The Dirty Thirties
Entertainment
With an economic crisis occurring, the need for entertainment was immense. The movies were a cheap way to escape the depression. It was relaxing and provided a false sense of security to see the lives of people in the films, and allowed people to temporarily forget their own hardships. Horror films became quite popular during this era. Dancing became popular during the 1930’s as well. Dancing was also a common activity during the 1920’s, but all night dance marathons picked up in the 1930’s, and the last duo dancing could win a hefty amount of prize money, which was valuable during this time. Music still remained despite the economic issues, big band and swing music became integrated into pop culture. The board game Monopoly was also developed during this time, and it allowed people to entertain themselves at home without spending money.
Radio remained important to the entertainment industry, and for the media. The Golden Age of Animation also occurred during the 1930’s with Disney classics like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and the Mickey Mouse series. Cartoons became very popular. Characters like Flip the Frog, Betty Boop and Popeye the Sailor Man were hits with children. Comic books were also created during this time, and would remain popular until the 1950’s, and even now in modern times are a more underground form of entertainment. Super heroes like Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman captivated the minds of the youth as they eagerly read and collected each issue in their favorite series.
The cost of attending sporting events decreased during this time, so that sport leagues could remain active and functioning. Athlete’s salaries dropped quite a bit, but when compared with others during this time they made more than enough money to survive on. Sports journalism became a more popular profession, and the first little league baseball team organizations were made. Joe DiMaggio became an international hero and baseball legend.Technological and Scientific Advances and Inventions
Nuclear fission, the process in which the nucleus of an atom splits into other nuclei, was discovered during this time. The planet Pluto was also discovered during the 1930’s, however we no longer consider Pluto to be a true planet anymore. Medical scientists also developed a much safer way to give blood transfusions which would be useful during WWII. Scientific research had some difficulties during these years because of the lack of funding. In 1939 Albert Einstein suggested the idea for the development of an atomic bomb. In 1931 a team of doctors developed baby food. The intention of baby food was to prevent the childhood disease Ricket, which was caused by a vitamin D deficiency.
The Great Depression
Beginning in the late 1920’s, a world wide economic depression swept over multiple nations. Extreme poverty, high unemployment rates, and the decreasing value of goods caused the lifestyle of people around the world to change dramatically. Debt, high tariffs, and a decline of trade were all contributing factors as to why the depression occurred. The Depression in Germany lead to the Nazi party being able to rise to power, which would later go on to create the conflicts leading up to World War 2. In the United States, President Roosevelt set out to find a solution to the crisis with his plan known as the New Deal. One of his first goals was to put people’s confidence back into the banking system. He also wanted to regulate business, to bring prices back up so that profits could also rise. Roosevelt also wanted to decrease the amount of agricultural workers, so fewer products would be available so that the supply would match the demand.
In Britain, the effects of WWI were still visible resulting in a shaky economy. The more industrialized areas were hit first and the hardest, due to the fact that there wasn’t a large enough demand for the supply of goods they were creating. Unemployment reached new heights. Different areas of Britain were affected in different ways, some worse than others. Southern Britain faired much better than the North did, because the north was much more industrialized. The British economy began to make a slow recovery after the gold standard was abandoned, and employment rates began to rise again. Australia was also hit fairly hard because of how much their economy relied on exports. The lack of exports caused wages to shrink and unemployment to rise quickly. After 1932, agricultural prices began to rise again, which lead to a slow recovery.
Fashion
Fashion during the 1930’s was quite different than that of the 1920’s, especially for women. Curves came back into style for the female figure as opposed to the straight sides of the flappers during the 1920’s. Glamour was more widely appreciated even during the harsh economy of the time. A sweeter, softer look emerged. Skirts were usually longer in the back with pleats in the front and as the years passed hemlines seemed to get lower and lower until they reached down past the calves to the ankles. An exception to this however are skirts designed for athletic use like in skating. Those steadily got shorter as the decade progressed. New and improved fabrics had also been developed during the 1930’s, however due to the depression only the wealthy upper class could afford them. Zippers in both men and women’s clothing became a more normal sight because they were cheaper than buttons were. Being tan started to become attractive during the 1930’s, and with it a whole new line of beach fashions were created. Swim suits became less restrictive and began to show more skin then they had at previous times.
Hats and hairstyles changed throughout the decade. To start the decade off, hair was often kept up and under a larger hat, or it was pinned back for a sleeker look. After 1934 hats began to no longer serve a purpose other than being purely decorative so their size decreased and they were worn at an angle. Curls and waves became particularly popular from 1935 and up.
Not everyone could afford to keep up with all the latest trends during the depression. A lot of women made their own clothes. Heavy duty fabrics that could stand to be washed frequently were introduced so that the clothing that people could afford would last. Nylon was one of the newer, cheaper, more durable fabrics available.
Men’s fashion also changed during these years. Plaid and stripes became one of the more popular patterns you would see on men’s clothes. Suits were designed to elongate the torso making men appear to be taller. Towards the end of the 1930’s blazers were something desired by most men. Pants in this decade were made with straight legs and center creases. Narrow ties were popular throughout the entire decade and bow ties were too. Most men’s shoes had some sort of laces.
Literature and Art
A popular type of book during this era were realistic fiction books based on the Great Depression. Scott Fitzgerald was a popular author of books like that. Richard Wright was an author who addressed issues such as racism during the 1930’s. Mystery novels grew greatly in popularity, and the 1930’s is known as their golden age. Poetry was published in multiple magazines and newspapers. Dr. Seuss also became popular among children for his comical rhyming stories and fictional characters that appealed to a youthful mind.
Art, just the same as literature, had a main focus on the Depression. The American government during this time attempted to ease the affects of the depression on artists. They provided jobs by hiring people to paint murals and decorate public buildings. The American regionalist style began in the 1930’s, with its most famous painting being “American Gothic” which was created by Grant Wood.