Why was the Period 1919-1929 known as the Roaring Twenties? (6)
Exemplar Paragraph
One reason the period was known as the roaring twenties was
because of the amount of money that was being made in buying
and selling stocks and shares. During the 1920’s there was a
massive increase in buying shares through the New York
stockmarket. This was something many ordinary people could do
by taking out loans to purchase shares which would then increase
in value. This was known as buying on the margin. This meant the
period was known as the roaring twenties because Buying shares
was seen as an exciting and easy way to make a lot of money and
become rich. People became convinced it was a straight forward
way of earning easy money.
Explain why the US Economy boomed in the 1920’s (6)
One reason the US economy boomed is because of the First World War.
During the war the US had made huge profits from selling the British and
French weapons and supplies. They had also taken the opportunity to take
over British and French markets while they were preoccupied with fighting
the Germans. This helped the US economy boom because they used the
money they made to reinvest into US businesses and industry therefore
making them more efficient and able to produce goods more cheaply.
They had also now gained new markets to sell these goods in because
they had taken them from Britain and France.
Another reason the US economy boomed was because of the invention of
the production line by Henry Ford. Ford’s production line used a conveyor
belt system and standardised parts to speed up production and keep costs
down. He also broke down complex jobs into multiple unskilled tasks so
that he did not have to pay expensive skilled workers but could hire
unskilled labour. Fords methods were soon copied in industries across the
USA. This helped the economy to boom because the production line
allowed consumer goods like cars, vacuum cleaners and radios to be built
quickly and cheaply therefore stimulating markets and the economy.
How did the Economic Boom impact on the American People. (4)
One way the boom impacted on the people of America was the cheap availability of cars, more
efficient production methods meant millions of Americans could afford one. There was also big
increase in people buying on credit or with higher purchase agreements. However not everybody did
well in the boom. New immigrants found it hard to get a job and the work was poorly paid. Also
, unemployment was still high throughout the period and for people in work it could often be poorly
paid.
Describe the New Industries that Developed in the 1920’s
The car industry saw big development in this period especially with Henry Fords new production line
methods. Electrical industries also became bigger with the production of household appliances like
Radios, Fridges, Vacuum cleaners and other labour-saving devices. The Chemical industry developed
with new synthetic fabrics like rayon being developed and there was also a big development in the
oil industry. Finally, the entertainment industry developed with a huge increase in film production
and cinemas.
Model Answer
‘Over production was the main reason US Farmers faced serious problems
in the 1920’s’ How far do you agree with this statement? (10)
One reason overproduction caused serious problems for farmers was of
the increasing use of mechanisation and fertilisers in American farming.
Increasing use of machines like tractors and combine harvesters and use
of chemical fertilisers meant more crops were produced leading to over
production. This led to serious problems for Farmers because they found it
increasingly difficult to sell their crops leading to increasing financial
problems in the 1920s.
However, other factors were important too such as the outside
competition from other countries also caused big problems for US
Farmers. Canadian farmers were more efficient and more mechanised
than the Americans which meant they could produce more crops more
cheaply. This caused problems for US farmers because it meant more
competition for selling crops as people brought Canadian produce instead
of American. Therefore, sales of US crops fell further causing serious
problems for US farmers who struggled to pay mortgages and did not
make enough money for their farms to be financially viable.
Another reason over production caused problems for US Farmers is
because of the impact of WW1. During the war US farmers increased their
production to meet the demand for food from European Countries like
Britian and France. The amount of land being farmed increased as US
farms increased production to sell to Europe. When the war was over
many European countries stopped buying US crops either because they
were too poor or in protest at high US tariffs. This meant overproduction
caused serious problems for US farmers because they had produced crops
during wartime that nobody wanted to buy in peacetime meaning prices
fell.
