2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Synthesis of the 1920s, May 17, 2011
This review is from: The Modern Temper: American Culture and Society in the 1920s (Paperback)
This is an excellent synthesis of the 1920s. In The Modern Temper: American Culture and Society in the 1920s, Lynn Dumenil asks how Americans responded to the emerging modern society that was defined by a more diverse and pluralistic culture, the consolidation of economic power, the emergence of a mass consumer lifestyle, and changing values with respect to sexual, religious, and other private realms.
This study of the 1920s reveals a transformation in which America underwent: the country emerged as a distinctively "modern" society and featured political and cultural trends that were to represent the 20th century as a whole. Dumenil argues that Americans were excited about the rise of modernity but that they were also anxious about the changes. Some of the key characteristics of modernity were:
1. An increasingly nationalized and organized society.
2. Reaction against reform.
3. The growth of corporate power.
4. Hostility to federal power.
5. The emergence of a mass consumer lifestyle.
6. Changing values with respect to sexual, religious, and other private realms.
7. Technological advances.
During the 1920s, a debate emerged about the location of power; there was a decline in reform, an expansion of private influence in group politics, and a hostility towards federal intervention in the economy. The period saw the rise of consumer culture, leisure, and self-expression, but these characteristics did not come without tension. For example, Americans reacted negatively to the loss of autonomy at work while they projected key differences over race and class issues. But all embraced consumer culture. Interestingly, women were central to consumer culture as the "New Woman" symbolized modernity itself.
Modernity upset tradition and disrupted stability: some reveled in it while others resisted. The modern era brought about the `acids of modernity' (Walter Lippmann's phrase for the wide-ranging forces that necessitated new modes of thought), which undermined traditional ideas and old ways of understanding the universe, human nature, and human behavior, thus creating an atmosphere of uncertainty, instability, and anxiety. Acutely aware of the transformations taking place, many Americans resisted change while others modernized. Nevertheless, a schism between the new and the old was apparent and often pitted modern science and progress against religion and traditionalism, i.e. the Scopes Trial.
However, the culture of modernity eludes easy generalizations as Americans responded in diverse ways in their interpretation of the new era. Many "old stock" Americans (WASPs), and those representing middle class values, feared what they perceived as a loss of Anglo-American power and community in 1920s America. Linking non-conformist, "un-American" groups with their own negatively perceived aspects of modern society, traditionalists promoted conformity by targeting immigrants, socialists, labor unions, and the racial and religious "other," which they associated with radicalism, the crisis of the cities, and the breakdown of long-established communities. Through anti-radicalism, immigration restriction, prohibition, and the Ku Klux Klan, traditionalists sought to reassert their political and cultural hegemony in order to regain their perceived loss of power. Although Dumenil does not argue this, the reader may find many similarities between the 1920s and today's world.
Finally, the crash of 1929 symbolized a get rich mentality of the era, but, according to Dumenil, that image obscures the tension of the period.
In sum, The Modern Temper: American Culture and Society in the 1920s describes the rise of modernity and the modern American temper, a time when a major cultural transformation took place in the United States.
Although this is an excellent synthesis of the 1920s, the book is not without a few flaws. For example, there could have been more attention given to Mexican-Americans and Asian-Americans. Surprisingly, these groups are rarely discussed. Another issue I had with the book is its lack of attention given to transnational studies -- specifically, how other countries influenced America's development and vice versa. Modernity was not merely an American phenomenon. It swept the Western world overall and gave impetus to the sharing of ideas across borders. As a result, the reader is led to believe, incorrectly, that America developed in a vacuum. Despite these criticisms, Dumenil's history of the 1920s remains one of the best and I recommend it to anyone who seeks a detailed understanding of the rise of modernity and its impact on American culture.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
