The effect of the automobile boom and various technological breakthroughs on the economic expansion and agricultural malaise of the 1920s.
The attempt by businesses to craft a system of "welfare capitalism," and the reasons for its ultimate failure.
The emergence of a nationwide consumer-oriented and communication-linked culture, and its effect on society and the "new woman."
The disenchantment of many artists and intellectuals with postwar life, and the broad cultural conflicts over ethnic and religious concerns that plagued the New Era.
The ardently pro-business administrations of Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, which, despite their dissimilar personalities, followed a very similar course.
A thorough study of Chapter Twenty-four should enable the student to understand:
The reasons for the New Era industrial boom after the initial period of economic readjustment following World War I.
The nature and extent of labor's problems in the New Era, particularly with regard to "welfare capitalism."
The plight of the American farmer in the face of agriculture conglomeration and advancing technology.
The changes in the American way of life and American values in the 1920s in the areas of consumerism, communications, religion, and the role of women.
The reflection of and reaction to these changed values in American literature and art.
The effects of prohibition on American politics and society.
The reasons for xenophobia and racial unrest in the 1920s, and the religious controversies that dominated the era.
The debacle of the Harding administration, and the pro-business tendencies of all Republican administration in the 1920s.
