Contrast Between the 1920's and the 1930's

The 1920s were known as carefree and relaxed. The decade after the war was one of improvement for many Americans. Industries were still standing in America; they were actually richer and more powerful than before World War I. So what was so different in the 1930’s? The Great Depression replaced those carefree years into ones of turmoil and despair.

The decade after the First World War saw tremendous change. Progressivism was a leading factor of World War I and in the 1920’s the evidence can be seen. Industries were making their products at an increasing rate. Products that were not populous before World War I were now used by millions of Americans. The automobile was only used by less than ten million of Americans and by the end of this post war decade that number has climbed to over thirty million. Also many new inventions were coming through making life for Americans much more comfortable. Radios, vacuum cleaners, irons, washing machines, and refrigerators were among the new necessities Americans just had to have.

Refrigerators allowed for better production and transportation of food products. This allowed for the ability to keep food cold and fresh thus making exporting of food a valuable agricultural economy.

America was on fire during the period of excitement. These new inventions were making home life easier for women and more enjoyable for the men. Not only were American families buying these new trinkets but they also started purchasing stock in companies at an increased rate. A commodity that was available before the war but not readily accessed, now became as high as seven million Americans buying and owning company stock after the First World War. With the purchase of automobiles, washing machines, and stock families were still not making enough to keep up. Even though the wage market had increased, the need for fancy things made it almost impossible for a family to have enough money left over to survive. This demand for the goods but not enough money produced a technique used by manufactures to bring in more customers, consumer credit. Today this method of shopping is used by every American everywhere at some point in their lives. Consumer credit is what is known today as a payment plan. A buying strategy that we all use today, payments, actually came about in the decade after World War I. Now that these companies got Americans to buy their products, they had to design a plan to keep them coming back. That was how we got the ever changing models of automobiles, along with the presence of advertising the new models. These car companies would make changes to how a car looks, making it flashier and advertising that every “true” American needed to have the “new” automobile. Advertising was a new skyrocketing development. With every radio advertisement the latest and newest invention, there were millions of Americans listening and then buying.

The economy wasn’t the only thing changing in the post war decade. Culture and beliefs that were once used as rules to run the family by were also taking new steps in another direction. The word “flapper” came about describing the new modern woman. Young ladies were no longer following the customary rules set upon them by society. Women’s movement during World War I helped to launch women into a new era. “Flappers” are women who smoke, wear short skirts, makeup, date whom ever they like, and basically break all the standards that has been set upon women for decades before the First World War. Not only were young women changing but a look upon marriage was also taking a new view. Husbands and wives were showing affection towards each other in public which was once considered to be inappropriate. Extra-marital relationships were less common which lead to a boom in childbirths during the 1920s.

Marriages were not the only things changing. The workers who operated the factories were also in much better shape than before World War I. In the post-war decade the labor force was reaping the benefits of the union strikes during the First World War and the demands that increased wages for workers. Now the industrial workers are fairing very well with good jobs and good steady income. The wages were continuing to increase through out the 1920’s. Although there were two industries, coal and textiles, that were not doing as well. With all the new industries like steam and power, the older industries were taking a hard hit as there was not a huge demand for their products. Along with the work force came a change in who was working. During World War I, women had no choice but to work to support the families while their men were off fighting in the war. With the ending of the war all the men came home and wanted their old jobs back, but what about the women who helped to keep the economy afloat? Most of these women wanted to continue their work and stay in the work force. Women stayed in work positions but had less pay and benefits. The women’s movement and progressivism throughout World War I made it possible for women to not only continue working but to vote along with all other Americans due to the nineteenth amendment.

The 1920’s sounded like a time of peace and relaxation after a period of war and mayhem. This era of triumph was shaken with the Great Depression of the 1930’s. In the next decade to come, many changes will take place making these two decades completely opposite.

October 29, 1929 was not just an ordinary day. This Tuesday will forever be known as “Black Tuesday.” On this Tuesday the stock market took a dive losing over fourteen million dollars in that one day alone. This was the first step in the Great Depression of the 1930’s. The industries that once stood tall and rich were now losing money and not at all secure about the future. Banks and companies everywhere were suffering and many were even closing. The payment plans that creditors were handing out now came with higher interest rates and were harder to obtain. The depression grew bleak as unemployment rates soared and hopes of credit were dashed. During the 1930’s, the effects of the depression were evident everywhere. Families were sleeping in cardboard boxes, looking for the smallest bite of food out of garbage cans. Americans had to sell every bit of possessions they once owned with so much pride just to keep from starving on the streets. Emergency food reliefs were being set up by the government to try and keep Americans from starving. Fights and riots broke out at some shelters where spacing and food were limited.

During the first hew year of the depression, President Hoover did nothing to aid his American

...