Semester 2 – Unit 1 :The 1920’s
Notes 3: Labor Unions, Assembly Line, and The Rise of the American Consumer Society
There are 3 major changes in the US economy during the 1920's:
1. Attacks against Labor Unions
2. The increased use of the Assembly Line in manufacturing
3. The Rise of the American Consumer Society
1. Labor Unions
During World War One, the government did not allow unions to ______for better working conditions – this was done to preserve the war effort. The labor unions at the time agreed to this, but once the war ended they wanted to continue their efforts for better conditions. In 1919 there were over ______strikes with 4 million workers struggling for higher pay. The factories had grown accustomed to the wages that they paid during the war and the lack of unions. In an effort to put down the strikes, employers labeled the workers as ______. Newspapers followed this lead and a few major strikes led the ______to believe this as well:
The Boston Police Strike
The police in Boston had not been given a ______since the beginning of the war and they were not allowed to unionize. Police representatives asked the city for a raise, but were ______. When this happened, the rest of the police decided to strike. Governor ______called the National Guard in to replace the policemen saying that people can not protest at the risk of public safety. The policemen called off the strike, but were not allowed to return to work, new policemen were hired instead. The country felt that Coolidge had ______the city and the nation from Communism.
The Steel Mill Strike
Some strikes did raise public ______about poor working conditions such as the steel mill strike in 1919. The steelworkers wanted the right to unionize, higher pay, and shorter working hours. The U.S. Steel Corporation refused to negotiate with them and in September 300,000 workers went on strike and walked out of the mills. U.S. Steel hired ______and used violence against the workers. The President pleaded with the two sides to make a deal. The strike ended in January 1920. Finally in 1923, a shocking ______was released on the harsh working conditions in the mills. U.S. Steel agreed to an eight hour day, but the workers remained ______a union.
Even with their limited gains, the 1920’s saw a ______spiral in union membership and power. Membership decreased from 5 to 3.5 million over the course of the decade. The following reasons led to their troubles:
· A great deal of the workforce consisted of ______that were willing to work in poor conditions, plus many of them spoke little English which made it difficult for union leaders to ______them.
· Many ______were moving to the city to become workers and they were used to self reliance.
· Most unions excluded ______
· Companies used America’s fear of Communism as a way to turn ______support away from Unions that they branded Communist
2. Assembly Lines
Invented in ______, the Assembly Line revolutionized how products were made. The assembly line was put to use in America during the 1880’s. The idea behind the assembly line is that workers would create one piece of a product and send it down the line for other workers to add their own pieces to. At the end of the line, a ______product would emerge. This increased ______in mass-producing items.
The assembly line was perfected by Henry ______who changed it to a “moving” assembly line to further increase production of his Model T Ford. Ford used the assembly line to cheaply produce the ______, which quickly became the car owned by ______of all car owners in America at the time.
A consumer culture was born as America began mass-producing goods at ______prices for the consumers. Workers no longer needed to be ______in their ability to create certain goods since they just worked on their part of the assembly line.
There were some ______with the assembly line though. Marxist theory states that the assembly line caused a disconnect between the worker and the item they were producing since each worker repetitively made the same part but was never ______with the finished product. Under Marxist theory, this would lead to depressed workers. Also, the repetitive nature of the work often caused workers to lose concentration, which led to an increased rate of ______.
3. The Rise of the American Consumer Society
The growing use of assembly lines allowed America to produce more and more goods at ______prices. At the same time, the invention of new products caused the ______of appliances and goods on the market to rise.
New Consumer Products
The increasing popularity of the ______combined with Ford’s ability to produce them at a low cost completely changed the American landscape. ______were built, gas stations popped up in every town, and the ______Tunnel opened in 1927 to connect New York City with New Jersey. The automobile also changed the look of the American ______. Instead of everyone having to live in the city if they wanted to work in the city, now people could move to neighborhoods ______of the city and drive to work. These neighborhoods ______the cities were known as suburbs.
By the 1920’s ______were also growing as a means of transportation. Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart made transatlantic flights that promoted ______transport on planes. The production and popularity of planes grew, and by 1927, ______Airways inaugurated the first transatlantic passenger flights.
During the 1920’s the number of households with ______also grew. Most of these electrified homes were closer to ______areas, and the wealthier ones began to purchase electric appliances. These included: electric irons, refrigerators, cooking ranges, and ______.
Modern Advertising
As consumer products became more prevalent in the early 1900’s, advertising agencies worked to ______consumers about the products. This information alone was usually enough to sell what was being produced in the early part of the century, but as the 1920’s produced so many new products, the nature of advertising ______.
Modern advertising, which began in the 1920’s, hired psychologists to study how to appeal to people’s ______. Usually these desires were for youthfulness, ______, health and wealth. These studies led to new advertising campaigns that greatly increased sales. The simple phrase “Say it with ______” doubled florists’ business between 1912-1924. New advertising methods made people want to buy more and more.
Buying on Credit
The combination of new ______, smoother advertising, and growing ______caused consumers to purchase many more products than ever before. Some of these products were quite expensive and their prices were preventing consumers from buying them. To solve this problem, many industries began to offer the option of “buying on ______”.
By using the ______plan, another word for buying on credit, a consumer could buy goods over an extended period of time without having to put much money ______at the time of purchase. Banks also participated in this by offering low ______rates. Advertising campaigns, such as “you furnish the girl, we’ll furnish the home” and “enjoy while you ______” helped people choose this new method of payment.
Problems
This continually increasing cycle of production and ______could not go on forever. Some economists feared that buying everything on credit was a sign of the country’s financial ______. Others pointed out that industries could not continue to produce at the rate they were going because the people could not ______that much. Most people in the 1920’s did not worry about these things and continued to focus on enjoying their new lifestyles.
Questions on 1920’s Advertising
1. Which ad did you choose? What product is it trying to sell?
2. Who is the target audience for this advertisement?
3. What promises is this advertisement making to the person reading it?
4. What insecurities in the target audience is this advertisement using to sell its product?
Unit 1 The 1920’s Page 6