Roaring twenties
World War I was a time for many of hardship, turmoil and grief. Once the war was over, it was if there was a new lease of
life. The 1920s saw dramatic and rapid change in many countries, across all areas of society. The change ‘roared’ along!
Economic and social change
Many new technologies developed as a result of the war. There were also new industries emerging and a massive boom
in the building industry. These changes provided increased employment opportunities for returning service personnel.
This, in turn, increased the financial ability of families to buy homes, cars and electrical appliances. Prohibition
(i.e. outlawing consumption of alcoholic beverages) was in full swing. Many, however, disregarded this law, in keeping
with their newfound confidence. Women began thinking about the possibility of roles other than homemaker. Many of
them had played a crucial role during the war working in jobs that would have otherwise been done by men.
Cultural change
The widespread changes that occurred in many
western countries during this decade were also
reflected in new cultural developments — for
example, in clothing and dance. The ‘flapper’ style
emerged for stylish women. This was typically a
shapeless shift dress that revealed the legs, very
long beads, and a headband often with feathers
attached. A common accessory was a long
cigarette holder. It became fashionable for women
to smoke and drink in public alongside their male
companions.
Delighting in their growing wealth and sense of
freedom, many started to go out to speakeasies
(dance clubs). A whole new generation of music
and dance emerged. The most famous of the new
dances was the ‘Charleston’. (It first emerged in
Charleston, South Carolina in the United States.) It
involves kicking the heels back and outwards, whilst rhythmically bending and straightening the knees and arms. This is
all done to the beat of music, such as the jazz tunes so popular in the 1920s.
Use the information in this worksheet and in the source listed as a Reference to
complete the following activities.
1.
Why were the 1920s called the ‘Roaring Twenties’?
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© John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd 2004
2004-11-roaring-20.pdf
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2.
Draw a flow chart in your notebook to show the links between the rapid economic growth that occurred after World
War I in countries such as America and Australia and the changing lifestyle of ordinary families.
3.
What did the objectives of the Australian Women’s National League suggest about the changing interests and
attitudes of many Australian women after the war?
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4.
Use this worksheet and the web link given below to design and sketch below an outfit (for a man or woman) that
would have been fashionable in the 1920s. You may like to display your designs around the classroom, or to use
your completed sketches as an inspiration for a fashion parade in your class or school assembly.
5.
Conduct some research into Prohibition on the Internet or the school library. Find out why it was introduced, how
long it lasted, and how effective it was. Document your research in your notebook in two or three paragraphs.
6.
Listen, at home or in class, to some of the jazz music popular in the 1920s. Your teacher might also be able to
arrange for you to see a short video featuring the Charleston, or to watch someone performing this dance in the
classroom.
(a) Discuss as a class what similarities and differences there are between the dance and popular music forms of
the 1920s and today.
(b) Think about the links between popular music and dance and the attitudes and values of society at the time.
Can you see any connections?
References:
SOSE Alive History 2, pp. 124–5 ▪ SOSE Alive 4, pp. 28–9 ▪ www.jaconline.com.au/sosealive/sahistory2 (or
www.jaconline.com.au/sosealive/sosealive4) and click on the 1920s Fashions web link for this chapter
© John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd 2004
2004-11-roaring-20
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