The Impact Of Technology On 1920

& # 8242 ; S Life Essay, Research Paper

The Impact of Technology on 1920s Life

World War I, & # 8220 ; The war that would stop all wars. & # 8221 ; , had ended by 1918 ; Europe was left in ruins physically, politically, and economically. The old ages following the most annihilating war to take topographic point prior to the 1920s, Europe would fight with economic and political recovery, but non the United States. Left virtually unharmed by World War I, the United States was even able to see a decennary of peace and prosperity following such a black war. Of the many grounds for America & # 8217 ; s prosperity, engineering played one of the most critical parts in conveying the great economic and cultural prosperity that America experienced during the 1920s. New promotions, new finds, and new innovations improved American lives in many if non every imaginable manner, but non without a few negative side-effects.

One of the first major innovations to go a national fad was the car. First developed with a burning engine in 1896 by discoverer Henry Ford, he subsequently started the Ford Motor Company, which mass produced low-cost cars known as the Model-T. Ford & # 8217 ; s Model-Ts became such an overpowering success that he sold over 15 million Model-Ts by 1927 ( Gordon and Gordon 77 ) . By the terminal of the decennary, there was about one auto per household in the United States ( Bruce 80 ) . As a consequence, the car became an progressively of import portion of American lives. Workers no longer needed to populate near to their workplace, alternatively they could populate farther off and still get at their occupations with easiness. Housewifes could run errands with greater convenience. The overall addition in productiveness and efficiency left the American people with more clip for amusement and diversion. Families could see relations on a changeless footing, even distant relations. The car provided a perfect manner for people, particularly for striplings, to socialise and do merry. The car fad even came to a point where the back place of a auto replaced the parlour as a topographic point for wooing and love ( Gordon and Gordon 58 ) .

The popularity of the car besides brought huge economic prosperity. One of the major parts to the prosperity of the 1920s was the building of roads and main roads, which poured fresh public financess into the economic system ( Bruce 79 ) . Cars appeared everyplace and were being driven everyplace. However a major job was experienced by everyone as a consequence of this. Harmonizing to Kenneth Bruce:

& # 8220 ; & # 8230 ; there were really few good roads outside the east seashore ; traversing the continent was a existent escapade, as during the spring when the snow melted or after a good rain storm, cars would drop into gumbo clay up to their hubs. Travelers traversing Iowa or Nebraska were frequently forced to wait several yearss until the route dried before traveling onto the following town. & # 8230 ; & # 8221 ; ( 79 )

In 1924, the Federal Road Act offered federal money to province legislative assemblies, which would form main road sections and fit federal financess. Spurred on by this federal money, every subdivision of the state launched ambitious route edifice plans during the 1920s. By the terminal of the decennary, main road building plans employed more work forces and spent more money than any individual private industry. The increased usage of cars touched every corner of the American economic system. It stimulated the oil industry, it boosted route building, extended the 1920s lodging roar to suburbs, and even developed new concerns ( Bruce 79-80 ) .

The success of the Ford Motor Company was so great that it can even be compared to that of today & # 8217 ; s Microsoft. And like today & # 8217 ; s Bill Gates, Ford and his Ford Motor Company had become a national symbol of industrial prosperity. By 1922, Ford, who earned over $ 264,000 a twenty-four hours, was declared a billionaire by the Associated Press ( Gordon and Gordon 32 ) . Fortunately for the federal authorities, Ford paid a record $ 2,467,946 in income revenue enhancements for the comfortable twelvemonth of 1924 ( Gordon and Gordon 50 ) . Harmonizing to Elizabeth Stevenson:

& # 8220 ; & # 8230 ; Nothing of all time dramatized the system of mill organisation so good as the interruption in Ford car production stretching across a good portion of the twelvemonth 1927. Ford was the prototype of everything in the universe of mundane work that the citizens of the 1920s admired. His mistakes were overlooked or accepted as virtuousnesss, and his success in this great mechanical and concern venture seemed a trial of the wellness of the state itself. The populace found itself captive, entertained, and delighted by such playthings as Model-Ts and Model-As. If Ford should neglect, they all in some step failed. But expectancy was joyous. Even the suspense was delightful, it would be a misinterpretation to believe that it was all a affair of sober self-interest, that this adult male would once more convey about the auto that suited at the monetary value that was right. & # 8230 ; & # 8221 ; ( 190 )

Obviously Stevenson was non the lone individual to experience this manner. Bruce even said that Ford was the high priest of mass production, which people of the universe saw to be more of import than any ideological philosophy as the industrial miracle-maker to the expletive of universe poorness. ( 80 )

