The roaring 20’s

1. Introduction
This oral presentation focuses on the society and culture inserted in a changing
world, a time that became known as “The roaring 20’s”.
Throughout this time, several social and cultural changes were felt in the
middle classes, which led to the dynamization of society and, consequently, to mass
culture and new social codes.
All this social and cultural change ended with the New York stock market
crash, not preventing all the new knowledge acquired during this period from being,
even today, quite useful to us.
2. A new mentality
In 1920, most people wanted to forget the horrors of World War I.
They wanted to go out and have fun in nightclubs, in cinemas and theaters.
Young people in particular wanted to enjoy life.
The places of conviviality increased and changed. Theaters emptied and
cinemas filled up. The night clubs, the casinos and other entertainment venues were
very popular until dawn. During the afternoon, other places of conviviality were
sought: breweries, cafes, tea houses and restaurants.
The 1920’s, in art-deco style, began with constructivist art – concerned with
functionality as well as innovative releases, such as “Ulysses” by James Joyce. It’s
also the moment of Scott Fitzgerald, the great literary success of the time.
Cultural patterns and traditional values suffered several transformations such as
the well-being of the population, the money and the richness.
For the richest people, pleasure and bohemia came to have a special meaning.
In the family there was a greater commitment to the education of children,
encouraged by pedagogical theories. The States themselves began to be more
concerned with teaching and education.
As for the woman, she began to work outside the house and to dedicate herself
to other social activities.
3. The mass culture
From the end of the 19th century onwards, the improvement in the standard of
living, the increase in leisure time and the greater access to education allowed millions
of people to purchase newspapers, books, magazines and radio sets and to regularly
attend cinemas.
 Radio, cinema, traditional music and the press were advancing by leaps and
bounds. The so-called era of mass culture was beggining.
3.1. Cinema
In the US, Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd and Rodolfo
Valentino dominated in comedy. Cecil B. De Mille continued to direct sensual
melodramas and the first gangster films and documentaries make their appearance.
Large companies that are exclusively dedicated to film production appear, such
as United Artists, and Hollywood becomes the movie capital.
The end of the decade was marked by one of the most important events in the
history of cinema: the exhibition of the first sound film. Despite the attempts of
Thomas Edison, it was the small company Vitaphone that developed an effective
system and produced the first short sound films in 1926 and a year later the first
feature film sound: The Jazz Singer, performed by Alan Crosland and interpreted by
Al Jolson.
3.2. Jazz
Jazz was the most popular music of this decade. It had its origins in the city of
New Orleans and from there it spread to other big cities such as New York and
Chicago, and then to the rest of the world.
Popular in clubs and dance halls, the majority of the exponents were black and
American, such as Louis Armstrong.
One of the characteristics of jazz is improvisation, where the musician has the
freedom to create melodic lines during the performance.
3.3. Radio
The radio exploded onto the media scene in the 1920s. Newspapers were forced
to re-evaluate their role as society’s main source of information. The evolution of this
cheap, alternative source of information spawned the idea that radio would destroy the
newspaper industry.
Publishers renewed the formats and contents of their newspapers to make them
more attractive, while also increasing the volume of texts to offer wider and more in-
depth coverage.
The radio also experienced great developments in the post-war period. In
addiction to broadcasting news, political speeches or advertising, it made the general
public aware of the new rhythms and the latest musical successes.
3.4. Written press
In 1919, the New York Daily News appers, the first newspaper in tabloid
format.
 The invention of the telegraph in 1844 transformed the printing press.
Information was transmitted in a matter of minutes, allowing more up-to-date and
relevant reporting.
Newspapers also helped to spread revolutionary propaganda. The Iskra (The
Spark) published by Lenine in 1900 is a remarkable example.
3.5. Physical sciences
Physics and astronomy formulated scientific theories that revolutionized the
knowledge of the world.
The investigations of the Curies, Rutherford, Bohr and others revealed that the
atom, considered until then the smallest element, was a very powerful energy.
Max Plank demonstrated that energy radiates in small portions and not
continuously, as previously thought (quantum theory).
Einstein, with the theory of relativity, reveals that time and space are not
absolute, but variables, and that mass and energy are equivalent and interchangeable.
Friedmann and Lemaître formulated the theory that the universe resulted from
the original explosion of an atom – the Big Bang Theory.
3.6. Social Sciences
In the field of Psychology, Freud studies the human mind, clarifying the role of
the unconscious in our behavior. He initiates a revolutionary method called
psychoanalysis.
3.7. Arts and literature in Portugal
In 1915, the two numbers of the Orpheu magazine are published. This
magazine is the greatest manifestation of the national modernist generation. Fernando
Pessoa, Mário de Sá Carneiro and Almada Negreiros are at its origin.
In 1927, the Presença magazine valued and inherited the spirit of the “Orpheu’s
generation”.
3.8. New artistic creations (fashion) and the “new woman”
In the 20s, women were able to wear a new type of clothing: she freed herself
from the corsets, shortened the length of the skirts and lowered the belts. She
exaggerated in make-up and started using “bijouterie” such as necklaces, bracelets,
feathers and buckles.
She started riding bicycles, dancing the “tango”, driving cars, smoking and
playing tennis.
It appeared the feminist movements that fought for the change of “double
standars”, which means the difference in treatment between men and women.
 These claimed freedom and rejected the old traditions. They fought for equality
of opportunity in education, jobs and for equality related to the protection of their
children and private property.
In terms of fashion, the 20s belonged to the designer Coco Chanel, with her
straight cuts, capes, blazers, cardigans, long necklaces, berets and short hair.
Throughout the decade, Chanel launched a new fashion after another, always with
sucess.
Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel revolutionized the 1920s, freeing women from the
unconfortable and rigid costumes of the 19th century. Chanel reproduced her own
image, the 20th century woman, independent, successful, with personality and style.
3.9. Transports
In the 20s, the use of trains, cars, buses and bicycles made traveling and
displacement a lot easier.
The automobile symbolized a frenetic new lifestyle. With it, people were able
to do rallies and tourist trips.
Travelling around the world also became a lot faster and easier during this time
with the fast development of air travel.
4. Conclusion
Producing this oral presentation made me realize that the 20s were a time of
great prosperity, socially, culturally and economically wize. I was also able to
conclude that, in this decade, the open mentalities were decisive, functioning as a
“trampoline” for the evolution of society.