The Jazz Age In F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby

Life is too short to worry about anything. You had better enjoy it because the next day promises nothing. This quote rings true even for the epoch of the 1920s. Before the period even began this rang true. Many people sacrificed their lives to fight tyranny in World War 1. Then, America did the Charleston into the Jazz Age, a period of great wealth for most Americans, including F. Scott Fitzgerald. The Great Gatsby, has many truths about the Jazz Age because Fitzgerald lived during that time and experienced all the fads. However, many good things do eventually come to an end and this applies to the whimsical Jazz Age as well. The 1920s discussed in The Great Gatsby are a reflection of F. Scott Fitzgerald's own life during that time. To understand the Jazz Age, one has to start with what led up to it: World War 1.

America had officially entered World War 1 in April 1917 (Economy, World War I). This was America's first major war since the Civil War. Wilson was president during this time, and one of the first major problems Wilson's administration had to overcome to support the war, was actually making the money to support it. In the end, World War 1 cost an estimated $33.5 billion. The government borrowed some $23 billion and raised 10.5 billion through taxes.

There were many reasons America had gotten involved in the war. The official declaration was because the Germans had attacked an American ship heading to Britain because the Germans had thought the American ship had secret weapons. Another reason was that America had intercepted a message intended for Mexico. The message for Mexico had plans of reclaiming its lost territories with the aid of Germany. These major reasons as well as minor ones would affect America's decision to aid the Allies in their fight for justice and