THE ROARING TWENTIES&

THE GREAT GATSBY

BY EMILY HENRY

The Roaring TwentiesThe roaring twenties was a time of Parties ,prohibition, flappers and economic downturn.The twenties also known as the jazz age was a time of great social and cultural significance. Many things changed during this time, this is why it is considered one of the most influential times in history.

Politics of the 20sAfter WW1 America faced many problems such as

economic downturn and communism. During this time many were unemployed. When the Russian Revolution began the US became more worried about the spread of communism, because of this the US put limits of the amount of immigrants coming into the country from southern and eastern Europe. With this the rise of the KKK came again becoming more popular and by 1924 it had 4.5 million members. With no immigrants coming into the country this also meant that the need for labour workers was at a all time high.

The Jazz AgeThe Jazz Age was of course during the 1920s,

the term first came around when it was used in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The first commercial radio station in the United States,

KDKA also began Broadcasting in 1922. With this popularity of jazz spread, and became the slogan for all things

modern and sophisticated.

Women in the 1920sAfter WW1 the image of women changed especially

in places in the United States and the UK. During the twenties women could basically do whatever men could do. They smoked, drank and got to vote. Women of this time were called Flappers. The word flapper was first used in the UK and came to the US when it was used by F. Scott Fitzgerald he described the flapper as “lovely, expensive and about nineteen.” Flappers usually wore light clothing so they would be able in move around and dance easier at parties.

Men in the 1920sUnlike women of the twenties men did not have a signature look like the flapper. During this time the men always dressed very formal. They wore suit jackets and waistcoats along with trousers to match the suit. They fashions for men at this were greatly influenced by the uniforms worn by the military during the first world war.

Art and DesignArt movements like surrealism and art deco were very

popular during the twenties as well as photography.Art Deco originated in France and became very

popular in the US during the 1920s. Many of the art movements during this time were based on philosophical or political ideas but Art deco was purely decorative. It wasn’t until the 60s that the term art deco was used. It was coined by art historian Bevis Hillier.

Surrealism was also extremely popular in the 1920s, surrealism featured the element of surprise or the future.

ProhibitionProhibition in the US started in the 1920s and ended in 1933. This meant that the import, export, sale and transport of alcohol was illegal. Prohibition at this time was also known as the Nobel experiment. With the demand for alcohol being so high and the supply with little to none gangsters like Al Capone saw this as a opportunity to make some money.

CrimeWith the economy being at its worst, organised

crime also hit an all time high. Organised crime at this time was all to do with connections and making money. Organised crime relayed upon the cooperation of some of societies more upstanding citizens like police officers, this was done through bribery and blackmail. Organisations would keep their operations secret and members would only communicate in person. Gangs at this time also became so efficient that they soon also became organisations.

Al CaponeAl Capone is perhaps the most well known American

gangster, he led an organisation called The Capones dedicated to smuggling alcohol in to Chicago during the Prohibition era. From the early 1920s to 1931 he spent time in prison including a four year stay in Alcatraz for tax evasion. Most of his time in Alcatraz was spent in isolation which made it impossible for him to contact anyone. After serving his 10 year prison sentence he was unable to run The Capones as his physical and mental health had deteriorated. Al Capone died on the 25th January after suffering from cardiac arrest.

Bonnie and ClydeWell known criminals Bonnie and Clyde in the 1920s travelled the United States causing havoc wherever they went. Famous for the dozens of bank robberies and murders they committed they were followed by the media and police for years were finally

caught and killed on Easter Sunday 1934 in Louisiana. It is believed that their gang killed nine police officers and committed several civilian murders.

F. Scott FitzgeraldFrancis Scott Key Fitzgerald was one of the 1920s

most famous writers he was the author of many short stories and novels including The Great Gatsby which was published in 1925. Fitzgerald made many trips to France where he became very good friends with Ernest Hemingway, its is said that Fitzgerald’s wife did not like Hemingway as he encouraged him to drink and distracted him from his work on his novel at the time.