Monday, November 29, 2010
11-29
We all know that the 1920's were good times. There were parties and jazz and it was fairly layed back and relaxed. There was lots of spending and buying on credit and it ulitmatly led to the depression. My question is... Did all of the develops in arts, media and technology lead to massive spending and ultimatly the depression? The development of jazz and new kinds of music made people very relaxed and not worried about their financial situations. Also new forms of entertainment such as color movies and Broadway Musicals could have taken some cash out of peoples pocketts. New procucts such as eastman film give people new things to buy. Could all of this new spending have been "gateway spending" and help people to want to buy on credit leading to the crash and the depression.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Yes, I definitely think that all of these new aspects introduced in the 1920s played their own hand in the Great Depression. With so many new "toys" to buy, how could people say no? Between post-war euphoria and new shiny things, spending went through the roof. However, it was money people didn't have. People kept taking out loan after loan, and purchasing things on credit. There was a strong desire to live in the moment, and avoid the oppressing responsiblilties of life. Soon, the banks ran out of money to loan people, and when confronted, no one could pay it back. The banks crashed and, subsequently, the stock market followed. the rest is history.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kaitlyn; although the "jazz age" definitely contributed to many new developments in the world of the arts, including music, literature, and painting, it also contributed to the Great Depression because everyone was spending money all the time and just having a ball. I also think part of the reason people were buying so many things was not only to keep up with everyone else, but because they were excited about the new era they had created. They were excited to be rebellious against the old ways; they were excited to create an identity all their own, to be a part of that '20s lifestyle.
ReplyDeleteThis is interesting, and I automatically think of the question we here all the time today: Does violent video games and music and movies create violent kids? I tend to think that the arts are a reflection of society more so than an influence. In my opinion, most of the indulgences of the 20's which contributed to the Depression stemmed from WWI. So the arts, media, and technology were created largely in response.
ReplyDeleteI think yes and no. There was definitely an increase in spending on credit, but it was on bigger items than movies and music. People were buying cars and playing with their money in the stock market and creating a higher standard of living, but I don't neccesarily think the arts are to blame. I agree with Mr. Geary's point that the arts are merely a reflection of the 'feel-good' attitude of the '20s, not neccessarily a cause.
ReplyDeleteI think what you said was true. All these new products made people want to buy more and because of new fianance options like credit it led to people spending more than they had. I also think the people were trying to avoid thinking about the future. Everyone was so happy that the war and all its awfullness was over, so they only wanted to think happy thoughts and live in the moment. I think this essentially led to the problem being ignored, or not realized, until it was too late.
ReplyDelete