Comparison Between 1920s and 1930s

The 1920’s was the first decade to have a nickname such as “Roaring 20’s” or “Jazz Age. ” For many Americans, the 1920’s was a decade of prosperity and confidence. But for others this decade seemed to bring cultural conflicts, nativists against immigrants, religious liberals against fundamentalists and rural provincials against urban cosmopolitans. There was a drastic change in economy through the course of 1920 to 1930. During 1930 the great depression had turned the American dream into a nightmare and what once was the land of opportunity had become the land of desperation.

Both 1920s and 1930s have been characterized by radical political movements. Also throughout the course of these two decades entertainment was a big hit. The celebration was a big part of the 1920s and due to this, many different behaviors were developed among these large populations, dancing became a big thing, people loved to dance especially the Charleston, Fox-trot and Shimmy. Dance marathons were something people went to every weekend. The radio became very popular as well; people liked listening to Jazz, especially the king of Jazz, .

People also tuned in to listen to sports and live events. Movies were also a big thing during this decade. Parlor games and board games were popular in the 1930’s, people gathered around the radio to listen to the Yankees. Young people danced to big bands. The golden age of the mystery novel continued as people escaped into books, reading writers like Agatha Christie, Dashiell Hammett, and Raymond Chandler. Big band or swing became very popular. Meanwhile there were also many differences between the two decades. During the 1920’s for the first time, more Americans lived in cities rather than on farms.

For many Americans the growth of cities, the rise of consumer culture, the increase of mass entertainment and the so-called “revolution in morals and manners” represented liberation from the restrictions of the country’s Victorian past. Sexual mores, gender roles, hair styles, and dressing all changed. In this decade penicillin was discovered and also the insulin for diabetics. The nation’s wealth more than doubled and this economic growth brought many Americans into an affluent but unfamiliar consumer society. October 29, 1929 later became known as black Thursday, the stock market began its downhill drop.

Many people believed that after this day prices would rise again as it had occurred in the past, but instead prices kept dropping. America had celebrated for eight years, but now everything was wasted in just weeks by the stock market. It was the sad ending to the glorious decade. Yet the beginning of the 1930’s, in the beginning, one-quarter of all wage-earning workers were unemployed and money was scarce because of the depression. During the great depression the American dream had now become a nightmare what once was the land of opportunity had turned into the land of desperation.

President Herbert Hoover did not do much to alleviate the crisis, he only argued that there was patience and self reliance needed to get them through this incident. But in 1932, Americans elected a new president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who pledged to use the power of the federal government to make Americans’ lives better. Over the next nine years Roosevelt’s New Deal created a new role for government in American life. Many Americans looked at the 1920’s as a decade of confidence and prosperity. However the end of the decade brought about big changes economically, politically, and socially.