Contents What Is Popular Culture Jazz Blues and Swing Vaudeville Musicals and Dance Marvelous Movies The Golden Age of Radio Books Magazines and Comics Architecture Design and the Visual Arts Fashions Stunts and Crazes Changing Times Timeline Best of the Era Notes on Sources Find Out More Glossary Index
What Is Popular Culture This book looks at popular culture between the years 1920 and 1939 It shows how ordinary people liked to enjoy themselves and how they spent their leisure time In the 1920s young people began to listen to new kinds of music and wore daring new fashions The 1920s and 1930s were a great time for cinema and radio and people of all ages read books comics and magazines New styles of art design and architecture were introduced People began to travel by motorcycle and car and even by ship and plane and a series of crazes swept through North America and Europe After World War I In 1918 World War I came to an end and millions of young soldiers returned home Many of these young men found it very hard to settle back into the lives that they had known before They realized they were lucky to be alive and they wanted to have a good time while they were still young While the men had been away at war some young women had taken over their jobs These women had grown used to having more freedom and they were determined not to return to the old ways The 1920s were an especially exciting time for women For the first time ever a young woman could have a job stay out late and even drive a car
In the 1920s many people just wanted to have fun This couple is dancing the Charleston a popular dance of the period
Youth culture is born There was a sense of rebellion among many young people in the 1920s This spirit was expressed in a culture that was very different from that of the older generation The 1920s saw the birth of a youth culture with young people wearing different clothes listening to different music and doing different dances than their parents had done The Roaring Twenties In the 10 years following World War I the economy boomed especially in the United States There was a growing demand for consumer goods and people had more money to spend on enjoying themselves The 1920s are sometimes known as the Roaring Twenties because some businesses roared ahead and some fortunate people had a roaring good time
