A CHANGING CULTURE
WORLD HISTORY
12/3/12
LOSS OF FAITH
• 1920s: war novels, poetry, plays, and memoirs
became popular.
• All Quiet on the Western Front: exposed the grim
horrors of modern warfare.
• Many works reflected a powerful disgust with war.
• World War I, to many writers, symbolized the moral
breakdown of western civilization.
CHANGING SOCIETY
• Many rapid social changes after World War I.
• New technologies helped create a mass culture
shared by millions in the world’s developed
countries.
• Affordable cars gave middle-class people greater
mobility.
• Radios brought news, music, and sports into homes
throughout the western world.
JAZZ
• 1920s: the Jazz Age
• Pioneered by African Americans who combined
western harmonies with African rhythms.
• Jazz musicians took simple melodies and improvised
endless subtle variations in rhythm and beat.
• Produced music that was both original and
popular.
THE YOUNGER GENERATION
• Rebellious young people rejected the moral values
and rules of the Victorian Age and chased after
excitement.
• Called the “lost generation.”
• Seen by some as immoral pleasure seekers.
• Symbol of rebellious Jazz Age youth was the
liberated young woman called the flapper.
FLAPPER
• Flapper: in the United States and Europe in the
1920s, a rebellious young woman.
• First flappers were American, but the movement
spread to Europe.
• Rejected old ways.
• Bobbed their hair, wore skirts far shorter than those
of prewar fashions.
• Went out on dates unchaperoned, smoked
cigarettes, and drank in nightclubs.
WOMEN’S LIVES
• Postwar period brought limited progress.
• 1920s: labor-saving devices had become common
in middle-class homes.
• Washing machines, vacuum cleaners, and canned
foods freed women from many time-consuming
household chores.
• Some women found paid work outside the home.
• Women pursued careers.
• Found a variety of jobs.
• Still earned less than men.