How did Prohibition change US Society in the 1920s
Many things changed in society in America in the 1920s because of Prohibition, this changed the US in two main ways: the economic boom and the introduction of illegal speakeasies.
Because of the economic boom in the US in the 1920s the number of people out of work decreased dramatically, these people were employed mainly in factories making new goods such as cars and radios. But not all people earned as much as they did before prohibition, six million families or 42% of the total had an income less than $1000 a year and certainly could not afford the new ‘gadgets’ that many of them were making. These families received no further income from the government, this was because both President Coolidge and President Hoover advocated the policy of ‘Rugged Individualism’ this meant that every man was for himself. Another reason for the rates of low income was agriculture, a few years before prohibition it was the largest industry in America now it suffered a serious decline.
