1920s

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The 1920s is sometimes referred to as the "Jazz Age" or the "Roaring Twenties", when speaking about the United States and Canada. In Europe the decade is sometimes referred to as the "Golden Twenties". Since the closing of the 20th century, the economic strength during the 1920s has drawn close associations with the 1950s and 1990s, especially in the United States. These three decades are regarded as periods of economic prosperity, which lasted throughout almost the entire decades following a tremendous event that occurred in the previous decade (World War I and Spanish flu in the 1910s, World War II in the 1940s, and the end of the Cold War in the late 1980s).

However, not all countries enjoyed this prosperity. The Weimar Republic, like many other European countries, had to face a severe economic downturn in the opening years of the decade, because of the enormous debt caused by the war as well as the Treaty of Versailles. Such a crisis would culminate with a devaluation of the Mark in 1923, eventually leading to severe economic problems and, in the long term, favour the rise of the Nazi Party.

Additionally, the decade was characterized by the rise of radical political movements, especially in regions that were once part of empires. Communism began attracting large numbers of followers following the success of the October Revolution and the Bolsheviks' determination to win the subsequent Russian Civil War. The Bolsheviks would eventually adopt a policy of mixed economics, from 1921 to 1928, and also give birth to the USSR, at the end of 1922.

The twenties marked the first time in America that the population in the cities surpassed the population of rural areas. This was due to rapid urbanization starting in the 1920s.

The 1920s also experienced the rise of the far-right and fascism in Europe and elsewhere, being perceived as a solution to prevent the spread of Communism. The knotty economic problems also favoured the rise of dictatorships in Eastern Europe and the Balkans, such as Józef Piłsudski in Poland and Peter and Alexander Karađorđević of Yugoslavia.

The Stock Market collapsed during October 1929 (see Black Tuesday) and drew a line under the prosperous 1920s.

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See also Social issues of the 1920s

Vladimir Lenin in 1920. He was the leading figure of the Communist movement until his death in 1924.

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See also: List of years in literature#1920s

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Prohibition — legal attempt to end consumption of alcohol in Canada, the USA, Norway and Finland

Prohibition agents destroying barrels of alcohol.

Youth culture of The Lost Generation; flappers, the Charleston, and bobbed hair "The Jazz Age" — jazz and jazz-influenced dance music widely popular F. Scott Fitzgerald publishes some of the most enduring novels characterizing the Jazz Age. This Side of Paradise, The Beautiful and Damned, and The Great Gatsby, as well as three short story collections, were all published in these years. Women's suffrage movement continues to make gains as women obtain full voting rights in Denmark in 1915, in the USA in 1920, and in the UK in 1918 (women over 30) and in 1928 (full enfranchisement); and women begin to enter the workplace in larger numbers In the US, gangsters and the rise of organized crime, often associated with bootleg liquor, in defiance of Prohibition. Rum rows are established to import bootleg alcoholic beverages into U.S. First commercial radio station in the U.S. goes on air in Pittsburgh, in 1920, and radio quickly becomes a popular entertainment medium Methodist Board of Temperance, Prohibition, and Public Morals defends alcohol prohibition in U.S. First feature-length motion picture with a sound track (Don Juan) is released in 1926. First part-talkie (The Jazz Singer) released in 1927, first all-talking feature (Lights of New York) released in 1928 and first all-color all-talking feature (On with the Show) released in 1929. Beginning of surrealist movement Beginning of the Art Deco movement Fads such as marathon dancing, mah-jongg, crossword puzzles and pole-sitting are popular The height of the clip joint The Harlem Renaissance The Scopes Monkey Trial (1925) which declared that John T. Scopes had violated the law by teaching evolution in schools, creating tension between the competing theories of creationism and evolution. Bishop James Cannon, Jr. becomes a U.S. temperance movement leader. The Group of Seven (artists) Repeal organizations organized to fight national prohibition in U.S. Minister Daisey Douglas Barr heads Women's Ku Klux Klan (WKKK). The tomb of Tutankhamun is discovered intact by Howard Carter (1922). This begins a second revival of Egyptomania. Edward Higgins becomes the third General ( international leader) of The Salvation Army . His term is from 1929-1934.

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