also a time for the great athletes Babe Ruth, Walter Johnson, Alex Grove, and many more, also made their marks on the 20s.

    The twenties were also a time of technological advancements. Such things such as autombiles, vaccuum cleaners, color television, allowed America to experience the worst form of recession known to us today as the Great Depression. With the excess buying of so many new technologies and items, the stock market crashed; allowing many people to become jobless.

    The "Roaring Twenties" is just a nickname to to call the era of many events.

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  4. The Roaring Twenties were a time of great prosperity across the country. We had just gotten out of WW1 and with its end came a boost in economy as well as culture. The arts ran rapid. Jazz exploded in this time. It represented well what was occurring, change. Played mostly in the speakeasies and clubs burrowed under the common eye, jazz grew into the hearts of many and became Americas first true genre of American music. The 20's was a time of great musicians, scholars, and athletes. But for the first time, these people wern't just white; some were also black. Such big names as Duke Ellington and James Langston Hughes opened up the gates for blacks across the board.
    As the culture grew, so did the economy. Just as it was after the cold war, or any other major war or misfortune in our countries history; we experienced a grave increase in our economy. Yet, near the end of the 20's it would take a spiral for the worst. Despite the fact that without alcohol being legal, there would be a loss in profit for government and people all together, credit would bring it to its knees. The prosperity that greeted every American seemed to good to be true. Many inventions and innovations, such as Fords affordable automobile thanks to the assembly line and the vacuum, made life easier. But what would happen is stores would allow purchases to be paid for in credit. The vacuum company gets word their selling x amount of product and sets forth to design even more in hopes they will get purchased. All seems well except for the fact no money is being made! If the consumer can't pay for the vacuum, the store can't pay the company. The company can't pay their employees or any other expenses at that. This would soon happen all around and put many Americans out of work. The early 20's were full of high hopes with everything growing around them. But by the late 20's, the sun was finally setting.

    - Douglass Lang!!

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  5. Realizing i didn't quite answer the question more or less just go on a rant, here's an answer that stays on the general topic...
    The roaring 20's were loud, aggressive, and shook things up. Jazz infused in these ideals was something never heard before. It became the voice of the decade. Kids were going to clubs, colored people had jobs once only white people could occupy, and girls were going out on dates unsupervised. Up till now, things were never as wild. This decade was a loud wake up call for every American. Blaring down the tracks and howling, change was a commin'.

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  6. Sheena Anthony :

    Economic conditions and the development in the arts and entertainment helped create the reputation of the 1920’s as the Roaring Twenties in a significant amount of ways. During the 1920's, American society was based upon the saying “the rich get richer-while the poor get poorer.'' Allowing those of a higher class to achieve more, attain more and reap the benefits, the “Roaring Twenties” increased in the production of goods, jobs, investments and stocks, allowing a boom and bust cycle where people had more money to do as they pleased.

    The entertainment industry in the Roaring Twenties created a turn in the traditional society upbringing. For instance, women were wearing less clothes showing their thighs and breast-a long way from the neck to ankle dresses they used to wear. Although women had just received their rights, they took no time in jumping into the entertainment business as singers, dancers, actors and maybe even a prostitutes in “doll houses.” The average good girl appearance was gone and sex became pleasurable for both genders and more commonly excepted in the public.

    Similarly, advancements such as cars, televisions, radio broadcasting and other inventions became more of pleasure rather than the “informative” secessions that just let everyone in on the economic status of society. Babe Ruth, a famous baseball player of this era, helped gain another entertainment advancement in a sports perspective.

    Indeed, America was transforming into a more modern civilization, giving people an ample opportunity of equality. In addition, the entire situation was a win-win for the government because the people felt they were getting their rights by expression and in the process, entertainment and economics made money giving America the pesos. Moreover, America was prospering because to the public eye it seemed that everybody was finally beginning to get this “piece of the pie.” However, we all know more money more problems and this will be evident as history continues.

    Moreland's Notes

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  7. The "Roaring Twenties" came from economic conditions and developments in the arts and entertainment. During this time period a new genre of music, Jazz, came about and it was different from past music. In the past many people listened to classical music so this was a big change for them. Also, many people became more out going towards the arts. For example, Langston Hughes wrote many vibrant and descriptive poems about how blacks in America were treated. Langston Hughes helped influence the arts of that time. Also the women were becoming more promiscuous. They started to cut their hair short and dress differently then past times. Women started to make a different mark in this world.

    So as you see, the "Roaring Twenties" was an era of new.




    Citation: Moreland's Class notes


    `Kayleigh Andrews

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  8. The 1920’s was most famous for its nickname as the “Roaring Twenties”. It was recognized with this title, because of the epic impact in the music and entertainment industry. The people living in this time period greatly modernized America through the entertainment and night life. For example, jazz music, dancing, flappers, gangsters, automobiles, the stock market crash and women’s fashion are just some of the drastic changes that gave the twenties its popular name. The rapid progress in those areas made the twenties so alive and bold, which is why it was called the “Roaring Twenties”. However, it seemed that the people of that era became so involved with the entertainment and art industry that their finances became less important. In 1929 the Roaring Twenties was surely coming to an end with a big bang. The stock market crash, and progressed to a large depression greatly setting America back. In conclusion, the 1920’s was a very historical time period, full of edge and daring attitudes which will forever be used in American culture.

