The time of the 1920’s and 1950’s both saw changes to the political and social structure following the conclusion of World War 1 and 2, respectively. The United States entered into an era of wealth and prosperity after these wars, and with more money and access to material goods, the public desired more consumer products. Also, social movements after these wars dramatically changed what the role of women are in society. While some argue that these eras are completely different, the 1920’s and 1950’s, separated by three decades, still have many similarities relating to the roles of women and consumerism.
The roles of women, especially, dramatically altered after the Second World War. When men returned from fighting overseas, they expected their job was to be given back, and
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As in the 1950’s, new products such as dishwashers and washer and dryers were mass produced and this caused wives to pressure husbands to buy the fancy new items. And this push was not limited to just buying items, as it extended into the push for new innovation and technologies. The hunger for new items and the need for new ones propelled 50’s consumerism even further. However the 20’s consumerism was different. Rather than developments in individual items propelled consumerism, 50’s consumerism was driven by mass changes in industry. For example, the assembly line made it faster and cheaper to make cars, and these lower prices drove customers to buy the cars. And the increased access to electricity made many Americans eager to use electricity to power new items like radios. Combined with the rapid changes of culture, consumerism is one of the reasons why the decade is called the Roaring Twenties. But one can also see the similarities between these two time periods. Both became central parts to their respective decades and pushed society to produce more and more goods, thus increasing and promoting the United States