Economy Of The 1920s Essay

The 1920s was a decade marked by expansion, wealth, and drastic social and economic change. Following the end of World War One, the 1920s saw the buildup of America’s “wealth”, with individuals trading on the stock market and buying a myriad of (then) exorbitant luxuries such as cars, radios, vacuums, washing machines, etc. The truth was the average American didn’t actually have the money to afford any of these amenities, and were buying them on credit, that is, money loaned from a bank or other third party. When the economy failed, individuals were unable to repay their debt. Banks failed and peoples lost their entire life savings. The market crash signaled the beginning of the Great Depression which would plague American until the start of

Mitchell Palmer, famous for his “Palmer” raids, ruthlessly cracking down on suspected communists, socialists, and anarchists.

Babe Ruth, popular baseball player who broke countless records and helped turn the sport into a national pastime.

Farmers were one of, if not the most impoverished group in the 1920s. Throughout the decade, farmers faced extreme poverty as the prices of their products sank following the armistice of WWI. During WW1, farmers rapidly expanded their production to accommodate for the wartime food needs of both the United States and European allies. After the war, food exports to Europe decreased and there was too much supply and not enough demand, lowering prices. Additionally, farmers spent more money maintaining their over-expanded farms that continued to leech on their profits.

Perhaps the most recognizable symbol of 1920s America was the flapper. Flappers were typically younger, urban women who enjoyed defying traditional standards of female behavior. Flappers customarily had bobbed hair, smoke cigarettes, wore makeup, and drank alcohol. Flappers drove cars and participated in sports. Not all women supported the movement. It was especially frowned upon in rural, conservative

While war broke out in Europe America maintained its neutrality, still vividly recollecting the steep human paid fighting overseas in World War One. The United States finally heaved itself out of the Great Depression, bolstering its economy by selling war material overseas. However, the United States could not remain neutral when Imperial Japan attacked the Pearl Harbor navy base on December 7, 1941. Congress swiftly approved a declaration of war against Japan and the United States began preparing to go on the attack. Millions of men volunteered or were drafted for military service. The industrial might of the US was at its peak in the 1940s, producing almost 300,000 aircraft, 5,500 vessels, and 86,000 tanks. Simultaneously fighting on opposite sides of the globe, the outnumbered enemy nations of Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany capitulated in 1945.

Following the end of World War Two, the victorious allies sought to established a peace keeping organization who would prevent future conflicts of such scale. On October 24, 1945, the United Nations was formed in San Francisco, Calif. 51 nations founded the United Nations. The United Nations included an executive committee, named the security council, who would directly control UN peacekeeping