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  9. The Roaring Twenties was named so because of all the dramatic changes that were taking place. Art, entertainment, ideas, fashion they were all changing so abruptly. Jazz was one of the main entertainment that changed Americas views from Victorian to full swinging action. Life wasn’t “proper” for a women, a women started wearing flappers and excusive make-up, they began to smoke and drink. Things just started to get out of control, everyday was like a party. Even art took a turn for new change, Art Deco was introduced in the 1920’s. Art Deco said out with the old in with new, Art Deco was painted to view luxury, technology, modernization , what America was being to focus on. New ideas were popping up everywhere, from the “monkey-trail”, prohibition , Babe Ruth, and the economy wasn’t doing bad so far. Everything seemed to be changing in America, they were coming into the future.
    http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1564.html

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  10. The "Roaring 20's" I believe obtain it's name from the music and arts aspect of jazz. Jazz was a new discovered genre in the music world that influence the people to follow the culture along with the music. Women of both races will dress lest modest to please a crowd for entertainment along with men illegally drinking. This behaviour, attitude, and lively spirit came about because of the effect of jazz.

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  11. Lets look at this like a pie... a Pizza pie.
    The roaring 20's can be rolled up into at least 5 ingredients: Supply/Demand, Credit, Jazz, and Perspective on Lifestyle. within these 5 aspects, you'll see how they all intertwine together like a puzzle... A pizza puzzle.
    After the post-war recession, Americans became loose with their money, spending more than their fare-share and more than they could afford. Credit came into immensely, giving the men and women of the 20's another reason to spend more recklessly without care. The idea of borrowing money was, especially when borrowing meant also paying it back. Neither the 1920's kids nor the Ceo's of the stores could foretell what happened next. Because nobody had money to pay back the credit, businesses lost money and went broke, & Americans had debt up to their neck. Of course, all the spending was to promote their new life styles, which consisted of Jazz,Skimpy Dancing in skimpy dresses, booze and more. unfortunately , they couldn't afford their new lifestyles. Jazz was used as a means for a new lifestyle, which they couldn't afford, to justify why they acted unbecomingly.

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  12. The Roaring Twenties in the United States of American was truly a time of great abundance. Economically, it was a time of prosperity and abundance. In the arts and entertainment, it was a time of innovation and creativity. The combination of economic conditions and developments in the arts and entertainment truly shows why the twenties “roared”.

    The Roaring Twenties was a time of great economic abundance, partially due to the end of the First World War in 1918. During this decade, America became what was called a “Mass-Consumption Economy” (Kennedy). The rate at which the American industry manufactured goods was astounding, compared to anytime previously. The way industries were able do this was with the use of ingenious machines powered with relatively low cost. With machines like these laborers were able to produce more products for less money. This type of production even reached such heights at “Henry Ford’s famed Rouge River plant near Detroit that a finished automobile emerged every ten seconds” (Kennedy). With this new and more efficient way or production came jobs. With such innovative machines, there was needed people to mine or created the resources needed to fuel these machines. This included mining oil and creating electricity. The economic condition of American not only flourished because older industries were becoming more efficient but also because newer industries were being created left and right, creating jobs, and fueling the economy more.

    The Roaring Twenties was also a time of great dynamism in terms of entertainment and the arts, giving it the name “The Dynamic Decade” along with the well known name “Roaring Twenties”

    In terms of entertainment, many inventions were created that gave people a new way of experiencing and enjoying entertainment. There came the radio. Through the radio, people could listen to comedies like “Amos ‘n’ Andy” (Kennedy) and infomercials that advertised products. During this time also came the movie. The growth of the movie in the American entertainment industry progressed so much, so quickly, that it had its own industry centered in Hollywood. Through the massive popularity of the movie also came movie-stars sometimes famed more than world leaders, even the president of the United States.

    Even in the arts there was massive creativity. The Roaring Twenties was also known as the Jazz Age. During this decade, the creation and consumption of Jazz music was immense. There was creativity not only in the musical aspect but also in the literary aspect. The Roaring Twenties was the time of the Harlem Renaissance in which many African American writers such as Langston Hughes wrote about the racial pride they felt as African Americans.

    It seems that the Roaring Twenties was a time in American history that will be forever remembered as a time of great prosperity, creativity, and innovation. There had never been a time like it and, because the Great Depression that quickly followed, there probably will never be another time like again.

    Kennedy Book

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  13. The Roaring Twenties in the US was a time were a lot of things were happening.There was a dramic change to the American life stly things like art,technological, music and fashion. A new gender of music called Jazz comes from this era.People like Louis Daniel Armstrong from New Orleans, Louisiana, displayed his amazing talents as a trumpeter, cornet player, and singer during the Jazz Age.
    Another thing that change was literature. People like Langston Hughes create new literary art form jazz poetry.Jazz poetry is poetry that demonstrates jazz-like rhythm or the feel of improvisation.
    Another thing that change in the 1920's was women fashion.Women started to dress differently act differently they became know as flappers. A fashionable flapper had short sleek hair, a shorter than average shapeless shift dress, a chest as flat as a board, wore make up and applied it in public, smoked with a long cigarette holder, exposed her limbs and epitomised the spirit of a reckless rebel who danced the nights away in the Jazz Age.
    The twenties were also a time of technological advancements.advancements such as cars, televisions, radio broadcasting and other inventions. However people were buying these things on credit, money they didn't have, which as you know is one of the contributors of the Great Depression.
    All these things gave the 1920's the nick name the Roaring Twenties.
    www.fashion-era.com/flapper_fashion_1920s.htm
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Langston_Hughes
    library.thinkquest.org/C005846/categories/artliter/artslit.htm

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  14. There are so many thoughts concerning this topic. I wrote an essay describing my point of view, follow the link http://smartwriters.org/blog/roaring-twenties-essay-uniqueness-of-women-fashion

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