KEY IDEA250 i
CHAPTER
30 Social Changes
IN THIS CHAPTER
Summary:The twentieth-century world wars produced two basic responses:
the fi rst, a feeling of skepticism concerning the future and, the second, the
desire to possess the many new products on the market after both wars. In
an attempt to secure a comfortable future for their citizens, Western and
Japanese governments established social welfare systems, particularly for the
aged. Women’s rights increased at the same time that traditional female roles
persisted. A new global culture saw the dominance of Western infl uence.Key Terms
cubism* mass consumerism*
evangelical* National Organization for Women (NOW)*
fundamentalism* New Deal*
Kabuki theater* No theater*
Liberation Theology* welfare state*Society After World War I
During the 1920s, Western society, most noticeably the United States, saw a rise in mass
consumerism, especially in household appliances and in automobiles. The automobile
decreased isolation and also allowed new freedoms for some adolescents in the United
States. Some women turned to fashions that called for shorter skirts and hairstyles and
behavior that allowed freer self-expression.
The movie industry was not only an outlet for artistic expression but also a new source
of family entertainment. Modern painters such as Pablo Picasso combined geometric fi g-
ures with non-Western art styles, particularly African, to create a new style called cubism.
Modern architecture featured the use of concrete and broad expanses of glass.