- Published: November 16, 2021
- Updated: November 16, 2021
- University / College: Lancaster University
- Language: English
- Downloads: 17
The Drastic Change Throughout the years, every event and action that has been perceived by people is bound to change, whether it’s ones’ traditions, ethnics, or perspectives. During two very substantial years that have shaped the United States today, the 1920s and 1930s, US has transitioned to a new state of society and plummeted into an innovative realm of authenticity. The transformation was not essentially a positive aspect that has marked itself in US history. During the flourishing 1920s, United States searched for new chances to glorify itself, ready to battle whatever was thrown at them in the future. Nonetheless, when US reached the 1930s, it started to strive and falter. Those carefree years were replaced by ones of turmoil and despair. From the 1920s to the 1930s, there were several factors that contributed to the changes in American society, politics, economy, and agriculture. Politically, the United States changed drastically within the years of 1920 and 1930. During the 1920s, the rebellious flapper was introduced. In the course of the 19th Amendment, it prohibited any US citizens to be denied the right to vote based on sex. Women started to become more powerful and were authorized to make decisions. There were also problems with immigrants resulting in the Emergency Quota Act and Immigration Act. This limited the number of immigrants able to come to America in order to maintain the happiness of Americans. The regulations produced in 1920 were set to advocate the egalitarianism and satisfaction of the Americans. On the contrary, in the 1930s, the politics of United States started struggling to save the people from an atrocious stock market crash. Businesses were closed and many citizens lost their jobs and savings. People started wavering and stressing about what to do. It was not until Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected as president and he promised people “ The New Deal” in hope of rescuing people from the crisis, even though he had no idea what it was. The 1920s politics were known as carefree and relaxed, until it reached the 1930s, stumbling upon its mistakes, leading up to the Great Depression. Economically, the economy of the 1920s was thriving and booming. Ultimately, America was the wealthiest country in the world with no obvious rival, earning the name the “ Roaring Twenties”. The decade marked the flourishing of the modern mass production, mass consumption economy, which delivered fantastic profits to investors while also raising the living standard of the middle and working class. Then the Great Depression hit in the 1930s, everything started to turn into a downfall of agony. The debt created from using credit slowly entered the leading cause of the Great Depression. Banks were failing, people lost their jobs and bank savings, the hope of many Americans was beginning to disappear. Subsequently, it was Franklin Delano Roosevelt who anticipated the New Deal. The New Deal contained multiple programs that were aimed to solve the economic problems of America. For example, the Emergency Banking Act was created to address the problem of people rushing to withdraw savings and to help failing banks. Some were intended to sustain and restore banks such as the FDIC. While the Great Crash directly concerned the Americans who owned stock at the time, consequent restrains in manufacturing production caused a nationwide economic recession unparalleled in its depth. During World War I, agriculture was a major hit for many farmers, but the end of the war caused a disadvantage for farmers. From 1920 to 1921, farm prices fell at a catastrophic rate. Farmers could not make their payments; throughout the decade, farm foreclosures and bank failures increased. To make it even worse, the terrorizing Dustbowl destroyed agriculture, causing everything to dry up and rot. In 1930, when the Great Depression struck, it seemed like nothing could pull back the once successful agriculture. Not even FDR’s New Deal farming program, such as the Agriculture Adjustment Act which was meant to help farmers face debt, tax, and interest, was efficient enough to assist the farmers. Farmers faced desperation, and had no choice but to either sell their possessions or abandon men their families into misery. In conclusion the differences between 1920 and 1930 are never-ending. In 1920, the personality within America was carefree and relaxed. Until America took a sharp turn and was slammed with tragedy. The attitudes of many people changed and families were on the verge of extreme anxiety. United States was distorted politically, economically, and agriculturally, setting a new generation that can be easily tainted.