Positive and Negative Sides of the Roaring Twenties

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Positive and Negative Sides 
of the Roaring Twenties 
The Roaring Twenties
For many Americans, the “roaring twenties” was a time of prosperity and joy. For others, it was a time of economic downfall and the loss of important values. However, the decade was a busy and complex one, and neither point of view is completely wrong. Let’s see what the positive and negative aspects of this decade are.
Positive Sides
Throughout the decade of the 1920’s, America was experiencing many positive advances.
The roaring twenties are seen as a decade of exciting changes as well of increasing of personal freedom. It was also a time of increasing wealth to some peopleThe roaring .
During the 1920’s the government helped business grow by not regulating it (laissez-faire capitalism). The Republican Party governed in the 1920’s; all presidents elected were very conservative, and the federal government adapted to the policies favoured by business lobbyists, which included lowering taxes on personal income and business profits, and efforts to weaken the power of unions. 
During this period, the federal government shifted the country away from the economic regulation favoured during the Progressive Era. At the time, these policies were good for the American economy.
Productivity rose dramatically large. One icon of this productivity was the automobile.Thought invented almost a decade earlier, the automobile didn’t take off until the 1920’s due to the sheer cost, until Henry Ford’s Model T car was released, a more economic option for many Americans. Over 15 million cars were sold by 1927 and suddenly, Americans all had much more freedom. Thanks to the automobile, people weren’t bound to live in the cities anymore, moving to the suburbs, and freeing themselves from the confines of their home.
And productivity also grew because Henry Ford’s assembly line techniques were adopted by older industries, and new industries, like aviation, chemicals and electronics grew up, what provided new products and new jobs.
Economy also grew because American corporations extended overseas, and American foreign investments were greater than those of any other countries. The dollar replaced the pound as the most important currency for trade, and by the end of the decade, USA was producing 85% of the cars of the world and 40% of its overall manufactured goods. Many appliances that made home life easier were Ealso produced, like vacuum cleaners, refrigerators, washing machines.
There was more time for leisure. Radios, baseball games, boxing matches, vacations, dance crazes, movie. The American movie industry moved to Hollywood before WWI because land was cheap and provided all kind of landscapes: desert, mountains, ocean… By 1925, the American film industry had eclipsed all of its competitors and was the greater in the world.
The decade of 1920’s saw continued migration of African American people from the South to cities in the North, and Harlem, in New York City, became the capital of Black America. This period was known as Harlem Renaissance and was considered a golden age in African American culture, manifesting in literature, music, stage performance and art. The spirit of Harlem Renaissance was to reject stereotypes and prejudice, and to celebrate African American experience.
One important thing all women gained in 1920, was the right to vote, guaranteed by the 19thAmendment to the Constitution.
As a consequence of the facilitation of household work, due to appliances, and also to birth control, that made it possible to plan how many children a family would have, women were also able to work in white-collar jobs and participate in the consumer economy.
One of the most important technologic innovations during 1920’s was the radio. After being introduced during World War I, radios became a common feature in American homes of the 1920s. Hundreds of radio stations popped up over the course of the decade. These stations developed and broadcasted news, serial stories, and political speeches. Radios contributed to the development of a national media culture in the United States.
Negative Side
But all that glitters is not gold, and the 1920’s was also a decade of strong controversy, with much social difference and conflict, as well as a resurgence of racist ideas.
Prohibition Was a Disastrous Law
Prohibition was a nationwide ban on the sale and import of alcoholic beverages that lasted from 1920 to 1933.
In the 19th century, women had few rights and were dependent on their husbands for financial support. They blamed alcohol for the abuse they received and began a campaign to ban it. The ‘noble experiment’ failed, and only caused people to drink more. The last fact is rather ironic when you consider the reason prohibition was introduced was to eliminate the ‘great evil’ that alcohol was purported to be.
The Growth of Organized Crime
In the late 19th century and early 20th century, a large wave of Italian immigrants came to America.
Before prohibition, criminal gangs mainly focused on their ‘turf’ and engaged in racketeering and other illegal activity. The ban on alcohol gave them a golden opportunity to expand, and they wasted no time. Within an hour of the passing of the Volstead Act, six armed men tried to steal $100,000 worth of medicinal whiskey from a train in Chicago. The Windy City became one of the hotbeds of organized crime in America as the likes of Al Capone and Dean O’Banion trafficked illegal booze and killed countless people in the process.
