Question

Answer the following in 300 words.

Besides Prohibition, what do you think was the most important issue the US faced in the 1920s.?

Answer 1

Problems in the 1920s in the USA

Americans were enjoying new consumer goods and luxuries in the 1920s, but some experienced extreme poverty. This, together with social inequality and racism, resulted in increased tensions.

Four major problems

Industry

It was not all boom for American industries. Traditional industries such as coal and textiles did not prosper. In 1929, when the average monthly income of New York bricklayers might be $320, coal miners were earning only $103 a month. Also, during the 1920s, in response to American import tariffs on their products, many other countries put customs duties on American goods, which reduced American exports.

Agriculture

For many American farmers, life in the 1920s was a constant struggle against poverty. During World War One, farmers had been encouraged to grow as much food as they could. They continued to do this in the 1920s until they had produced more cotton and wheat than they could sell.

As prices dropped, many farmers lived in unhygienic conditions in tin shacks, without electricity or running water. In 1929, when the average monthly income of a skilled manufacturing worker might be $140, farm labourers were earning only $49 a month.

Social problems

People who were wealthy in America were extremely rich, but few people shared in this prosperity. Only 5 per cent of the American population owned a third of the wealth, while 42 per cent of the population were living below the poverty line.

Racism

Before World War One, many Americans saw their country as a place in which people of different nationalities, races and religions could live in harmony. The Statue of Liberty symbolised the welcome offered to the huddled masses as they entered America. Yet, there were signs that this mood of tolerance was under attack.