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The 1920s saw a booming economy with the rise of consumer goods and the airline industry, revolutionizing American life. New products like electric razors and frozen foods flooded the market, while the airline industry took flight with pioneers like Charles Lindbergh. The era also witnessed the managerial revolution and the birth of welfare capitalism. Political philosophies of laissez-faire guided economic policies, shaping a decade of unprecedented growth and social change.
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A Growing Economy 1920s Economic Boom
Social Impact of the Automobile • Cars Revolutionized American Life • New Businesses: car repair shops and gas stations • People could live farther from work • “Commuters” • Suburbs: communities just outside of the city center
Consumer Goods Industry • People had more money to spend (disposable income) so new products came to market: • Electric razors • Tissues • Frozen foods • Home hair dye • Home cleansers • New appliances
New Appliances • Electric irons • Vacuum cleaners • Washing machines • Refrigerators • Gas stoves • Improved glass cookware
Personal Hygeine • Mouthwash • Deodorant • Cosmetics • Perfumes
Airline Industry • Wright Brothers 1903 Kitty Hawk, N.C. • First controlled powered flight of a heavier than air craft • Glenn Curtiss • Inventor who started building practical aircraft in the teens and 1920s • By 1928, there were 48 airlines serving 355 American cities
Charles Lindbergh • 1927: Lindbergh crossed the Atlantic by himself in a plane without stopping for fuel or rest
Total flight time: 33 hours, 30 minutes, 29.8 seconds. • Charles Lindbergh had not slept in 55 hours.
Consumer Society • Easy Consumer Credit • Attitudes toward debt and credit started changing • “Buy now and pay in easy installments” • Pre 1920s: Debt = BAD • 1920s: Debt = normal • 75% of radios and 60% of cars bought on credit
Managerial Revolution • Companies started to use modern management techniques • Companies were divided into divisions with different functions • Sales • Marketing • Accounting • Operations • These divisions were run by managers…typically with business school training
Welfare Capitalism • Corporate benefit programs made unions seem unnecessary • Employees bought stock • Participated in profit sharing • Medical care • Pensions • Employers promoted the “open shop” a workplace where employees were not required to join a union
1920s Politics • Warren Harding, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover • Much different philosophy on economics • Policies of “laissez-faire” on economic and business issues