BUSINESS AND GOVERNMENT ★^789seek freedom within the confines of the home, finding “liberation,” according
to the advertisements, in the use of new labor- saving appliances.
BUSINESS AND GOVERNMENT
The Retreat from Progressivism
In 1924, a social scientist remarked that the United States had just passed
through “one of the most critical ten- year periods” in its history. Among the
changes was the disintegration of Progressivism as a political movement
and body of thought. The government’s success in whipping up mass hyste-
ria during the war seemed to undermine the very foundation of democratic
thought— the idea of the rational, self- directed citizen. Followers of Sigmund
Freud emphasized the unconscious, instinctual motivations of human behav-
ior; scientists pointed to wartime IQ tests allegedly demonstrating that many
Americans were mentally unfit for self- government. “The great bulk of people
are stupid,” declared one advertising executive, explaining why advertisements
played on the emotions rather than providing actual information.
In what ways did the government promote business interests in the 1920s?(Left) Advertisers marketed cigarettes to women as symbols of female independence. The
August 27, 1925 cover of Life magazine shows a young man and a young woman dressed
identically at the beach in revealing bathing suits (by 1920s standards), both enjoying ciga-
rettes. (Right) An ad for a washing machine promises to liberate women from the “slavery”
of everyday laundering at home.