The 1920s And The Roaring Twenties

The 1920s are known as the Roaring Twenties, the Jazz Age, and the Golden Twenties. During this time, there were dramatic social changes in society. The Great War destroyed old perceived social conventions and new ones were developed. The 1920s was a decade that saw a great change in the role of women. The Roaring Twenties was a common name for the 1920s, due to the rise in consumerism and advertising at the time. Morals began to decrease during this time period. The 1920s was a period of time with great societal changes.
During the Roaring Twenties, women changed their actions. The 1920s was an explosion of color and a period of escapism. The young women began to set themselves free. The changing role of women was a result from all the work they did during World War I. The younger generation rejected values and customs of their parents’ generation. The young women no longer wanted to be the guardians of morality, dressing in a modest way and refraining from drinking, dancing, and smoking. They wanted to have the freedom to wear short skirts and ride in cars with their boyfriends. Because of all the deaths of World War I, the new generation felt the need to live freely and enjoy life. Young women and men who returned from the war experienced cultures with different customs and standards.
The women began to chock the older generation with the way they changed their hairstyles. They cut their hair into short “bob” cuts. The clothes that they wore were much shorter than they had usually been. They began to expose their legs and knees. The women were known as Flappers. Britain also knew the Flappers as “Bright Young Things”. If they wore skimpy clothing in public they could have been arrested for indecent exposure. Silk stockings ...

... middle of paper ...

...es they thought the easiest answer was crime. Prohibition led towards higher crime rates and excessive violence. The American government believed that by banning alcohol the American lives would improve in quality. Double the amount of illegal bars and speakeasies were opened. Criminal gangs would fight each other for the control of the trade. After 13 years the government finally realized that Prohibition was not successful (Bingham 4-6).
Another change in society was the glamour of motion pictures. During the 1920s, movies began to capture the interest of the nation. The film industry began to flourish during this time. By the end of the decade twenty Hollywood studios were created and released and average of eight hundred films in one year. Young women of America loved the glamour of the silver screen and began to follow the fashion of their favorite actresses.