The Roaring Twenties
Trends and Themes of the Era
- America turned away from the ideals of progressivism.
Even the prohibition amendment was not always strictly enforced.
Republicans regained the presidency and ushered in a new era of
pro-business policies.
- Government policies, progress in technology, and a new
consumer society produced a booming economy. Radio helped transform
the U.S. into a single national market, and a mass popular culture
developed based largely on the consumption of luxury items. To take
full advantage of the profits to be made, businesses merged and
grew ever larger.
- Tired from the war and disillusioned by Wilson’s failure
with the League of Nations, America entered a period of isolationism.
The U.S. aimed to stay out of European affairs and severely limited
immigration. New immigrants were often subject to suspicion and
hatred.
- The younger generation rebelled against traditional morals.
College students took to drinking and throwing wild parties. Women
became more forward in dress and behavior. Premarital sex became
less taboo. The two symbols of this new, looser social behavior
were jazz and the “flapper.”
