Contradictions of the 1920s and their Contributions to America's Development

Contradictions of the 1920s
Student’s Name
Institution
Contradictions of the 1920s
Introduction
The 1920’s was a decade endowed with socio-cultural contradictions. It is from these contradictions that the modern culture evolved (Coben, 1991). Some Americans enjoyed abundance while others had nothing to look forward to. The state of affairs nurtured an ideology based on materialism and liberalism. The 1920s marked a critical transitional period during which America was healing from World War 1. The sitting president, Calvin Coolidge, made it known that social reforms and peace were not his priorities. This paper seeks to unravel some of the different events during the decade and their impact on the American society.
Some of the Contractions of the 1920s
Liberalism ran top on the list of agendas in the 1920s. Most states granted women suffrage in the early 1920s. As much as they were discouraged from politics, American women actively acquired tertiary education, and training in courses that were previously male-dominated. There were pronounced celebrations of the African American culture through music and literature (Coben, 1991). This was evident in the Harlem Renaissance and the radically increased subscriptions to the Ku Kluz Klan. The great patriotism bred by World War 1 prompted the federal government into conducting unconstitutional invasions on its critics in the early 1920s. Also significant was the influx of farmers’ earnings during the period. Despite their revenues having sky-rocketed in 1920, they experienced a severe thrush in the middle of the decade.
The Economic Boom
The post-war era marked a progressive improvement in the quality of life for Americans. Their conquest in the war went a great extent in molding their attitude towards life. The period came along with pronounced optimism among the people (Johnson, 1974). Their mindset became a motivational factor rather than a drawback in life. The nobles worked towards attaining economic freedom. This approach was cultivated by the availability of employment opportunities and untamed access to investments. This meant that everyone had a chance to rise in the society. This was however not the case in the American society.
The celebration of a win often motivates people to achieve much more in probable future wars. This motivation necessitates the enhancement of economic freedom. In commemoration of their victory in World War 1, Americans enjoyed financial constancy in the early 1920s. The period was accompanied by an all encompassed rise in wages and salaries. The then unemployed got hired in factories and industries as the nation transitioned from war-time industrialization to economic productivity. Goods and services became astonishingly affordable. This was attributed to the state of abundance of products and services in the market. Since a more significant percentage of the population had money, the cheaper, quality goods got dominance (Johnson, 1974). Even with the availability of these commodities, a group of the society could not access them due to financial constraints.
Science and technology impacted the culture of the Americas. Inventions of goods with better quality and efficiency became the ultimate goal of every ...