From the Depression to WWI, and From Jazz to Swing

Arts and culture:

The evolution of jazz to swing

The smooth jazz tunes of the 1920’s begin to evolve into faster more consistent sounds labeled as swing music. A continued widespread use of the radio worldwide provided an original form of mass media. A huge variety of classic films were developed (over 50) including The Wizard of Oz, Gone With the Wind, and Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. The Empire State Building was built in 1931, which would be labeled as the tallest building in the world for the next 35 years. The artistic movement towards Social Realism utilized imagery to display socio political meaning.

The ever famous Empire State Building construction lunch break photo shot by Lewis Hine

Science Technology and Ideas
The first frozen foods were sold in Massachusetts. The first color/sound cartoon titled Fiddle sticks was created. Air Mail service across the Atlantic Ocean set sail. RCA developed the first long-playing phonograph record. Kodachrome is invented, being the first color film made by Eastman Kodache. Wide band frequency modulation radio invented by Edwin Armstrong in 1933. Nuclear fission is discovered in 1939.

Social Change
The largest stock market crash in U.S. history occurred in 1929, followed by a time period known as the Great Depression. World wide, Authoritative governments began to form in response to the U.S. economic downturn. Stronger world powers began to emerge in certain areas. Colonization of smaller weaker states led to the exploitation of those weaker citizens and their countries raw materials. Rise of nationalism prior to World War II.

MARGARET BOURKE-WHITE—TIME & LIFE PICTURES, During the Great Ohio River Flood of 1937, African Americans line up in Louisville Kentucky seeking food, water, and clothing.

War, Politics, and Nature
Civil war erupted in China and in Spain backed by communist vs. anticommunist governmental regimes. Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers Party rose to power in Germany. Franklin D. Roosevelt is elected President of the United States. Roosevelt initiates a widespread social welfare strategy called the “New Deal” to combat the economic and social devastation of the Great Depression.