Summary: Chapter 10
Page 1: Traffic, Music and Energy
The Roaring Twenties exude a dynamism fueled by the new freedom of the automobile, jazzy radio broadcasts, and the first great rush of liberated female energy
Page 2: Mass Production, with Specialization
The automotive industry leads the way with massive investment in plants and equipment, while corporations focus on efficient management and market consolidation
Page 3: Broadcasting and Business Copies
Almost anyone can afford a radio to liven up the evenings at home, while typewriters and carbon paper improve business record-keeping, and wiring tangles are increasingly visible
Page 4: Finding the Customers
With mass-production in high gear, the new challenge is finding customers to buy all the merchandise, using more sophisticated marketing and subliminal messaging
Page 5: Customer Appeal
Ad agencies use color to lure customers into a breezy new fantasy-world, promising boosted enjoyment and status with the right choices in fashion and accessories
Page 6: Sears is the Original Amazon
The Sears Roebuck gives Americans living on Montana ranches the same choices as sophisticated urban consumers, with a free catalog offering 1,000 pages of stylishly-presented choices
Page 7: Masters of the Universe
Giant corporations need monster financing to grow their empires, while the Supreme Court has difficulty restraining monopolists, and wealth concentrates at the top
Page 8: Meanwhile, back on the Farm
As urban consumers party on, half of Americans are left behind on family farms that can't keep up with changing times, living with increasing anxiety in near-isolation
Page 9: Early Setbacks
The new century begins with a disastrous San Francisco Earthquake triggering a financial panic that is nipped in the bud, while big bankers rush to create the Federal Reserve
Page 10: Senseless Slaughter
European powers reaching for empire get sucked into a numbing war that demonstrates the deadly efficiency of industrial weapons, and kills the party mood
Page 11: America Saves the Day
After three years of bloody stalemate, German submarine attacks finally persuade Americans to join the war in Europe, tipping the balance, and forcing Germany to surrender
Page 12: Celebration, with Ominous Undertones
The American president receives a hero's welcome in Europe, while the Allies insist on punishing Germany, the League of Nations slowly dies, and Bolsheviks grab power in Russia
Page 13: Prohibition Era
Government efforts to finally end the scourge of alcoholism fail, as drinking goes underground, and bootleggers and gangsters move in, while presidents die
Page 14: Party Frenzy
The Roaring Twenties introduce dance marathons, jazz legends, and the first eager wave of women's liberation, while vaudeville and burlesque fill theaters
Page 15: Blacks Gain Grudging Recognition
The Harlem Renaissance reveals the vitality of black writers and entertainers, as the Cotton Club rules Manhattan night life, and southern Blacks come streaming north
Page 16: White Backlash
Whites push back against rising black visibility with a movie sensation that reinforces old stereotypes, triggering a resurgence of the KKK, and an ugly race riot
Page 17: Gasoline Age
Oil drillers make a wild dash to exploit hidden reserves, while the gasoline fuels a lucky transoceanic flight, aerial stunts and the first airlines
Page 18: Movies, Motoring and Sports
Movie entertainment comes of age, as talkies replace silent films, while Americans go wild over prize fights, home runs, winter sports and just plain motoring
Page 19: Transportation Innovations
The Panama Canal link oceans, highlighting America's growing engineering muscle, while river tunnels and gleaming new terminals improve New York rail connections
Page 20: The Sky's the Limit
As the 1920s come to a close, America is riding high on gasoline and modern appliances, with women at the forefront of social change, and Europe finally taking notice