The 1920s are often seen as era of fragmentation because it was a period when major changes have taken place. First, antitrust laws were weakened, which allowed the growth of monopoly power in industries. By the late 1920s, many companies vanished through merger, and corporate giants dominated the major industries. “By 1930, one hundred corporations controlled nearly half the nation's business. Without actually merging, companies that made similar products formed trade associations to set prices and product specifications” (Boyer, The Enduring Vision, pp. 727). And with a continuing support of Republican Party and President Coolidge, the 1920s became a business world where “big ideas from big business” were exuded. It was also a booming decade
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Society was becoming less regimented and was in a process of discovering a new found freedom. It was the decade when new consumer culture began dominating with new forms of popular entertainment, such as jazz and motion pictures, which, in fact, very often produced sexually suggestive acts. As been described in the textbook, “Radio and the movies similarly offered standardized cultural fare… Americans everywhere laughed at the same jokes, heard the same news, and absorbed the same commercials” (Boyer, The Enduring Vision, pp. 738). The social codes governing sexual behavior also became less restrictive. The changes in women's fashion and a surge of controversial art and literature have also changed as nation was transforming into the consumer economy. However, at the same time, the gap between rich and poor was widening because not everyone benefitted from the booming economy. For example, a fact that not everyone was able to afford automobile during this decade, clearly showed the widened class divisions in American society. As been described in the book, “While prosperity lifted overall wages, workers benefited unequally, reflecting regional variations and discriminatory employment practices” (Boyer, The Enduring Vision, pp. 727). Also, the governments were dominated by conservatives during 1920s, so they were more …show more content…
Because, “the impulse to remake America into a nation of like-minded” revived culturally homogeneous people (Boyer, The Enduring Vision, pp. 748). Provision made to the National Origins Act (1924) clearly aimed to reduce immigration from southern and eastern European regions. “In 1929, Congress changed the base year for determining “national origins” to 1920, but even under this formula, Poland's annual quota stood at a mere 6,524; Italy's at 5,802; and Hungary's, 869. This quota system, which survived to 1965, represented a counterattack by native-born Protestant America against the immigrant cities. Total immigration fell from 1.2 million in 1914 to 280,000 in 1929. The law excluded Asians and South Asians entirely” (Boyer, The Enduring Vision, pp. 748). However, the 1924 law did not limit immigration from the Latin America, and approximately 2 million Mexican-born immigrants lived in the U.S. For example, “California's Mexican American population surged from 90,000 to nearly 360,000 in the 1920s” (Boyer, The Enduring Vision, pp.
Society was becoming less regimented and was in a process of discovering a new found freedom. It was the decade when new consumer culture began dominating with new forms of popular entertainment, such as jazz and motion pictures, which, in fact, very often produced sexually suggestive acts. As been described in the textbook, “Radio and the movies similarly offered standardized cultural fare… Americans everywhere laughed at the same jokes, heard the same news, and absorbed the same commercials” (Boyer, The Enduring Vision, pp. 738). The social codes governing sexual behavior also became less restrictive. The changes in women's fashion and a surge of controversial art and literature have also changed as nation was transforming into the consumer economy. However, at the same time, the gap between rich and poor was widening because not everyone benefitted from the booming economy. For example, a fact that not everyone was able to afford automobile during this decade, clearly showed the widened class divisions in American society. As been described in the book, “While prosperity lifted overall wages, workers benefited unequally, reflecting regional variations and discriminatory employment practices” (Boyer, The Enduring Vision, pp. 727). Also, the governments were dominated by conservatives during 1920s, so they were more …show more content…
Because, “the impulse to remake America into a nation of like-minded” revived culturally homogeneous people (Boyer, The Enduring Vision, pp. 748). Provision made to the National Origins Act (1924) clearly aimed to reduce immigration from southern and eastern European regions. “In 1929, Congress changed the base year for determining “national origins” to 1920, but even under this formula, Poland's annual quota stood at a mere 6,524; Italy's at 5,802; and Hungary's, 869. This quota system, which survived to 1965, represented a counterattack by native-born Protestant America against the immigrant cities. Total immigration fell from 1.2 million in 1914 to 280,000 in 1929. The law excluded Asians and South Asians entirely” (Boyer, The Enduring Vision, pp. 748). However, the 1924 law did not limit immigration from the Latin America, and approximately 2 million Mexican-born immigrants lived in the U.S. For example, “California's Mexican American population surged from 90,000 to nearly 360,000 in the 1920s” (Boyer, The Enduring Vision, pp.