The combination of an addition in American diversion and the coming of the car helped to convey about the success of the film industry. Early film attending was reasonably low due to the thin distribution of film theatres. But as cars became more popular, transit became less of a fuss, and accordingly film attending soared with the addition of car gross revenues. With amusing public presentations by comedian, Charlie Chaplin, dramatic public presentations by sex symbol, Rudolph Valentino, and many other celebrated histrions, the film industry was able to pull a monolithic audience of loyal viewing audiences, even during the old ages of soundless black-and-white movies. Subsequently in 1922, betterments in sound entering engineering enabled the cinematography and broadcast medium of the first film of all time made with sound, & # 8220 ; The Jazz Singer & # 8221 ; starring Al Jolson. And eventually in 1926, the coming of Technicolor enabled the creative activity and broadcast medium of films with non merely sound but with colour besides. Consequently, the film industry became a major portion of American industry in general. In 1927 entirely, over 14,500 film theatres throughout the state showed over 400 movies a twelvemonth each, as films became America & # 8217 ; s favourite signifier of amusement ( Gordon and Gordon 68 ) . As the film industry grew, so did the wages of histrions. In 1924, John Barrymore & # 8217 ; s contract with Warner Brother & # 8217 ; s reached $ 76,250 per image, plus $ 7,625 over seven hebdomads, and all disbursals paid ( Gordon and Gordon 50 ) . The tendency of increasing wages continued throughout the decennary. However, after the coming of sound in films, many histrions were fired because of their hapless voices, inabilities to memorise lines, or even their inabilities to talk English. But those who still continued to move experient singular salary additions. Greta Garbo & # 8217 ; s salary rose from $ 350 a hebdomad to $ 5000 a hebdomad at MGM and football star, Red Grange, was paid a arresting $ 300,000 per image ( Gordon and Gordon 68 ) ; while the mean American worker earned around a mere $ 2,000 yearly. The coming of certain engineerings helped to convey about the huge success of the film industry ; a success that would prevail even to this really twenty-four hours.

The car was surely one of the greatest fad of the 1920s, but it was non the greatest. An innovation of smaller dimensions, lower cost, and with the same abilities to convey people together spurred on the greatest fad of the 1920s. The wireless became an instant success among the American populace. Being well cheaper than a auto, the wireless became a portion of virtually every place in America in merely a few short old ages. Following the startup of the first public wireless broadcast medium station, KDKA, in Pittsburgh, 1000s more broadcasting Stationss pop up all over the state in the following few old ages. Radio immediately became a national compulsion ; many people would remain up half the dark listening to concerts, discourses, & # 8220 ; Red Menace & # 8221 ; intelligence, and athleticss. Those without place wirelesss gathered around crystal sets in public topographic points ( Gordon and Gordon 32 ) . The coming of public wireless allowed hearers to non merely maintain up with national issues and events, it besides allowed hearers to see new thoughts, new amusement, and to organize sentiments on affairs that had ne’er been publicized to a national grade. The wirelesss in 1000s of places linked people in coincident enj

oyment and exhilaration ( Stevenson 150 ) . Harmonizing to Stevenson:

& # 8220 ; & # 8230 ; The mechanical innovations of the twenty-four hours were maintaining up with the events. Radio non merely reported the events but shaped them. Radio strengthened a inclination already working to do the people of the United States feel united and whole ; for the first clip, it seemed as if they could hold ideas and feelings at the same time. For certain persons this was soothing and beef uping. It had the consequence of doing people wish to hold coincident esthesiss. & # 8230 ; & # 8221 ; ( 114 )

& # 8220 ; & # 8230 ; There was a inclination upon the portion of a whole population to go diverted witnesss at events. The avocation of wireless listening encouraged the inclination, but the set of head was a new thing, a feeling that one & # 8217 ; s state and one & # 8217 ; s self were exempt from unpleasant effects. What happened happened to other peoples and other persons, largely other sorts of states and persons. One lived, one lived so good, and had a predictable sort of success, and the calamities and comedies of life were performed as in a show. & # 8230 ; & # 8221 ; ( 154 )

With the benefits of the wireless besides came many negative side effects. For illustration, those who spent a batch of clip listening to the wireless became really idealistic, and some even experient troubles spoting world from & # 8220 ; wireless world & # 8221 ; . As Stevenson quoted, & # 8220 ; The avocation of wireless listening encouraged a inclination, & # 8230 ; , a feeling that one & # 8217 ; s state and one & # 8217 ; s self were exempt from unpleasant consequences. & # 8221 ; , which demonstrated that people of the 1920s merely saw the & # 8220 ; good & # 8221 ; in life and were ignorant of the & # 8220 ; bad & # 8221 ; . Radio advertizements rapidly followed the effusion of wireless popularity. And harmonizing to Stevenson, wireless advertisement did non assist the American populace to go more open-minded. Take the undermentioned transition from Stevenson & # 8217 ; s The American 1920s:

& # 8220 ; & # 8230 ; Advertising was false in assuring more than the marketer delivered to the purchaser, but it was false in looking to be a universe to which existent life must convey itself to relation. It was false to peculiar American life and it was false to peculiar human nature in its sightlessness, narrowness, its smoothing off of single corners and all inconvenient or tragic jubilances or desperations. It was so persuasive a surface, so volitionally adjusted to by many people that it was like a lowered, limited skyline. Strong emotions and ferocious beliefs were stoppered down so that when they burst Forth they rushed out with force and hyperbole. & # 8230 ; & # 8221 ; ( 151 )

The false advertisement of wireless advertizements helped to make a sense of ignorance among most Americans towards anything unpleasant. Even though wireless had brought the state together as a whole, it besides had the unfortunate side consequence of doing people of the 1920s more closed-minded, nescient, and disillusioned. Possibly it was the sense of denial and false-hope created by wireless that made America so mentally unprepared for the Great Stock Market Crash and the Great Depression.

