The Contradictions of the 1920s. The contribution to the development of America in the 1920s and beyond.

The Contradictions of the 1920s
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Introduction
The 1920s era was one that remains embedded in the history of America to date. This is owing to the changes that took place most of which were paradoxical. On one hand, there was an increased emergence of social groups which led to vibrancy in the society. Economic growth was also registered which meant that socio-economic activities had grown originally by a large extent. For the first time, the number of people living in urban towns went up compared to those living in rural areas. It was a manifestation that most people could afford better living compared to previous years.
Paradoxically however, it is in this same era that some sections of the population also experienced great pain and discomfort with emergence of groups such Ku Klux Klan that led to violence and oppression. Civil conflict and intolerance was at an all-time high during this period which saw many people go through pain and anguish in the hands of fellow civilians. It is these contradictions that later came to be referred to as the contradictions of the 1920s.
This discussion will look at some of these contradictions in great depth while seeking to examine the impacts that they had and contributions they made to American development.
Spend Thrift
One unique characteristic of the 1920s era was the high level of spending that the American people engaged in (Burget & Hendler, 2014). Credit cards were readily available to anybody who was interested in having one. People became spend thrifts, purchasing items they could ordinarily not afford if not with the help of a credit card. Everybody appeared happy, and while the standard of living was high, people managed to keep up. The biggest percentage of the population had well-paying jobs and was living well. It was a good time for the American society, and the economy had grown tremendously. The big question in the minds of many was, was this situation permanent or temporary? How long would the good times last?
Collapse of the Economy
While life seemed good for the greater population, it did not take long that it all came crumbling down. The economy as was expected would eventually settle down to expected measures. This led to massive loss of jobs, big companies and conglomerates closed shop, people could no longer afford to pay for their mortgages and credit companies recorded huge losses as people were not keeping up with the expected monthly payments (Burget & Hendler, 2014). What was once recorded as the world&rsquo...