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Politcial impact of wwi on the united states
Effect of radio /TV in today's society
Politcial impact of wwi on the united states
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In the 1920s there was no ABC news. No sports announcements. No CD players. No television. Before the 1920s, they only had newspapers and live sports. Then, the radio came. In the 1920s and 30s the radio impacted culture by informing the public of news, bringing together America’s music and sports, and even uniting America to stop the Great Depression and restore faith in government.
The radio was first invented in 1895. At first, people were unaware of the possible uses radios would eventually hold. Twenty five years after the radio was invented, the beginning of commercial broadcasting radio stations began with the KDKA in Pittsburgh. During that time, the war began a mass production of radios which let to more common households owning
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Music’s presence on radios became revolutionary at the time. Before radio, music was something a person would need to listen to live or buy music for phonographs, which in the Depression of the 1930s became expensive (Hollis). Going out to see music or buying it were activities for a limited amount of people. Because of this, the types of popular music were isolated to what was played in the area, but radios changed that. When music on radios first started, “Musical bridges were used as a transition between scenes and might indicate a change in mood from comedic to dramatic” (Britannica). But it would move on to more. One example of a star that owed his fame to the radio was Benny Goodman, often called the “King of Swing” (Britannica). He played clarinet in a band, and he became popular due to a spot on the radio show Let’s Dance. On a tour they almost considered quitting because of the dislike of their new style of music, but when they performed at the Palomar Ballroom in Los Angeles where the crowd, many fans of Let’s Dance, went crazy (Britannica). The revolution of swing music began, but without the radio the music would not have been a hit and the crowds would have continued to think Benny Goodman’s music strange. Furthermore, the performance was broadcasted on the radio, and the morning after it was such a success that it made headlines. “The King of Swing” started a music culture which many Americans …show more content…
Now, presidential debates could easily be broadcasted and more people could have a sense of what they believed in and wanted to vote for. This became more important than ever when the Great Depression hit soon after the stock market crash on October 29, 1929. With twenty-five percent of the working class with no jobs, people began to lose hope in their government (Bondi 201). People did not think the government would help them and it began a feeling of doubt throughout the entire nation. Then, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected president in 1933. He knew the nation was falling apart with distrust in the very people running them, and it would take more than laws to reunite the people again. They needed to believe those laws would help them. In order to unite the people as one community and bring the nation back to what it once was, he needed to have a strong voice people could believe in. The radio was the answer to spreading his message to everyone and in giving them confidence that his solutions could help them. Roosevelt broadcasted his first fireside chat on March 12, 1933, named because people could listen like Roosevelt was sitting with them at their fireplace. He spoke to the people about his New Deal, but in a different way than others would do. This was done by talking to the people as if they
The stock market crash of 1929 set in motion a chain of events that would plunge the United States into a deep depression. The Great Depression of the 1930's spelled the end of an era of economic prosperity during the 1920's. Herbert Hoover was the unlucky president to preside over this economic downturn, and he bore the brunt of the blame for the depression. Hoover believed the root cause of the depression was international, and he therefore believed that restoring the gold standard would ultimately drag the United States out of depression by reviving international trade. Hoover initiated many new domestic works programs aimed at creating jobs, but it seemed to have no effect as the unemployment rate continued to rise. The Democrats nominated Franklin Roosevelt as their candidate for president in 1932 against the incumbent Hoover. Roosevelt was elected in a landslide victory in part due to his platform called "The New Deal". This campaign platform was never fully explained by Roosevelt prior to his election, but it appealed to the American people as something new and different from anything Hoover was doing to ameliorate the problem. The Roosevelt administration's response to the Great Depression served to remedy some of the temporary employment problems, while drastically changing the role of the government, but failed to return the American economy to the levels of prosperity enjoyed during the 1920's.
