AQA A-Level History | 1K: Making of a Superpower | Jazz Age Revision
AQA A-Level Histor y
1K: Making of a Superpower, USA 1865–1975
DETAILED REVISION NOTES
How Far Did Am er ican Society Change? 1920–1945
Focus: The Jazz Age, Harlem Renaissance & New Women
(Up to but not including Prohibition)
OVERVIEW & EXAM CONTEXT
This topic asks: How much did American society genuinely change in the 1920s? The key concept
you must master is 'uneven change' — the idea that modernisation affected some groups and
places far more than others. The Jazz Age saw real cultural transformation, but that change was
often limited to urban, white, middle-class America.
AQA Essay Focus: Was change real or superficial? Who benefited? Who was left behind?
Page 1 | How Far Did American Society Change? 1920–1945
,AQA A-Level History | 1K: Making of a Superpower | Jazz Age Revision
SECTION 1: THE JAZZ AGE
The Jazz Age (approximately 1920–1929) was a period of dramatic cultural transformation in the United States.
Fuelled by the post-WWI economic boom, Americans — particularly in cities — experienced a new consumer
culture, a vibrant leisure industry, and a radical shift in social attitudes. However, historians must be careful not
to overstate this change: it was largely concentrated among urban, white, middle-class Americans.
1.1 The Econ om ic B oom an d Con su m er Cu ltu r e
The foundation of the Jazz Age was the spectacular economic expansion of the 1920s. The United States
emerged from World War One as the world's leading industrial and creditor nation. This prosperity created the
conditions for a new consumer culture that transformed everyday American life.
K EY STATISTICS: The 1920s Econom ic B oom
GDP Growth US GDP grew from $688 billion (1920) to $977 billion (1929) — a 42%
increase in less than a decade
Car Ownership By 1929, there was approximately 1 car for every 5 Americans; Ford's
Model T democratised car ownership
Electricity By 1929, around 70% of American homes had electricity, powering new
consumer goods
Wages Average real wages rose by approximately 20% across the decade for many
workers
Stock Market The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose from 63 points (1921) to 381 points
by September 1929
How the Boom Transformed Daily Life
• Mass production (Fordism) made consumer goods affordable for the middle class for the first time
• Hire purchase (buying on credit) allowed Americans to buy goods they could not afford outright
• Advertising boomed — the radio and newspapers spread consumer culture nationwide
• New appliances (refrigerators, vacuum cleaners, washing machines) transformed domestic life
• The car transformed geography — suburbanisation accelerated; people commuted to cities
⭐ EXAM TIP: The economic boom is the ROOT CAUSE of the Jazz Age. In essays, link cultural
changes back to prosperity. E.g., 'The growth of cinema was made possible by rising real wages and
the spread of hire purchase, which gave working Americans disposable income for the first time.'
1.2 Gr ow th of Leisu r e: Cin em a, Radio, an d Spor t
Page 2 | How Far Did American Society Change? 1920–1945
, AQA A-Level History | 1K: Making of a Superpower | Jazz Age Revision
The 1920s saw the birth of a genuinely national mass culture in America for the first time. Before this era,
culture was largely local, regional, and class-specific. Now, for the first time, millions of Americans shared the
same cultural experiences — watching the same films, listening to the same radio shows, and following the
same sports heroes.
Cinema
The film industry became America's fourth-largest industry in the 1920s. Hollywood established itself as the
global centre of film production.
• By 1929, approximately 100 million Americans went to the cinema every week (out of a total population
of 122 million)
• Silent films gave way to 'talkies' after The Jazz Singer (1927) — the first major sound film
• Stars like Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and Mary Pickford became the first true mass celebrities
• Cinema shaped fashion, language, and social attitudes — especially for young women watching assertive
female characters
• Hollywood glamorised new lifestyles: smoking, romance, independence — challenging traditional values
Radio
• KDKA in Pittsburgh broadcast the first commercial radio programme in 1920
• By 1930, over 12 million American homes had a radio set
• Radio created a shared national culture — coast to coast, Americans listened to the same music and
news
• Jazz music spread nationally through radio, helping break down some regional cultural barriers
• Advertising on radio created a new commercial model that funded mass entertainment
Sport
• Sport became big business and a source of national heroes for the first time
• Baseball stars like Babe Ruth became household names and were heavily merchandised
• Boxing drew massive audiences — the Jack Dempsey vs. Gene Tunney fight (1927) drew 104,000
spectators
• Sports spectatorship replaced community activities as the dominant leisure pursuit for working-class
men
⭐ EXAM TIP: Cinema and radio are EXCELLENT examples to use when discussing the spread of
'modern' culture. They show how the Jazz Age was a genuinely national transformation — not just a
New York phenomenon. But remember: rural Americans and many minorities were slower to access
or accept these new cultural forms.
