Jazz Age

The Jazz Age describes the period of the 1920s and 1930s, the years between World War I and World War II, particularly in North America, largely coinciding with the Roaring Twenties; with the rise of the Great Depression, the values of this age saw much decline. The focus of the elements of this age, in some contrast with the Roaring Twenties, in historical and cultural studies, are somewhat different, with a greater emphasis on Modernism per se.

Related Topics:
1920s - 1930s - World War I - World War II - North America - Roaring Twenties - Great Depression - Modernism

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The age takes its name from jazz music, which saw a tremendous surge in popularity among many segments of society. Among the prominent concerns and trends of the period include the public embrace of technological developments (typically seen as progress)—cars, air travel and the telephone—as well as new trends in social behavior, the arts, and culture. Central developments included Art Deco design and architecture. A great theme of the age was individualism and a greater emphasis on the pursuit of pleasure and enjoyment in the wake of the misery, destruction and perceived hypocrisy and waste of WWI and pre-war values.

Related Topics:
Jazz - Music - Technological - Progress - Art Deco - Design - Architecture - Individualism - Value

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