Culture in the 1920s

The 1920s was an era of contradictions. We deconstruct the popular image of the Roaring Twenties and examine the tensions at work in American culture. The decade was anything but simple.

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Find the full transcript of this episode including citations at our website:

https://www.americanhistoryremix.com/episodeguide/culture-1920s

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In this episode we cover….

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Introduction [0:00-03:03]

--Misery & Escapism
World War One [03:03-06:03]
Spanish Flu [06:03-08:55]
Consumer Culture [08:55-10:52]
Entertainment [10:52-13:43]
The Lost Generation [13:43-15:31]

--Modernism & Traditionalism
A Divided Society [15:31-16:51]
Immigration [16:51-18:55] 
Intellectual Trends [18:55-23:14]
The Klan [23:14-25:14]
Prohibition [25:14-28:19]
Political Divide [28:19-30:40]

--Traditional & “New Woman”
Home & Work [30:40-31:55]
Sex [31:55-34:50]
Limits to the Change [34:50-37:15]
Consumer Society [37:15-38:28]
Generational Divide [38:28-39:58]

--Racial Violence & Art
The Great Migration [39:58-41:12]
Lynching [41:12-43:50]
Tulsa Race Massacre [43:50-46:58]
The Blues [46:58-51:00]
Ragtime [51:00-53:00]
Brass Bands [53:00-54:10]
Jazz [54:10-54:57]
Harlem Renaissance [54:57-57:00]

--Conclusion [57:00-58:28]

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To dive deeper into these topics (affiliate links):

LeRoy Ashby, With Amusement for All: A History of American Popular Culture since 1830
https://tinyurl.com/Ashby-With-Amusement

Alfred W. Crosby, America's Forgotten Pandemic: The Influenza of 1918
https://tinyurl.com/Crosby-Americas-Forgotten

Lynn Dumenil, The Modern Temper: American Culture and Society in the 1920s
https://tinyurl.com/Dumenil-Modern-Temper

George M. Marsden, Fundamentalism and American Culture
https://tinyurl.com/Marsden-Fundamentalism

W.J. Rorabaugh, Prohibition: A Concise History
https://tinyurl.com/Rorabaugh-Prohibition

Eileen Southern, The Music of Black Americans: A History
https://tinyurl.com/Southern-The-Music-of-Black

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Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction
• 3:03 World War One
• 6:03 Spanish Flu
• 8:55 Consumer Culture
• 10:52 Entertainment
• 13:43 The Lost Generation
• 15:31 A Divided Society
• 16:51 Immigration
• 18:55 Intellectual Trends
• 23:14 The Klan
• 25:14 Prohibition
• 28:19 Political Divide
• 30:40 Home & Work
• 31:55 Sex
• 34:50 Limits to the Change
• 37:15 Consumer Society
• 38:28 Generational Divide
• 39:58 The Great Migration
• 41:12 Lynching
• 43:50 Tulsa Race Massacre
• 46:58 The Blues
• 51:00 Ragtime
• 53:00 Brass Bands
• 54:10 Jazz
• 54:57 Harlem Renaissance
• 57:00 Conclusion