World War I: Technological Advancements And Social Reform

Technology Advancements and Social Reform

Everyone has experienced change in their lives. We go from young to old and small to big. Throughout our lives we have change in our sense of style, family dynamic, interests, morals, etc.. The 1900s was a time period where people and technology began to change from the previous generation. New things evolved such as mass production, cars, and canned goods. World War I caused changes in society and technological advancements that

In the 1920s mass production became the new and improved technique of producing goods. Mass production made production of materials easier and faster (“Automobiles”). In many areas of mass production, the assembly line was what made it possible. The automobile industry in

Before World War I most women worked at home while the men were working outside the home in factories or on a farm. However, during the war, women took many of the men's jobs since they were out fighting on the battlefield (Spivack). In a magazine article, Ellen Welles Page describes her flapper lifestyle to the previous generation (Spivack). In the article she states, “...I adore to dance. I spend a large amount of time in automobiles. I attend hops, and proms, and ball-games, and crew races, and other affairs at men’s colleges.....” (Spivack). For the previous generation of women flappers were viewed as scandalous and wild (Spivack). Before the 1920s, women did not dance freely or go out on their own to have fun. With these changes in society, women began to have more independence and were able to move freely which gave women a new way of living

The new generation of women were called Flappers. The Flappers did not dress like the previous generation, the Gibson girls (Grossman). Gibson girls had long hair, didn’t wear makeup, wore long skirts with a high collared shirts, etc.. Flappers were the complete opposite of the Gibson girls. “...I wear bobbed hair... (And, oh, what a comfort it is!), I powder my nose. I wear fringed skirts and bright-colored sweaters, and scarfs, and waists with Peter Pan collars, and low-heeled “finale hopper” shoes...,” said Ellen Welles Page (Spivack). Jeanne Paquin, helped create the new type of clothing which was made for a more active women (Monet). Her garments had pleats in them so women could move easily (Monet). The Spirella Corset came about and the old type of corset was less worn. The new type of corset gave women the ability to move more freely (Monet). As the years went on women's style changed more and more from the previous generation. In a poem by Dorothy Parker called, “The Flapper” she talks about the changes in clothing and behavior of a women. For example, in one of the lines she says, “...She's not what Grandma used to be...”