Name:

Key Ideas:
1.The impact of the continuing transformation of the industrial economy on big business,
work, organized labor, farmers, and urban growth
2. The emergence of a more secular modern culture, dedicated to pleasure, leisure, and
consumerism
3. The importance of individualism and new individual identities in the modern culture
Research Questions #1
1. Define the following terms: industrial economy, big business, organized labor, urban growth,
consumer prices, economic scarcity, opportunity cost, inflation, debt,
2. Explain how the following economic indicators are derived: unemployment & GDP.

3. Identify the specific changes that took place within the US Economy that lead to the
prosperity of the 1920s.
4. Identify and explain the long-term factors that shaped the development of American
industry in the 1920s.
5. Outline the rise of industries that drove the US economy in the 1920s. What major
economic & social changes would you expect as a result of the growth of these
industries?
6. The development of industry reinforced the trend toward large-scale organization that
was so basic to capitalism in the United States (Boydston, 660). Explain the authors
assertion here and support their assertion with evidence from your reading. You may
bullet point your evidence*
7. Whatever its role in the future, the modern business system was certainly changing
the nature of work and the work force in the 1920s. Businessmens quest for
productivity had sweeping consequences for American workers. Industrial efficiency
was not just a matter of electricity and machines. To speed up production, the
managers at Ford and other factories had to control their workers and speed up the
labor process (Boydston 660). Explain the authors assertion here and the impact it
had on organized labor during this period of history. This should be completed as a
formal written response.*

Question Set #2 - Focal Question: Did the economic prosperity of the 1920s
contribute to the emergence of a modern culture?
1. Define: consumerism, consumer spending, jazz age, flapper, individualism, self made
man
2. Explain the way(s) in which the outbreak of war in Europe impacted the US Economy
3. Critically evaluate the League of Nations. To what extent was Wilsons dream
realized?
4. Discuss the major contributors to the post-war unrest in the USA.
5. Defend the following idea: If government fostered private business, benefits would
radiate out to the most of the population.
6. Explain, and evaluate, the following enacted policies
a. Fordney-McCumber Tariff (1922)
b. Hawley-Smoot Tariff (1930)
c. Federal Tax Cuts
d. Private Business subsidies
e. Transportation Act (1920)
f. Agricultural policies
7. Fun is a Necessity. Defend this assertion as if you were one of the many Americans
who agreed with this statement in the 1920s.
8. Who was Margaret Sanger? Why is she considered to be one of the best-known
crusaders in this era?
9. Develop a connection between the following concepts: Individualism; New Woman;
Consumerism.
10.Read provided chapter of The Great Gatsby. Provide examples of each of the key
words from this chapter.