The ‘20s: Culture, Consumption, and Crash 139for every household in the U.S. The auto boom had significant consequenc-
es for other sectors of the economy too. Cars were made of steel, needed oil
[fuel] to power them, had glass windows, and rubber tires. Autos needed
mechanics with tools to fix them, and autos had to be serviced and refueled
at gas stations. With travel now made much easier, the tourist industry grew,
which made the map-making industry expand. State and local governments
doled out contracts to various companies to build and maintain roads and
highways, and for traffic control. Building and real estate development, mean-
while, moved further away from urban centers because one could now travel
to new places quickly by car. The banking industry did exceedingly well too.
In 1929, about a quarter of families bought cars, with almost two-thirds mak-
ing the purchase on credit, with some interest rates as high as 30 percent. So
the automobile, its associated industries, and debt came to define the American
economy in the 1920s. Overall, the decade was a time of great economic
growth—industrial production rose by 70 percent; the GNP went up by 40
percent; per capita income [money earned per person] rose by 30 percent;
unemployment was very low; prices, both wholesale and retail, were stable
and wages went up by 22 percent while the typical work week declined by 4
percent.
Entertaining the Masses
With more money, available credit, and an advertising industry spending bil-
lions to tell Americans to go out and have fun, while spending more money
than ever, it was almost inevitable that entertainment would become bigger
than ever in the 1920s as well. Amusement had many purposes, for individu-
als and for those in power. For the elite, it was a source of huge profits, and
enabled them to provide entertainment on such a level that it could make
people pay less attention to, or even forget, many of the problems of daily life.
So “mass entertainment” emerged, and it gave Americans reasons to sing,
dance, cheer, laugh, and cry. They spent money and focused on events, songs
and games that were once relatively minor or insignificant. It gave people a
release from the drudgery they might have been feeling or a reason to avoid
the problems in their lives. And it made them spend money, lots of money.
Entertainment power was built on getting the American people to entertain
and amuse themselves as much as possible in this new Capitalism.