Why Is Prohibition Important In The Great Gatsby

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The Jazz age or as everybody knows the roaring twenties, was the time period of which The Great Gatsby took place. This time period has very similar characteristics that are found in the book. Such as, all the prosperity and economic growth that is going on throughout the novel. In fact, the Jazz Age was really important in history as it lead to improvements in the standards of living, economic growth, and of course the notorious Great Depression. During the 1920’s, many consumer goods were being marketed by advertisers and salesmen who in turn promoted their products as a way of satisfying Americans’ psychological desires and everyday needs. As a result, this lead to a rise in demand for many type of goods, such as, vacuum cleaners, washing machines, and refrigerators. In fact according to Erik Foner, “consumer goods of all kinds proliferated… Frequently purchased on credit through new installment buying plans, they rapidly altered daily life.” American life was dramatically getting better. Even though prohibition was in effect, there was one main product that replaced alcohol, and that was Coca-Cola. This product even became the symbol of American life in the 1920’s. Many Americans spent most of their income on leisure activities like vacations, movies and sporting events since they made so much money. But, how …show more content…
8 days later the stock market crashed and signified the beginning of the Great Depression. The stock market wasn’t the only thing that sparked the great depression (The Great Depression). Other factors involved were real-estate speculation in Southern California and Florida, highly unequal distribution in money and depression in farm regions, and finally The European economy was getting better so demand for American goods declined. This period was so bad that the Rockefeller family, the richest family in America, lost four-fifths of their