1920s

Irish War of Independence Prohibition in the United States Women's suffrage Babe Ruth Spirit of St. Louis Chinese Civil War March on Rome 1929 stock market crash
From left, clockwise: Third Tipperary Brigade Flying Column No. 2 under Seán Hogan during the Irish War of Independence; Prohibition agents destroying barrels of alcohol in accordance to the 18th amendment, which made alcoholic beverages illegal throughout the entire decade; In 1927, Charles Lindbergh embarks on the first solo nonstop flight from New York to Paris on the Spirit of St. Louis; A crowd gathering on Wall Street after the 1929 stock market crash, which led to the Great Depression; Benito Mussolini and Fascist Blackshirts during the March on Rome in 1922; the People's Liberation Army attacking government defensive positions in Shandong, during the Chinese Civil War; The Women's suffrage campaign leads to the ratification of the 19th amendment in the United States and numerous countries granting women the right to vote and be elected; Babe Ruth becomes the most iconic baseball player of the time.
Millennium: 2nd millennium
Centuries: 19th century – 20th century – 21st century
Decades: 1890s 1900s 1910s – 1920s – 1930s 1940s 1950s
Years: 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929
1920s-related
categories:		 Births – Deaths – By country
Establishments – Disestablishments

The 1920s (pronounced “nineteen-twenties”, commonly abbreviated as the "“Twenties”") was a decade of the Gregorian calendar that began on January 1, 1920 and ended on December 31, 1929. In North America, it is frequently referred to as the “Roaring Twenties” or the “Jazz Age”, while in Europe the period is sometimes referred to as the “Golden Age Twenties”[1] because of the economic boom following World War I. French speakers refer to the period as the “années folles” (“Crazy Years”),[2] emphasizing the era’s social, artistic, and cultural dynamism.

The economic prosperity experienced by many countries during the 1920s (especially the United States) was similar in nature to that experienced in the 1950s and 1990s. Each period of prosperity was the result of a paradigm shift in global affairs. These shifts in the 1920s, 1950s, and 1990s, occurred as the result of the conclusion of World War I and Spanish flu, World War II, and the Cold War, respectively.

The 1920s saw foreign oil companies begin operations throughout South America. Venezuela became the world’s second largest oil producing nation.[3]

Prosperity in the 1920s was not ubiquitous, however. The German Weimar Republic experienced a severe economic downturn as a result of the enormous debts it agreed to repay as part of the Treaty of Versailles. The economic crisis that resulted led to a devaluation of the Mark in 1923 and to severe economic problems. The economic hardships experienced by Germans during this period resulted in an environment conducive to the rise of the Nazi Party.

The 1920s were also characterized by the rise of radical political movements, especially in regions that were once part of empires. Communism spread as a consequence of the October Revolution and the Bolsheviks’ victory in the Russian Civil War. Fear of the spread of Communism led to the emergence of far right political movements and fascism in Europe. Economic problems contributed to the emergence of dictators in Eastern Europe and the Balkans, to include Józef Piłsudski in the Second Polish Republic, and Peter and Alexander Karađorđević in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.

The devastating Wall Street Crash in October 1929 is generally viewed as a harbinger of the end of 1920s prosperity in North America and Europe.

Social history

The Roaring Twenties brought about several novel and highly visible social and cultural trends. These trends, made possible by sustained economic prosperity, were most visible in major cities like New York, Chicago, Paris, Berlin and London. “Normalcy” returned to politics in the wake of hyper-emotional patriotism during World War I, jazz blossomed, and Art Deco peaked. For women, knee-length skirts and dresses became socially acceptable, as did bobbed hair with a marcel wave. The women who pioneered these trends were frequently referred to as flappers.[4]

The era saw the large-scale adoption of automobiles, telephones, motion pictures and electricity, unprecedented industrial growth, accelerated consumer demand and aspirations, and significant changes in lifestyle and culture. The media began to focus on celebrities, especially sports heroes and movie stars. Large baseball stadiums were built in major U.S. cities, in addition to palatial cinemas. The decade also saw the advent of television, albeit on a very limited scale.[5]

In many Western countries women gained the right to vote. The 1920s also marked a watershed in rural-urban migration in the United States: by the end of the decade, the population in urban areas surpassed that of rural areas.

War, peace and politics

Wars

Internal conflicts

Major political changes

Decolonization and independence

International issues

United States

Prohibition agents destroying barrels of alcohol.

Europe

Benito Mussolini and Fascist Blackshirts during the March on Rome in 1922.
This Cruzcampo Beer Truck was photographed in the 1920s in Spain (left side of the photograph).
Beer truck as above, right side of the photograph

Asia

Africa

Economics

Crowd gathering after the Wall Street Crash of 1929
Dow Jones Industrial, 1928–1930

Technology

Robert Goddard and his rocket, 1926

Popular culture

Film

Main article: 1920s in film

Music

Radio

Arts

Literature

First edition of Erich Maria Remarque’s book All Quiet on the Western Front, January 1929
First edition of Adolf Hitler’s book Mein Kampf, July 1925

Architecture

Bauhaus College in Dessau

Fashion

Sports highlights

1920
1921
1923
1924
1925
1926
1927
1928
1929

Miscellaneous trends

People

World leaders

Vladimir Lenin, 1921
Benito Mussolini during his first years in power

Politics

Science

Albert Einstein, 1921

Literature

Entertainers

Charlie Chaplin during the 1920s

Musicians

Irving Berlin (left) and Al Jolson, c. 1927

Film makers

Main article: 1920s in film
D. W. Griffith at a rolltop desk, c. 1925

Artists

Architects

See also: Bauhaus

Sports figures

Babe Ruth in 1920

See also

Timeline

The following articles contain brief timelines listing the most prominent events of the decade:

1920 • 1921 • 1922 • 1923 • 1924 • 1925 • 1926 • 1927 • 1928 • 1929

References

  1. ↑ Paul Sann, The Lawless Decade Retrieved 2009-09-03
  2. ↑ Andrew Lamb (2000). 150 Years of Popular Musical Theatre. Yale U.P. p. 195.
  3. ↑ Wilkins, Mira (1974). "Multinational Oil Companies in South America in the 1920s: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru". The Business History Review 48 (3): 414–446. doi:10.2307/3112955.
  4. ↑ Price, S (1999). "What made the twenties roar?" 131 (10): 3–18.
  5. ↑ "The First Public Demonstration of Television 1925". birth-of-tv.org.
  6. ↑ "The Ku Klux Klan, a brief biography". The African American Registry. Retrieved July 19, 2012. and Lay, Shawn. "Ku Klux Klan in the Twentieth Century". The New Georgia Encyclopedia. Coker College.
  7. ↑ African History Timeline
  8. ↑ "Inflation and CPI Consumer Price Index 1920-1929". Inflation Data. Retrieved 23 April 2014.

Bibliography

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