Title: The Business of America: The Economy in the 1920s | Encyclopedia.com
Headings: The Business of America: The Economy in the 1920s
The Business of America: The Economy in the 1920s
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The Business of America: The Economy in the 1920s
A different United States
Rise of big business sparks reform efforts
World War I brings a shift in attitude
The economy starts to prosper
Frederick Taylor: A New Kind of Management
Consumer demand spurs new approach
Henry Ford 's innovations
A new approach to spending
A passion for the stock market
The new art of advertising
The Florida land boom
Labor unions struggle
Farmers suffer through the 1920s
Ignoring the warning signs
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Content: The early years of the century saw a huge surge of immigrants, many from the countries of southern and eastern Europe (such as Italy, Greece, and Poland). Grateful for the fresh start and future prosperity that the United States promised, these people were willing to work for little money. African Americans from the rural South were also migrating north in search of better jobs and an escape from prejudice, discrimination, and white terrorist groups like the Ku Klux Klan. Increasing numbers of women were also entering the workforce, though, like immigrants and blacks, most of them were working as unskilled laborers. The cities were growing and expanding past their earlier boundaries, and this growth, combined with the new mix of people, brought social, economic, and political tensions. During the Progressive Era (which lasted roughly from 1900 to 1914), reformers would try to ease some of these tensions. Rise of big business sparks reform efforts
During the 1800s the United States became an increasingly industrialized country. As the century progressed, major advances in technology brought machines that increased productivity. At the same time, new ideas about the efficient management of that production became popular. The railroad industry was one of the most important industries of the nineteenth century.