The Roaring 20s: A Vibrant Era of Post-War Prosperity and Business Growth

Some call the 1920s the roaring 20s. I personally think so because the war had just ended and many soldiers are coming back. People started businesses and were doing quite well therefore the people have money to spend. The 1920s was also a time for new inventions and technology, such as the invention of the assembly line, which made production much cheaper and quicker. Another reason why the 20s was in the upswing is because people had money and many invested in the stock market bringing the economy in full drive.

Hence the 1920s was a time of prosperity everything working in a cycle benefiting everyone.

As the soldiers were returning from the war, people had a sense of settling down and enjoying life. New businesses were found therefore creating more jobs in turn people had more money to spend and creating a high demand on a lot of products such as cars, newspapers etc. Such businesses that brought the economy in an upswing was that of oil and gas, hydro electric power, newsprint, and mining.

There was a demand of oil and gas since people can afford cars and need gasoline and lubricating oil for their cars. The demand for electricity also high because people are starting to buy and use electric appliances such as lamps, telephones, radios, and electric stoves. In conclusion due to the attitude of the people who want to make a happy life they also brought the economy up by creating businesses and jobs.

The 1920s was also a time of exciting new inventions to make life much more convenient.

New technology was widely used by the general public. Such new inventions and technology include telephones, cars, and airplanes. All these new machines made life much easier either by connecting two people verbally or shortening the time it takes to travel to a certain destination. The invention of the assembly line was also a big success as it made production much more cheaper and faster.

But this also meant that the people who assembled the vehicles would be fired, therefore not all inventions are all beneficial which mean sacrifices must be made. The world also benefited from this time when Frederick Banting from Toronto discovered insulin which would help a lot of people in the present as well as in the future. In the end, this time of upswing brought many new inventions and discoveries that would benefit generations to come.

As people made more money they invested in stocks and boosting the value of such companies. Prices soared and many people became rich overnight. But as people are blindly buying stocks thinking that they are guaranteed to become rich, they don’t know the big crash that is awaiting them. And is which one of the reasons why the 1920s led into the great depression. Therefore people had much money to spend which went right back into the companies through stocks creating a self-sustaining cycle.

Counterargument

Although the 1920s may appear to be all-positive, there is also a darker side of the 1920s. Due to the prohibition laws, alcohol was illegal. The 1920s gave birth to bootleggers and gangsters, which is still a problem to this date. Gangsters based their businesses on bootlegging, gambling, prostitution, and drugs. They destroyed families and made many people alcoholics and drug addicts. Even the police couldn’t stop these types of organized crime since the gangsters have enough money to bribe crooked cops. In other words, they were above the law. Therefore the 1920s was a time of organized crime and a big portion of money went into the business of gambling and illegal liquor.

The 1920s is a time of prosperity and new hope, new businesses being created along with new jobs. New technology and pioneering the beginning of these new inventions made life in the 1920s much easier and interesting. The stock market also created opportunities for people to invest in companies and many people did become rich overnight. Therefore “The Roaring 20s” suits its time as a time of new energy and prosperity.