The auto and the wireless were non the lone innovations to perforate into the consumer market. Ford & # 8217 ; s methods of mass production and efficiency enabled mills to bring forth a overplus of diverse consumer contraptions runing from dish-washers to electric wassailers. As a consequence of World War I, production in American mills had been overhauled to suit for wartime demands. And after the cease-fire, these mills had to either mass produce other goods besides weaponries or fire workers, so they turned to the global market of consumer goods. American demands for consumer goods sky-rocketed during the 1920s, non merely because of post-war demands but of American indulgence in luxury and convenience. The primary ground why Americans bought so many family contraptions was to simplify mundane undertakings such as dish-washing or cutting grass, so that they could pass more clip with their households or on amusement. Like the Domino consequence that took topographic point with the roar of the car industry, demand for consumer goods spurred the growing of assorted other industries and increased demand for labour, which accordingly increased worker rewards. In fact, rewards increased were up 33 per centum from prewar periods even after being adjusted for rising prices ( Gordon and Gordon 86 ) . In order to suit for the labour deficits, mills began to mechanise little undertakings to cut back on labour demands. Simple undertakings such as packaging and cleansing of parts and tools which were one time handled by people were handed over to faster and more efficient machines. The standardisation of the assembly line procedure further increased factory efficiency. Alternatively of holding workers move about to choose tools, tools were brought the workers by agencies of conveyer belts or movable storage units. The monolithic resource demands of mills and family contraptions stimulated the growing of public-service corporations industries like ne’er earlier. Electricity and plumbing became a criterion in American places. As a consequence of the monolithic growing of the consumer goods market, the national economic system was greatly strengthened, but a harmful side-effect besides resulted. The specialisation of labour undertakings in mills decreased the demand for skilled workers, since workers were merely required to make a few undertakings many times alternatively of making many undertakings a few times.

Scientific promotions during the 1920s was non confined to merely industrial engineerings, wellness and medical specialty advanced greatly during the same clip period. Surprisingly, a post-war involvement developed in nutrition, thermal ingestion, and physical verve ( Gordon and Gordon 14 ) . This campaign for wellness was lead chiefly by the & # 8220 ; Flappers & # 8221 ; , broad and out-going adult females, of the 1920s. A Flapper was frequently described as a adult females who & # 8220 ; bobbed her hair, concealed her brow, flattened her chest, hid her waist, dieted away her hips and kept her legs in field sight ( Noggle 161 ) . & # 8221 ; The Flapper & # 8217 ; s focal point on & # 8220 ; dieting off her hips & # 8221 ; take her to increase ingestion of veggies and fruits while diminishing ingestion of meats and fats. With the rise in popularity of the Flapper, came a important alteration in the dietetic wonts of Americans as a whole. Coincidentally, the find of vitamins and their effects besides happened around the same clip. Herbert McLean Evans discovered Vitamin E, and its anti-sterility belongingss in 1920. Elmer V. McCollum discovered Vitamin D, its presence in pod liver, and its ability to forestall rachitiss, a skeletal upset, in 1920. Vitamins A, B, C, K, and assorted subtypes of each were besides discovered during the 1920s. Through wireless broadcasts, the populace learned of the benefits of devouring nutrients with high nutritionary values, and therefore a coevals of wellness fiends was started. However, this was really dry because coffin nail ingestion rose to approximately 43 billion yearly ( Gordon and Gordon 23 ) and bootleg spirits became a $ 3.5 billion a twelvemonth concern during the same clip period ( Gordon and Gordon 68 ) . While prosecuting a pure end of first-class wellness, the American people failed to recognize the injury that cigarettes and spirits had wrought upon them.

The prosperity that America experienced during the 1920s seemed like it would last everlastingly. There were virtually no marks of economic depression ; rewards were at an all clip high, the Dow Jones Industrial Stock Index ne’er stopped increasing, everyone indulged in luxuries and amusement, and at that place was ever a general ambiance of hope and promise for the hereafter. Life was easy and convenient thanks to the many technological progresss that took topographic point during the 1920s. Who would hold thought that it would all come to an terminal on October 24, 1929 and that a decennary of desperation and depression would follow such an age of felicity and prosperity.

Bibliography

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