Studied by 8 peopleWhen was the brief post-WW1 depression?
1919-20
What led to an increase in productivity after WW1?
Technological innovation- industrial production almost doubled and electricity consumption more than doubled
Which car company contributed heavily to the business boom? (4)
Ford
adapted assembly-line techniques
the Model T (brought the car to the masses)
1925- producing a car every 10 seconds
How many cars were in America?
1930- 27 million
1980- 121 million
How many people did the car industry employ?
7% of all manufacturing wage-earners
When was their a bust?
1929- Wall street Crash and Great Depression
How much did US trade fall during the bust?
$10 billion 1929 —> $3 billion 1932
How many people were unemployed?
1932- 25%
1939- 17%
1944- 1%
5x more likely for black Americans
How did working hours change in the boom?
1924- 47 hrs/week
1929- 44 hrs/week
What happened to old industry?
1900- coal was 90% of energy supplies
1930- only 60%
What was the situation for farmers during the 20s boom? (3)
30 million had no electricity
10% had bathtubs
66% of farms losing money
What did the new deal do to help farmers?
1937 FSA
How did WW2 help recover the economy? (4)
Those working in manufacturing enjoyed 27% more income by the end of the war and farmers’ income doubled
1944- US built more aircrafts than Japan, Germany and Britain combined (300,000 areoplanes)
Wartime prices rose by 28% but wages rose by 40%
USA producing 50% of the world’s manufacturing despite only accounting for 7% of the world population
What were the negative impacts of WW2 on the economy?
Major consumer goods such as cars were unavailable
Rationing
Why did the economy continue to grow after 1945? (3)
Emerged from WW2 in good economic shape
Cheap oil
Baby boom= more purchases of home and children’s goods
How many new houses were built after WW2?
13 million
Where were most cars produced?
General motors, Ford and Chrysler produced in Detroit
What did an increase in cars lead to?
Motels, fast-food outlets and out-of-town shopping malls
How much money did teenagers spend? (2)
$20 million on lipstick
$1.5 billion on entertainment
What was the trade deficit in the US?
1967- $4 billion (3x that in 1966)
How many people were homeless during the Great Depression?
2 million
How much did weekly earnings drop during the Depression?
A third
What did the New Deal do for standard of living? (3)
FERA- gov tried to provide jobs rather than give people money
WPA- employed 8.5 million poeple
SSA- created pensions
What was white flight?
White Americans escaped cities with high taxes, crowded accommodation, crime and ghettos
What was the Economic Opportunity Act?
1964 Johnson- provided aid to poor families
What was established in 1965?
Medicare and Medicaid
What did Americans see as their highest concern in life in the 60s?
60%- cost of living
5%- Vietnam
What was the inflation rate when Nixon became president?
4.7%
When was the oil crisis?
1973- oil became 4x more expensive
Why were people losing their jobs in the 70s? (2)
Increased mechanisation
Countries (like Japan) were producing goods at lower prices and often higher quality
What happened in the energy crisis? (3)
1974- 100,000 truckers striked for lower fuel prices
1979- half of petrol stations were without fuel
Stagflation
How much did Americans spend on leisure activities?
1919- £2.5 billion
1929- £4.5 billion
What game grew in popularity during the 1920s?
Mahjong- Chinese tile games
What mass magazine was popular in the 20s?
Reader’s Digest
When was prohibition?
18th amendment- 1920-1933
Who smuggled liquor?
Bootleggers for the rich and immigrant working class
How many speakeasies were there?
1929- 32,000 in New York
When did the first theme park open?
1955- Disney Land
When did sport become big business?
1917
What was the most popular sport? (3)
Baseball
Babe Ruth in the 1920s
1921- 300,000 spectators at one game
When was boxing legalised?
1920 New York
How did college football grow in popularity?
large scale stadia built (1928- Michigan for 87,000 people)
‘Galloping Ghost’
How did professional football grow in popularity? (2)
1920- NFL
1967- First superbowl
When were sports desegregated?
1950s
How many Americans owned cars?
1960s- 80% owned one, 14% owned two
How did planned obsolescence impact goods?
Cars designed to only last 1-2 years
How did growing car ownership impact American lifestyle? (3)
Americans who lived in the suburbs were totally dependent on automobiles
Road trips
Could complete leisure activities from their cars
Why was the US air transport industry able to grow so rapidly?
National economic growth
Aircraft development
1950s- Dougals DC-60s could carry 50 passangers
When did more people use planes than other transport?
1955 outnumbered trains- 38 million flew on planes
1958 outnumbered boats
When was the golden age for air transport? (3)
1960s
50% of passengers flying for pleasure not business
1969- 160 million passengers
Why did the airline industry struggle in the 1970s? (4)
‘Jumbo Jets’ appeared when demand was levelling off (1969)
Oil crisis quadrupled price of fuel
Airline Deregulation Act 1978- no longer under the control of the government
1981- Traffic Controllers held an illegal strike (11,000 fired)
When was paid holiday first negotiated?
1950
When was minimum wage introduced?
1938- 25¢
1950- 75¢
How many people lived in Hoovervilles?
15,000
What transport did poorer people use?
Coaches- Greyhound
How many people lived below the poverty line in the 60s?
10% of Americans
40% of Black Americans
How much money did nappy sales make?
1960- $50 million
How much money did toy manufacturers make?
1960- $2 billion
What proportion of people owned houses in 1920?
1/5 of African Americans
½ white Americans
Note
Flashcard