The rate of violence in Chicago increased significantly from 1925 onwards when Al Capone took over the Chicago Outfit from Johnny Torrio. 
The Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre
The date was February 14, 1929, and it involved an action that shocked Chicago’s criminal underground to its core. Capone had taken over the Chicago Outfit and was intent on eliminating his enemies. His main rival at the time was George ‘Bugs’ Moran, the leader of the North Side Gang.
On February 14, 1929, he did exactly that as four of his men dressed up as police officers and entered a garage in Chicago’s North Side. It was where Moran and his gang ran their bootlegging operations in the city. Capone’s men impersonated cops and ordered seven of Moran’s men to line up against the wall. They proceeded to open fire, and 70 rounds of ammunition were fired as six of the men died instantly
Moran was convinced that Capone carried out the massacre, but it was never proven.
The First Red Scare
The First Red Scare began in 1917, but it reached its peak, and its climax, in 1920. It marked a period of widespread panic against the perceived threat of Bolshevism and anarchism. Although it was based on some real fears such as the rise of anarchist bombings and the Russian Revolution, there was also an unhealthy dose of hysteria. 
The Red Scare reached its height in 1919 and 1920 as the end of World War I had brought about strong anti-immigrant feelings along with heightened nationalism. 
There were several high-profile bombings in 1919 as anarchists tried to cause havoc. 
The Last Gasps of Anarchism in the United States
By the 1880s, anarchists promoted the idea of ‘propaganda by the deed.’ It was a term used to describe acts of murder in the name of anarchism. 
Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were committed anarchists and were the subject of a sensational trial in 1920. They were executed via the electric chair on August 23, 1927. Their deaths were marked by protests in London and Paris while bombs were set off in Philadelphia and New York.
One of the last acts of anarchism at the time was the Wall Street Bombing on September 16, 1920. It resulted in the deaths of 38 people.
The criminal Leopold & Loeb 
They went to the University at an astonishingly young age. 
Loeb dreamed of becoming a master criminal and enjoyed committing arson, robberies and other crimes. Leopold was very much the submissivepartner in all of the above and Loeb used to entice him to go on these expeditions with the promise of sexual favors. Eventually, Loeb wanted to commit the ultimate crime: The kidnap and murder of a child.
As such, 14-year old Bobby Franks was merely a victim of circumstance. 
The trial captivated the nation. They saved from execution, but both received 99 plus years in prison. 
The Scopes Monkey Trial 
24-year old John Scopes was a teacher in a public high school in Dayton, Tennessee, and he couldn’t have imagined the furor he would cause when he decided to teach evolution. In 1925, the state of Tennessee had passed a law that banned the teaching of evolution because it conflicted with the teachings of the Bible relating to creation. 
Scopes was arrested for violating the anti-evolution law on May 7, 1925. The gravity of the case, generated national and international attention.
The KKK’s Popularity Surged
The original KKK was formed as a social club in Pulaski in 1866. Former Confederate general, Nathan Bedford Forrest. It wasn’t well organized, and in 1870, it was classified as a terrorist organization. 
The KKK was revived by William Joseph Simmons in 1915. The new KKK tried to come across as a bastion of morality bent on healing society’s ills.
The Klan reached its peak in the 1920s when it had an estimated four million members. As well as continuing the reign of terror against African-Americans, the Klan added Jews, Catholics, and non-Nordic immigrants to its list of targets.
Today, the Klan is active in up to 22 states amidst fears that white supremacist movements may return to the fore.
Economic Disaster
On October 24, 1929, the Dow Jones Industrial Average began to plummet in an event known as Black Thursday. The stock market continued to collapse, and by October 29, the Dow Jones lost 30% of its value, $30 billion or almost $400 billion in today’s money. It was a sum of money greater than what was lost during World War I and utterly eroded confidence in the stock market. 
The Wall Street Crash destroyed countless lives as many people lost their life savings. During the Great Depression, unemployment fell 25%, wages fell over 40%, and global trade fell 65%. The Roaring Twenties was replaced by the Terrible Thirties.
Sources
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfOR1XCMf7A
https://www.history.com/topics/roaring-twenties/roaring-twenties-history
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-history/rise-to-world-power/1920s-america/a/jazz-and-the-lost-generation