1.3 Rise of Y ou th Cu ltu r e
Page 3 | How Far Did American Society Change? 1920–1945
AQA A-Level Histor y
1K: Making of a Superpower, USA 1865–1975
DETAILED REVISION NOTES
How Far Did Am er ican Society Change? 1920–1945
Focus: The Jazz Age, Harlem Renaissance & New Women
(Up to but not including Prohibition)
OVERVIEW & EXAM CONTEXT
This topic asks: How much did American society genuinely change in the 1920s? The key concept
you must master is 'uneven change' — the idea that modernisation affected some groups and
places far more than others. The Jazz Age saw real cultural transformation, but that change was
often limited to urban, white, middle-class America.
AQA Essay Focus: Was change real or superficial? Who benefited? Who was left behind?
Page 1 | How Far Did American Society Change? 1920–1945
,AQA A-Level History | 1K: Making of a Superpower | Jazz Age Revision
SECTION 1: THE JAZZ AGE
The Jazz Age (approximately 1920–1929) was a period of dramatic cultural transformation in the United States.
Fuelled by the post-WWI economic boom, Americans — particularly in cities — experienced a new consumer
culture, a vibrant leisure industry, and a radical shift in social attitudes. However, historians must be careful not
to overstate this change: it was largely concentrated among urban, white, middle-class Americans.
1.1 The Econ om ic B oom an d Con su m er Cu ltu r e
The foundation of the Jazz Age was the spectacular economic expansion of the 1920s. The United States
emerged from World War One as the world's leading industrial and creditor nation. This prosperity created the
conditions for a new consumer culture that transformed everyday American life.
K EY STATISTICS: The 1920s Econom ic B oom
GDP Growth US GDP grew from $688 billion (1920) to $977 billion (1929) — a 42%
increase in less than a decade
Car Ownership By 1929, there was approximately 1 car for every 5 Americans; Ford's
Model T democratised car ownership
Electricity By 1929, around 70% of American homes had electricity, powering new
consumer goods
Wages Average real wages rose by approximately 20% across the decade for many
workers
Stock Market The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose from 63 points (1921) to 381 points
by September 1929
How the Boom Transformed Daily Life
• Mass production (Fordism) made consumer goods affordable for the middle class for the first time
• Hire purchase (buying on credit) allowed Americans to buy goods they could not afford outright
• Advertising boomed — the radio and newspapers spread consumer culture nationwide
• New appliances (refrigerators, vacuum cleaners, washing machines) transformed domestic life
• The car transformed geography — suburbanisation accelerated; people commuted to cities
⭐ EXAM TIP: The economic boom is the ROOT CAUSE of the Jazz Age. In essays, link cultural
changes back to prosperity. E.g., 'The growth of cinema was made possible by rising real wages and
the spread of hire purchase, which gave working Americans disposable income for the first time.'
1.2 Gr ow th of Leisu r e: Cin em a, Radio, an d Spor t
Page 2 | How Far Did American Society Change? 1920–1945
, AQA A-Level History | 1K: Making of a Superpower | Jazz Age Revision
The 1920s saw the birth of a genuinely national mass culture in America for the first time. Before this era,
culture was largely local, regional, and class-specific. Now, for the first time, millions of Americans shared the
same cultural experiences — watching the same films, listening to the same radio shows, and following the
same sports heroes.
Cinema
The film industry became America's fourth-largest industry in the 1920s. Hollywood established itself as the
global centre of film production.
• By 1929, approximately 100 million Americans went to the cinema every week (out of a total population
of 122 million)
• Silent films gave way to 'talkies' after The Jazz Singer (1927) — the first major sound film
• Stars like Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and Mary Pickford became the first true mass celebrities
• Cinema shaped fashion, language, and social attitudes — especially for young women watching assertive
female characters
• Hollywood glamorised new lifestyles: smoking, romance, independence — challenging traditional values
Radio
• KDKA in Pittsburgh broadcast the first commercial radio programme in 1920
• By 1930, over 12 million American homes had a radio set
• Radio created a shared national culture — coast to coast, Americans listened to the same music and
news
• Jazz music spread nationally through radio, helping break down some regional cultural barriers
• Advertising on radio created a new commercial model that funded mass entertainment
Sport
• Sport became big business and a source of national heroes for the first time
• Baseball stars like Babe Ruth became household names and were heavily merchandised
• Boxing drew massive audiences — the Jack Dempsey vs. Gene Tunney fight (1927) drew 104,000
spectators
• Sports spectatorship replaced community activities as the dominant leisure pursuit for working-class
men
⭐ EXAM TIP: Cinema and radio are EXCELLENT examples to use when discussing the spread of
'modern' culture. They show how the Jazz Age was a genuinely national transformation — not just a
New York phenomenon. But remember: rural Americans and many minorities were slower to access
or accept these new cultural forms.
1.3 Rise of Y ou th Cu ltu r e
Page 3 | How Far Did American Society Change? 1920–1945
