Roaring Twenties

Social and cultural characteristics

Urban life expanded as radios, movies and automobiles became common. Young people challenged previous social norms: women adopted shorter hairstyles and looser clothing and were more visible in public life. Jazz music, dance halls and nightclubs became prominent, creating new social scenes and accelerating cultural exchange.

Arts, literature and design

Creativity in literature, visual art and music flourished. The decade saw modernist experimentation in writing, a popular explosion of jazz and dance music, and the spread of distinctive visual styles such as Art Deco. These developments transformed entertainment and tastes across cities and small towns alike. For more on the period's artistic changes see arts and culture.

Economy, technology and daily life

Mass production, widespread electrification and consumer credit expanded access to new goods. The automobile altered patterns of work and leisure, while advertising and department stores helped create a mass consumer culture. Rapid economic growth for parts of the population coexisted with speculative investment in stocks and uneven prosperity; these economic dynamics contributed to the decade's dramatic end. Related economic themes are discussed at economic context.

Movements, politics and Prohibition

The 1920s featured both reform and conflict. Prohibition—enforced by law in the United States—shaped nightlife and contributed to the rise of organized crime and clandestine drinking establishments. At the same time, social movements advanced civil rights and new thinking about gender roles. Cultural renaissances in cities such as Harlem produced lasting achievements in music, poetry and intellectual life; see society and community for more.

Legacy and conclusion

The Roaring Twenties left a mixed legacy: many social freedoms, innovations in art and mass culture, and new consumer habits. The era's optimism was curtailed by the financial collapse of 1929 and the onset of the Great Depression, which transformed economies and politics worldwide. Historians view the decade as a pivotal moment when modern popular culture and mass consumption began to take shape.

• Notable features: jazz, flappers, radio, cinema, automobiles, Art Deco.
• Important developments: urbanization, mass production, stock-market speculation, Prohibition.
• End of the era: the 1929 crash that preceded the Great Depression.