Women felt more confident and empowered, and this new independence was reflected in the new fashions. We have lost sight of what made Britain’s experience of the 1920s unique, argues Matt Houlbrook. Copyright © Historic UK Ltd. Company Registered in England No. Comics such as “Chicks Own”, “Tiny Tots” and “School Friend” were available for children. Why the UK was at its cheeriest in the 1920s By analysing books and newspapers going back to 1825, researchers have concluded that we were … The government ran primary budget surpluses for most of the 1920s. Conservatives are re-elected. What was it like to live in the 1920s? Children’s toys were often homemade. The League of Nations is founded but the United States votes against joining. 1920 in British radio. It was Tuesday, under the sign of Taurus (see birth chart on April 27, 1920).The US president was Woodrow Wilson (Democrat), the UK Prime Minister was David Lloyd George (Liberal), Pope Benedict XV was leading the Catholic Church. Here, he explains why the decade was much more than a time of flappers and frivolity 1920 was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar and a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar, the 1920th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 920th year of the 2nd millennium, the 20th year of the 20th century, and the 1st year of the 1920s decade. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies. The 1920s and ’30s was also the period when radio came of age – ‘wireless’ sets appeared in most people’s houses, bringing global events and organised entertainment into living rooms for the first time. Jan 16 1st assembly of the League of Nations is held in Paris. In 1921, the Irish Free State was declared after a five-year fight for independence from Britain, … Andrew Cavendish, 11th Duke of Devonshire, Nathaniel Fiennes, 21st Baron Saye and Sele, "Robertson, Sir William Robert, first baronet (1860–1933)", "21st July 1920: Expulsions from Harland & Wolff", "Britons are forced to tighten their belts", "Trail-blazers who pioneered women's football", "Go Figure: When was the real baby boom? The attractive, reckless, independent ‘flapper’ appeared on the scene, shocking society with her wild behaviour. Nightclubs, jazz clubs and cocktail bars flourished in the cities. Carrot tops, turnip tops and wooden tops were whipped up and down the streets and pavements as there was little traffic. A woman was running the United States. This lead in turn to the Great Strike of 1926 (see picture below) and, following the US Wall Street crash of 1929, the beginning of the Great Depression of the 1930s. January 2014 marks the the 90th anniversary of Somerset-born politician and social activist Margaret Bondfield becoming the first woman minister in the UK parliament in 1924. The Ford Model T was continuing to sell well in the US . Mar 10 Home Rule Act passed by the British Parliament, dividing Ireland into two parts; it is rejected by the southern counties, where the Ango-Irish war continues for a year. The resulting overproduction causes a collapse in prices, with cotton falling to less than 10 cents a pound by early 1921. The 1920s or the Roaring Twenties was the decade of boom and bust, of flappers and playboys, jazz and the Charleston, Bertie Wooster and the Great Gatsby, the General Strike and Wall Street Crash. Too Much Cotton. The re-introduction of the Gold Standard by Winston Churchill in 1925 kept interest rates high and meant UK exports were expensive. 1920-----Popular Culture 1920. Austin in the UK produced a Austin 20/4 Events from the year 1920 in the United Kingdom. Manufacturers and suppliers of goods needed for the war effort had prospered throughout the war years and become very rich. All this and the lack of investment in the new mass-production techniques in industry led to a period of depression, deflation and decline in the UK’s economy. Historical Events for the Year 1920. For example, the middle-class stay-at-home housewife still changed into her afternoon dress after lunch to receive guests, and many such households had either a live-in maid or a ‘daily’ to help with household duties. There was a fair amount of drug-taking, quite a lot of champagne swilling and no doubt other goings-on too. Football: England | Scotland Compare this re… 6th January » Formation of the Iraqi Army. New construction almost doubled, from $6.7 billion to $10.1 billion. Apr 1, 1920. On January 01, 1920 the UK Prime Minister was David Lloyd George (Liberal). Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is ratified on August 18, giving women the right to vote. Higher interest rates reduced investment and spending. 1st January » The Belorussian Communist Organisation is founded as a separate party. By the mid 1920s the post-war period of prosperity was well and truly over. Germany - Germany - Years of crisis, 1920–23: In its early years the new German democracy faced continuing turmoil. In 1921 the Education Act raised the school leaving age to 14. But the 20’s offered women a chance to break free of the social norms of the past, and women everywhere opted for the new, trendy bob. In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson suffered a debilitating … Real interest rates remained high, throughout the 1920s, until Britain left the gold standard in 1931 and could cut interest rates. Nature study, sewing, woodwork, country dancing and traditional folk songs were also taught. The Treaty of Versailles, quickly labeled “the Diktat” by the German public, galvanized the resentment that had accumulated during the war, much of which was turned back on the republic itself. The Bob hairstyle was an influential and revolutionary hairstyle that became popular in the USA in the 1920s. Pregnant women normally gave birth at home and in a middle-class home, a live-in nurse was often engaged for the two weeks prior and for a month after the birth. Particularly affected areas were the north of England and Wales, where unemployment reached 70% in some places. Mar 28 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak of 1920 affects the Great Lakes region and Deep South states Mar 28 Anton Denkin's White Russian troops defeated by Bolsheviks and Soviets at Novorossijsk on the Black Sea (The British aid Denkin in his escape) Mar 31 British parliament accepts Irish Home Rule law Life in the 1920s and 1930s, the era of the Great Depression, was difficult for many families. It also increased the cost of servicing Britain’s debt. The experiences during the War influenced British society, particularly women. Back in my day: What was school like in the 1940s? Between 1918 and 1920, government spending was cut by 75 percent. ; 9th January » Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922) known as Greco-Turkish War: The First Battle of İnönü, the first battle of the war, begins near Eskişehir in Anatolia. Women over 30 had been given the vote in 1918, and by 1928 this had been extended to all women over the age of 21. One was the health insurance element of National Insurance, introduced in 1911 by Liberal Chancellor of the Exchequer David Lloyd George and expanded throughout the 1920s and 1930s. Sufferers were afflicted with nerve cell destruction, muscle deterioration, and crippled limbs. Following increasing violence the Government of Ireland Act of 1920 is passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom, receives Royal Assent from George V providing for the partition of Ireland into Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland with separate parliaments, granting a measure of home rule. Hair was shorter, dresses were shorter, and women started to smoke, drink and drive motorcars. In the country, pupils at some schools were still practising writing with a tray of sand and a stick, progressing to a slate and chalk as they became more proficient. This was a compulsory insurance scheme for workers in certain industries, though it generally did not cover family members. The British Empire, the largest empire ever in history, reaches its peak of 33 million square miles and a population of 423 million people. The Children’s Encyclopedia was published in eight volumes in 1910 and gives us a fascinating insight into the world of…, Thomas Edward (T.E) Lawrence, more popularly known as Lawrence of Arabia, was born at Tremadoc in North Wales …. Coal reserves had been depleted during the War and Britain was now importing more coal than it was mining. Families were on average smaller in the 1920s than during the Victorian era, with families of 3 or 4 children most common. Aside from the economic recession of 1920-21, when by some estimates unemployment rose to 11.7%, for the most part, unemployment in the 1920s never rose above the natural rate of around 4%. Wodehouse and Nancy Mitford, herself a ‘Bright Young Thing’, portray the ‘Roaring Twenties’ in Britain in their novels. The first y-fronts went on sale in Britain in 1938. Leisure in 1930s Britain. The great age of cinema going in Britain was the 1930s when most people went at least once and sometimes twice a week. 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