Economics also caused problems for US Farmers and this was not due to
overproduction just the struggle to sell any produce. During the 1920’s
there was a drop in the price of many crops such as wheat and grain. This
fall in prices meant farmers in the US could not sell their crops at a high
enough price to make a profit and cover their costs. This meant the
Exemplar Paragraph
One reason the period was known as the roaring twenties was
because of the amount of money that was being made in buying
and selling stocks and shares. During the 1920’s there was a
massive increase in buying shares through the New York
stockmarket. This was something many ordinary people could do
by taking out loans to purchase shares which would then increase
in value. This was known as buying on the margin. This meant the
period was known as the roaring twenties because Buying shares
was seen as an exciting and easy way to make a lot of money and
become rich. People became convinced it was a straight forward
way of earning easy money.
Explain why the US Economy boomed in the 1920’s (6)
One reason the US economy boomed is because of the First World War.
During the war the US had made huge profits from selling the British and
French weapons and supplies. They had also taken the opportunity to take
over British and French markets while they were preoccupied with fighting
the Germans. This helped the US economy boom because they used the
money they made to reinvest into US businesses and industry therefore
making them more efficient and able to produce goods more cheaply.
They had also now gained new markets to sell these goods in because
they had taken them from Britain and France.
Another reason the US economy boomed was because of the invention of
the production line by Henry Ford. Ford’s production line used a conveyor
belt system and standardised parts to speed up production and keep costs
down. He also broke down complex jobs into multiple unskilled tasks so
that he did not have to pay expensive skilled workers but could hire
unskilled labour. Fords methods were soon copied in industries across the
USA. This helped the economy to boom because the production line
allowed consumer goods like cars, vacuum cleaners and radios to be built
quickly and cheaply therefore stimulating markets and the economy.
How did the Economic Boom impact on the American People. (4)
One way the boom impacted on the people of America was the cheap availability of cars, more
efficient production methods meant millions of Americans could afford one. There was also big
increase in people buying on credit or with higher purchase agreements. However not everybody did
well in the boom. New immigrants found it hard to get a job and the work was poorly paid. Also
, unemployment was still high throughout the period and for people in work it could often be poorly
paid.
Describe the New Industries that Developed in the 1920’s
The car industry saw big development in this period especially with Henry Fords new production line
methods. Electrical industries also became bigger with the production of household appliances like
Radios, Fridges, Vacuum cleaners and other labour-saving devices. The Chemical industry developed
with new synthetic fabrics like rayon being developed and there was also a big development in the
oil industry. Finally, the entertainment industry developed with a huge increase in film production
and cinemas.
Model Answer
‘Over production was the main reason US Farmers faced serious problems
in the 1920’s’ How far do you agree with this statement? (10)
One reason overproduction caused serious problems for farmers was of
the increasing use of mechanisation and fertilisers in American farming.
Increasing use of machines like tractors and combine harvesters and use
of chemical fertilisers meant more crops were produced leading to over
production. This led to serious problems for Farmers because they found it
increasingly difficult to sell their crops leading to increasing financial
problems in the 1920s.
However, other factors were important too such as the outside
competition from other countries also caused big problems for US
Farmers. Canadian farmers were more efficient and more mechanised
than the Americans which meant they could produce more crops more
cheaply. This caused problems for US farmers because it meant more
competition for selling crops as people brought Canadian produce instead
of American. Therefore, sales of US crops fell further causing serious
problems for US farmers who struggled to pay mortgages and did not
make enough money for their farms to be financially viable.
Another reason over production caused problems for US Farmers is
because of the impact of WW1. During the war US farmers increased their
production to meet the demand for food from European Countries like
Britian and France. The amount of land being farmed increased as US
farms increased production to sell to Europe. When the war was over
many European countries stopped buying US crops either because they
were too poor or in protest at high US tariffs. This meant overproduction
caused serious problems for US farmers because they had produced crops
during wartime that nobody wanted to buy in peacetime meaning prices
fell.
Economics also caused problems for US Farmers and this was not due to
overproduction just the struggle to sell any produce. During the 1920’s
there was a drop in the price of many crops such as wheat and grain. This
fall in prices meant farmers in the US could not sell their crops at a high
enough price to make a profit and cover their costs. This meant the
