Only Yesterday Essay

The Roaring mid-twenties as theyre callight-emitting diode, was the period of ten years in the open States, which saw the biggest change in society, the boom in the scrimping, and later the autumn of the nation. This age in the States was a time of economic successfulness for the most part a great loving revolution took entrust and saw the formation of a modern America.All this is the subject, only if yesterday An Informal History of the Nineteen-Twenties, written by Fredrick Lewis Allen. Allen writes a very edifying retain of what happened throughout this great decade, but from the aspect of an ordinary individual. He writes of the social history of the 1920s, with little to mention of major politics and economics. From presidents to fashion, Allen covers it all. Its an stiff look at batch in the 1920s, and what life was like. Only Yesterday begins in May 1919, and ends with a brief look at 1930 and 1931.The phonograph recording begins out with a prologue more or less, in which Allen writes of a fictitious couple, the Smiths, in the year 1919. Allen, through this prelude, tells the reader of the accomplishments up until 1919, and what is to come in the coming decade. This 14-page introduction lets reader get an intellection of what is to come, within the book. It begins with a look at the wartime economy and slow cut down from it. The period of the so-called Red Sc ar is written in incident in this book. Allen writes of the terror during this time, from everything like Attorney-General Mitchell Palmers raids on radicals, labor strikes and anarchism, and the bigotry of the early 1920s. The Ku Klux Klan also played a major part in this period. The early 1920s was a great time of mass hysteria, and credulity for anything un-American. In one much(prenominal) story Allen writes about, how a mysterious boy is stoned to death in a lake by whites on the shore, in the summer of 1919.Even though this existed, the 1920s brought great change. The roo tage radio broadcast was in November 2, 1920. Allen talks about the social times changing during this time as considerably. Everything from sports to makeup was becoming an obsession, like baseball game and tennis for the guys, and bathing suits and makeup for the women. During this time new games such as Mah Jong from China and crossword puzzles, and new songs, all which captured theAmerican spirit, as well as more other things, which thrilled Americans. As Allen writes, A some weeks later there was new national thrill as the parole of the finding of the tomb of King Tut-Ankh-Amen, cabled all the way from Egypt, overshadowed the news of musical theme trials and the K.K.K.This new time was the social revolution for the people. Ladies began smoking and drinking in public, skirts became shorter, the use of makeup, and the quest for slenderness began. The twenties was also a time of relaxed spirituality. Many looked at society as more important than godliness. Celebrities repla ced religion in some cases. The younger gernartion searched for things such as passion and thrills, and were oftentimes more open with their sexuality. Charles Lindbergh and his trans-Atlantic flight threw him to stardom. Impressing others became the thing to do, and sexual orison was big.Also during this time of social revolution, prohibition was in full swing, composition the 18th amendment was passed, and did reduce drinking in the country, it wasnt very effective for a number of reasons. The mob and Al Capone ran bootlegging of alcohol. Racketeering was introduced during this time, more people looking for the get rich quick schemes, brought them into illegal activities such as bootlegging and such. People were just discovering themselves during this time and speak-easies and social clubs became the rage. Women would openly drink and smoke to show their independence.Allen talks of the Harding Presidency and the scandals that surrounded it. The precipitate to normalcy as it w as called he returned the presidency to the people. His scandals, which range from sneaking to sneaking(a) bars in this time of prohibition, to appointing friends and family to the cabinet, and many others. Allen also writes of the Coolidge presidency and the prosperity along with it. The stock market was in a boom, and the economy pumping. The railroad car industry fueled the economy and radios brought the people closer to each other. beneath the Coolidge prosperity the Big Bull Market was formed. The stock market grew and grew. The economy grew and couldnt be stopped, the stocks grew dangerously high, but like all good things, it came to an end. The end of an era came about in 1929 on September 3, afterwards that prices crashed and continued to do until October 24, when the market began to steady again. Yet, the market fell even so more, after that and into 1930the market would be at an all time low.Allen attributes this to a list of seven things ranging from overproduction to the psyche of the American public, all which led to the Great Depression. This is the last thing Allen writes, and he asks the question, What was to come in the nineteen-thirties? With the fall of the market, came the fall of individualism, as Allen writes, As the stock prices fell so did the lengths of the dresses These are the things, which defined the decade of the 1920s oily scandals, non-spirituality, the good old years, and the revolution, which, fell just as soon as was started. The 1920s was nix like America had seen before. It was returned to the people, people werent afraid to speak out, or try something new. What was to come in the 1930s? A new decade, which people needed to survive the depression rather than socialize, and it would dismantle everything, which was made in the 1920s.Only Yesterday, was a very good look at the 1920s. It efficaciously shows what people went through in this crazy time. This book focuses around the social history of the 20s, from womens skirts to the economy of 1929. Allen balances this with the politics of the three presidents, which defined this era. The book is very easy to read, and spares the reader with his simple clear and simplistic drift of writing. The book was immensely enjoying, and grabs the attention of the reader immediately. He refers back to the pertly York Times, on numerous occasions, which seems to be one of his primary sources. He uses many details to back up the stories in which he writes about. While he is not very specific in his writing, he incorporates a bay window of information in the book. He told everything from the good, to the bad and even to the ugly, which exposed Americas true sense. Only Yesterday a great book for anyone looking at the social history of the 1920s where individualism ran excited and normalcy had returned.