“On week-ends his Rolls-Royce became an omnibus, bearing parties to and from the city, between nine in the morning and long past midnight, while his station wagon scampered like a brisk yellow bug to meet all trains. And on Mondays eight servants including an extra gardener toiled all day with mops and scrubbing-brushes and hammers and garden-shears, repairing the ravages of the night before.” - F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby (1925)

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When you hear “The Roaring Twenties”, what comes to mind? Jazz music? Flapper dresses? Gatsby’s extravagant parties? Leonardo DiCaprio, perhaps?

While this era sparkled with glamour and excitement, it was also a time of intense change, cultural contradictions, and growing disillusionment, especially around the idea of the American Dream. Whether you are studying a text set during the 1920s, or just curious about the history, this blog will walk you through one of the most iconic decades in modern history.

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1. Historical Context: Post-War America and Economic Boom

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The 1920s followed the end of World War I in 1918, a conflict that left much of Europe in ruins. However, America was relatively untouched and entered a period of economic growth and optimism. With new technologies and industries (like cars, radios, and household appliances), consumer culture exploded.

• The stock market surged, fuelling dreams of quick wealth.
• Mass production (like Henry Ford’s assembly line) made products cheaper and more accessible for the average American.
• Credit systems became popular, allowing people to buy now and pay later, contributing to a culture of spending and debt.

With prosperity came excess. Luxury, leisure, and status symbols dominated the urban landscape. For many, it seemed like the future had arrived fast, loud, and full of promise.

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2. Cultural Shifts: Jazz Age, Rebellion and the Rise of the Modern Age 

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The 1920s saw a rebellion against old values. The younger generation, especially women started to challenge traditional roles.

• The Jazz Age: With roots in African-American communities, jazz music became the soundtrack of the decade. Its upbeat rhythms matched the fast-paced life of cities like New York.
• Flappers: Young women that wore short skirts, cut their hair into bobs, and embraced nightlife challenged traditional gender roles and redefined femininity.
• Mass Media: Hollywood films, radio broadcasts, and advertisements shaped popular culture like never before.

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3. Social Divide: Class, Race, and Moral Decay

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Beneath the surface glamour, the 1920s were marked by deep social division and rising tensions. 

• Old Money vs New Money: Established elites often looked down on self-made millionaires. In The Great Gatsby, this tension is embodied by the disdainful Tom Buchanan toward the ambitious Gatsby.
• Racism and Xenophobia: Immigration increased in the 1920s, but so did prejudice. Extreme hate groups like the Ku Klux Klan gained power, and restrictive immigration laws were introduced.
• Prohibition: Alcohol was banned from 1920–1933, but this backfired, fuelling underground speakeasies, and the rise of gangsters like Al Capone.

4. The American Dream: From Hope to Disillusionment

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The 1920s were supposed to be the golden age of the American Dream, the belief that anyone could succeed through hard work. But for many, that dream became a mirage.

Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby explores this theme powerfully. Gatsby builds wealth and reinvents himself to win back Daisy, the woman he loves. But his dream is built on illusion. 

But Fitzgerald offers a warning:

“Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future…”

Gatsby’s dream of winning Daisy symbolises the larger American Dream. He builds a fortune, hosts wild parties, and creates a new identity. However, it all ends in tragedy. The green light at the end of Daisy’s dock represents both hope and illusion. Through Gatsby, Fitzgerald argues that the American Dream has become corrupted. Instead of representing self-made success, it’s now about wealth, image, and shallow goals.

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The Roaring Twenties was a vibrant yet paradoxical decade defined by cultural innovation, rapid societal shifts, and deep social contradictions. It was a time when jazz music, modern fashion, and youth rebellion flourished alongside rigid class divisions, racial tensions, and moral uncertainty. This period of prosperity and excess symbolised both the promise and the pitfalls of modern progress. 

For students, understanding the 1920s provides crucial context for how wealth, identity, and social values evolved in response to historical change. Whether you’re studying literature, history, or society, exploring this decade reveals why it was called “roaring” and why its legacy still echoes in our world today.

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