Radio waves were first discovered in 1887, but radio itself was initially invented by Italian Guglielmo Marconi in 1895 (1). His biggest mentioned success was in 1901, when he managed to broadcast the letter “S” across the Atlantic Ocean (1). However, he focused primarily on point-to-point transmissions, not large scale broadcasts from one point (F). As such, three American inventors - Lee De Forest, Edwin Howard Armstrong, and David Sarnoff - took credit for making radio as it is today a success (F). De Forest was born and raised in Alabama and he thought of everything in terms of patents and eventually held more than 300, but many claimed that he simply stole the inventions of others (2). In 1900, he patented a device to enhance weak signals and in 1902, he formed the De Forest Wireless Telegraph Company (1). In the same year. Reginald Fessenden, a Canadian, invented the “electrolytic detector”, which later became the spade detector that brought De Forest so much fame (F). In 1904, John Fleming invented the oscillation valve, which later became De Forest’s audion, and De Forest won the gold medal at the St. Louis World’s Fair for his “spade detector” (F). De Forest gained quite a bit of fame by broadcasting music live from the Eiffel Tower and from the Metropolitan Opera; however, many believed that this was a scam and that he had actually had the device broadcasting the signal only a few blocks away (F). In 1906, he envisioned bringing music and voices to all American households, but as it turns out Canadian inventor Fessenden had already broadcasted a Christmas greeting and music to the crew of a ship off the coast of Canada on Christmas Eve a year earlier (F). In 1912, Armstrong became prominent by inventing regeneration, wh...
On May the Twelfth 1933 president Franklin Delano Roosevelt made the first of what would come to be known as fireside chats. During this chat he spoke to the American people about the recent banking holiday and what actions where to be taken to prevent the banking crisis from worsening. This speech shows Roosevelt's skills as a communicator and his ability to talk to the people in a straightforward manner.
By the 1930’s the movement had shifted yet again and began to incorporate larger bands in what came to be known as “swing.” Broadcast radio was also an important factor by this time, giving swing music a far-reaching national influence. The size of the bands had a standardizing ...
In the 1930's radio was beginning to hit the height of its popularity. Because of the Depression people found that they were without excess in terms of money therefore cheaper forms of entertainment became very popular. Radio was wonderful because it could bring many different types of entertainment. People could follow sports through the radio, which many did. It was not uncommon for people to gather around the radio and listen to the Yankees game being broadcast. People could keep up to date with current affairs thanks to the news broadcasts that aired. This was very important at this time due to the impending problems that were taking place in Europe. "Fireside Chats" were broadcast by President Roosevelt as a way to keep the people of America informed on many things that were happening in the country. President Roosevelt discussed a number of topics including The New Deal, the economic problems, the impending war, unemployment, inflation, the coal crisis, and many other important issues. The Fireside Chats lasted for about ten years and were enormously popular. Americans could turn to the radio for drama in the form of daily soap operas; they found laughs in comedy and variety shows; and even could find tales of heroics in broadcasts such as The Lone Ranger or The Green Hornet.
There are many ways the media influences society, but in the 1920’s the main source was newspapers. The New York Times was one of the most popular and prestigious papers of this time and also one of the most influential. Many people had fait in what they read and never second gu...
The 1920s became known as an era memorable for being a time when new products, new ways of marketing and advertising, and standardization gave the country new ways to interact, enjoy themselves, and introduce them to new products. Although very common today, standardization of mass culture like magazines, radio, movies, music, and sports were exciting new innovations to the people of this time. Not only did they distract from the monotony and stresses of work but they created celebrities that people aspired to be like.
Many of the inventions during the 1920s modernized America. Inventions of the 1920s include the American Hammond Organ, adhesive bandages, car radios, loudspeakers, electric shavers, and traffic signals. Household items like electric irons, toasters, refrigerators, air conditioners, radio, television, and vacuum cleaners made daily life very different from previous generations. The radio was in almost every home and provided listeners with sports, concerts, and news. Radio quickly became a national obsession. For those that could not afford a radio, the radio in public places became a gathering place and allowed people to keep up with issues and share ideas and opinions. The first movie with sound was introduced and started the movie industry. As automobiles became more affordable, movie theatres became more popular. The 1920s not only introduced sound to movies, but also Technicolor. Movies soon became America’s favorite form of entertainment. The aviation industry was also stimulated with Charles A. Lindbergh’s first flight across the Atlantic Oce...
