Popular Culture: 1900-1919

Popular Culture: 1900-1919 — page 3 — Television wasn’t widely introduced until the 1920s Going to a movie theater was a new experience in the early 1900s since movies were only available to the general public in about 1896 1 Can you imagine what it would have been like to see your first moving picture as they were called then projected onto a big screen Where does popular culture start Popular culture might vary in different countries or there might be trends that appeal to lots of people around the world Sometimes an advance in technology means that an item such as the car will become more affordable This will have an impact on how people live their lives A new car means that traveling to see friends or relatives may become a lot easier Many new cars on the road may also mean traffic jams and an increase in pollution Sometimes trends such as designer fashion start with the elite A new look is then adapted to make it accessible and affordable to the mainstream public The reverse of this might also happen A trend might start with a particular subgroup of people and spread to become widely popular For example ragtime and jazz developed within the

Popular Culture: 1900-1919 — page 4 — African American community During the early 1900s racism among the wealthy social elite and throughout society caused people to view blacks and their culture as taboo However ragtime and jazz soared to popularity among the elite and other groups The appeal of movie theaters spread around the world and they became a key part of popular culture This crowd is waiting to enter a kinema an old spelling of cinema in London England in 1918

Popular Culture: 1900-1919 — page 5 — What was the world like in the 1900s and 1910s The twentieth century started out with Britain being the most powerful nation in the world But by 1919 the world had become a very different place World War I 1914 1918 was on a scale not seen before Age of imperialism At the turn of the century the British Empire was at its height This was the age of imperialism Great Britain under the rule of Queen Victoria had many colonies around the world including India Canada New Zealand Australia and South Africa This meant Great Britain was a strong global influence What was popular in the United Kingdom would be spread around the world to its colonies

Popular Culture: 1900-1919 — page 6 — These British soliders are returning home from fighting in World War I in 1915 Around this time the global influence of the United States began to strengthen It was the beginning of the American Century in which American manufacturing power would overtake the European industrial powers and empires of the United Kingdom Germany and France

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