Second Industrial Revolution
Henry Ford’s moving assembly line, which was developed in 1913, boosted America’s industrial capacity. By the early 1920s, factories had adopted mass production systems, which increased quantities of finished products in the market. This led to rapid economic growth and improvements in standards of living in the U.S. In addition, large corporations became very profitable, and they expanded their operations rapidly (Divine et al. 448).
Persuasive advertising campaigns were used by business firms to appeal to consumers’ diverse tastes and to increase the brand value of their products in the market. The rapid economic growth mainly benefited middle and upper-class urban residents, but many people from low social classes did not benefit. As a result, many people spend a lot of money on luxury products, and this caused the Great Depression in the next decade.
New Urban Culture
Rapid economic growth in different cities encouraged more people to move to urban areas in search of employment. As a result, property developers opted to construct high-rise buildings to accommodate more people due to high real estate prices. Rapid urbanization also changed women’s traditional roles. Legal changes were made to grant women the right to vote, and additional improvements in maternal healthcare guaranteed them a better life.
Additionally, people became more liberal and abandoned conservative Victorian traits, while young women became more outspoken about their sexuality (Divine et al. 451). There was also a general increase in crime, divorce, and immorality during this period. All the same, a new literary awakening was experienced, which led to the publication of novels, short stories, and poems by both white and black authors.
Rural Counterattack
Traditional Anglo Saxons living in rural areas were opposed to high levels of permissiveness in urban areas. They became more intolerant, and they pressured the government to limit people’s personal liberties and political freedoms through various legislative amendments. For instance, suspected communists were deported out of the country without trial to different European countries. In addition, the Volstead Act restricted alcohol selling and consumption to reduce drunkenness and immorality. However, this allowed criminal networks to increase their profits by selling bootleg liquor at high prices to members of the middle and upper classes.
Ku Klux Klan, a racist Caucasian group, became more prominent, and its leaders spread hate propaganda against African Americans, newly- arrived European immigrants, and Jews. This resulted in high levels of bigotry, which encouraged lawmakers to adopt new laws that restricted immigration (Divine et al. 455).
Politics of the 1920s
In this period, Republicans were dominant in national politics, but later on, Democrats were able to win the support of diverse ethnic groups in major urban zones. Many ethnic groups felt they were discriminated against by existing policies that favored wealthy business owners and the elite. Republican candidate Warren Harding won the 1920 election but later died in office and was replaced by Calvin Coolidge in 1924.
He used strong support from fellow Republicans to advocate for close relationships between the government and private business firms. Even though Democratic candidate Al Smith lost to Herbert Hoover in the 1928 elections, Democrats got more votes than Republicans in several major cities (Divine et al. 459). The party appealed to significant numbers of ethnic minorities living in urban areas. In previous elections, people from ethnic minorities were excluded from participating in mainstream American politics.
Works Cited
Divine, Robert A., T.H. Breen, George M. Fredrickson, R. Hal Williams, and Randy Roberts. America: Past and Present. 4th ed. New York: Longman, 1998. Print.