In the 1930s, Goodman gradually gained recognition at recording sessions and radio shows in New York City, where he later formed his first band and began performing weekly on NBC’s radio show Let’s Dance (Collier 89). Around this time, Goodman had his first number one hit “Moonglow,” clearly marking his progression as a bandleader (Collier 96). This exposure allowed Goodman to achieve greater national fame that provided the foundation for the beginning of the Swing Era. With a national audience building from his radio performances, Goodman’s upbeat, hot jazz swing style was gaining traction, leading up to a pivotal performance on his band’s tour in Los Angeles that marked the transition to a new era in jazz. At Palomar Ballroom, Goodman and his band performed their new swing music, which combined elements of jazz and popular American dance music (Firestone 204). The gig is generally accepted as the start of the Swing Era, as Goodman’s style of swing music gained overwhelming positive feedback from the audience. Since the performance was broadcasted on national radio, Goodman’s jazz music dominated headlines and catapulted jazz into the forefront of American popular music. As dancers craved the upbeat swing music, bands copied Goodman’s style, which led to the proliferation of swing music and the birth of the Swing Era (“Benny Goodman:
In response to the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the Great Depression, Franklin D. Roosevelt was ready for action unlike the previous President, Hubert Hoover. Hoover allowed the country to fall into a complete state of depression with his small concern of the major economic problems occurring. FDR began to show major and immediate improvements, with his outstanding actions during the First Hundred Days. He declared the bank holiday as well as setting up the New Deal policy. Hoover on the other hand; allowed the U.S. to slide right into the depression, giving Americans the power to blame him. Although he tried his best to improve the economy’s status during the depression and ‘pump the well’ for the economy, he eventually accepted that the Great Depression was inevitable.
Entertainment in the 1920s began changing after World War I. Because people had more money and were more prosperous, they were able to go to theatres, clubs, and sporting events. Although the greatest form of entertainment had been motorcars, it was a form of freedom that people had never experienced. Sports began to become more popular. “Baseball became popular with the great mass of people for the first time”(Fischer). Because of another form of entertainment gaining popularity, the radio made it easier for fans to keep up
...ath to dominate their field and branch off into other dominating sub-genres. Those genres, especially in the 1920’s, created the foundation of what we see today in the 21st century. The genres and the creativity produced in these decades were accompanied by entertaining dance and shows that provided the people with a comfortable diversion from their outward life. In addition, music remained a way of spiritual and fun release of the mind and energy. With the radio acting as a distribution center for music, it became a national pastime in which it still ranks number one today for it’s easy access and reaching fields. In conclusion, although the 1920’s saw the birthplace of what is generally known today as the foundation of modern music, the 1970’s matched innovation and creation in the industry which is why music is still a staple in the lives of many people today.
The increased financial prosperity of the 1920s perpetuated the notion of mass entertainment resulting in a dominating emphasis on entertainment and leisure. The influx of wealth, in conjunction with innovative technological advancements, fueled the increasing popularity of radio programs. After the initial broadcast of KDKA, which is now known as CBS Pittsburgh, the American public was overcome with radio mania thus the radio became an integral aspect of everyday life in the 1920s.
middle of paper ... ... On March 12th Roosevelt made a broadcast that was also the first of a series of fireside chats, speaking in a friendly and unofficial manner, and explained that the people would be better off keeping their money in the bank than keeping their money with them in their houses. After a few of the fireside chats, people started to believe it and most of the major banks reopened. The Great Depression lasted for a period of time in which America elected two different presidents, Herbert Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt.
The 1920's brought many advancements in technology which allowed Americans to entertain themselves at home; the radio was one of them. The radio was actually developed before the 1920's; however, it was banned during World War I and allowed to reappear after the Prohibition ended in 1919 (Events 72). After the Prohibition ended, and radio broadcasting was being brought back to life, many people started up their first stations, like Frank Conrad (Events 72). Frank Conrad's first broadcast consisted of the Presidential Election results (Events 72). As Conrad was one of the first people to broadcast, KDKA was one of the first radio stations to appear in the Unite...