The 1920’s were a time of innovation for the US they were they world leaders! The electricity consumption had doubled, and in 1929, 70% of Americans has electric lights. 1924 was the year of mass production; many products such as electricity, electric products, cloths and cars were being mass-produced. Henry Ford planned to use it so that skilled people had to do as little as possible. Mass production introduced many jobs for the Americans, and they did not need much training either. Many new goods such as stockings, cloths, telephones and buttons were made out of new chemicals found, Rayon and Bakelite.
The US people would by new products instead of fixing them because people could now afford more luxury goods like telephones, fridges, radios, and more. In 1919, only 60,000 people had radios whereas in 1929, 10 million did, people wanted new technology, and could now afford it on credit and could also buy cloths easier but mail order. Clothing sales had gone up buy 427% in the 1920’s. They became a gadget conscious nation.
During the 1920’s the transport and communication industry had rapidly improved as in 1919, 10 million people own a telephone and in 1929 it was 20 million. The car industry, thanks to Henry ford’s mass production, had bloomed. More people wanted, and now could because of the price, a car so therefore they sales went up for being 9 million in 1919 to 26 million in 1929, this shows how much more people were using cars. As the cars needed glass, iron, leather and rubber, the sales flourished, increased by 80% for rubber, increased by 65% for leather, increased by 11% for iron, and increased by less than 9% for glass. They also needed jobs to help make cars.
Films had a large impact on most of the US people. They based their looks on the actors and actresses’ glamorous looks form the films, so therefore sold 1 pound of “8 rouge” face power, 2,500 of perfume and 1,500 of face cream in one year. They made 3 movies a week, and in 1920 an average of 40 million tickets were sold each week. The first blockbuster movie, “birth of a Nation” made a $60,000,000 profit. Before the films started in the cinema, they would play advertisements with bold colours and hypnotic catch phrases to draw in fresh new buyers. They used advertising to promote a new range of consumer goods, a lot like those used or worn in the films. Another way to use adverting was to have new big, modern, tall and grand buildings, to show the wealthy and prosperous companies.
The government in 1920 was republican and they encouraged people to own their own businesses. They lowered they income tax from 28% to 26% and so therefore the wages increased and people had more money. ‘The Fordney-McCumber Tariff’ was an import tax they put on any trade out side of the and in September 1922, Fordney-McCumber tariff was signed by the president. The other countries were not happy and so therefore increased theirs.
All this increased the employment from in 1921, 11.9% of Americans (5 million) to being 3.2% of Americans (1.5 million) in 1929 and the average earning had gone up by 110%. The Standard of life in the 1920’s for most was amazing recorded, the ‘highest ever,’ as most felt confident about there success and over all successful time in US history. There life styles were healthier and better off for them!
