HIS271Y1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 17: Per Capita Income, Equal Rights Amendment, Jazz Age
Document Summary
The 1920s were considered the first modern decade. Age of the flapper, harlem renaissance, modern advertising: economic boom. Us economy grows spectacularly during this decade, but not evenly: agriculture lags behind industrial expansion. Nation"s net income leapt from bn in 1921 to almost bn in mid-1929. Boom rested on automobile industry; car"s genesis was prior to 1920, but 1920s sees automobile expansion. By the end of the decade, 23 million americans will have registered an automobile, approximately 60% of american families. Other industries that boomed in conjunction with the car: fast food restaurants. Car is therefore symbolic of the prosperity of the decade. Early moves towards consumption, such as the department store, are becoming consolidated and there is mass consumption coupled with the growth of advertising. Per capita income increased by about a third, while cost of living stayed the same. More disposable income: radios, refrigerators, washing machines. Uneven growth; middle class sees this per capita increase.
