With spare time on my hands and not much on the limited TV programs I have available I have been watching a lot of old documentaries on You Tube. These films range from the turn of the twentieth century up till the sixties. This is a great big range covering a lot of territory. Even though these times included bad working conditions, industrial captains, world wars, depression, nuclear weapons, huge technical changes. This time also includes what many people think of as the good old days.
The reason I am calling this post Smoke Comin' Out as this is a common denominator in this time frame. Smoke was coming out of industry, trains, cars, planes, houses, buildings and people too. This time period also includes the creation or development of what we are now calling and has been called for years the middle class. This Holy Grail that everybody wants and seems so elusive these days.
We all want these "Leave It To Beaver" lives. Dad works at some obscure office and never drags a bad day home to the pretty wife who takes care of the home front. A nice middle class neighborhood, house and car. The common appliances of the day. Not too much but not lacking as well. Weekends at home and enough money to have the right stuff but not too excessive. Thrifty but all the right bases without any seemingly bad habits.
While these were the role models and goals life wasn't always so innocent. But for the most part people long for these days. Even if any day would be a nuclear bomb dropped on you at any time. Manufacturing jobs were nearly always available and resources were cheap. Without skipping to the beginning and the start of the end of the middle class I will go back to the beginning of the twentieth century as I gathered through the films.
The beginning of the twentieth century seen the United States with probably a majority living in rural or small towns. Although a lot of cities were growing rapidly with immigrants from Europe and other locations. Since the end of the American Civil War the Industrial Revolution was in motion as well. In my opinion it is remarkable to see the items that were produced in that time period. As most of us were brainwashed to think that The US after The Civil War was just everybody playing cowboy and Indians. In my opinion this was a time of a great advancement in manufacturing and technology.
At the beginning of this century working conditions were rough and not even conceivable by today's standards. Most of the working class could expect to live to their forties or fifties. The hours were long and hard. When labor laws were introduced working conditions improved. Although it was very much work.
After the Spanish-American War in 1898 the US sort of took on a world standing. During the First World War The US was a late player and profited greatly though sales to the warring factors. Although after the war there was an economic recession and it smoothed out around 1920.
Technology was really moving at this time. A major change was a shift to consumer products. As companies had factories producing items, new items that could be used in the individual home. Automobiles were also a very large player at this time. Both the autos and consumer items were available through another new thing. Consumer credit. Almost all the new items were purchased on credit. But it was OK because you could just take it out of your check every week. The Eighties and Twenties have a lot of similarities to me.The Roaring Twenties. Until the Stock Market failed along with banks. People were wiped out. Out of jobs, homes, money and food.
During the 1930s a socialization program got things going again. Although many of the rich were still rich as they always were. The lower working classes took on the brunt of the tragedy. The 1930s was smoothing out with a recession or two. Take some time to look at the movies of the old factories from the 1910s till the 1940s. These people worked hard. And for the most part were glad to do so.
World War II is probably the ending factor of The Depression. The whole nation was working and doing an all out effort. Which I do not think could be accomplished today. So you have a generation that grew up from the prosperity in the 1920s, to depression in the 1930s to war in the 1940s.
Even though the 1930s were rough a lot of technical milestones were achieved. Mass production and automation was coming of age. As most people had left the family farms they got jobs at factories. Which were again focusing on consumer products. The suburbs were expanded to not only include the wealthy but this new middle class. You know. You have a little house with water and electricity, refrigeration, washer and dryer, stove and furnace. You were hitting. Again, you are no longer poor but middle class. Maybe even with an office job. Everything cool with smoke comin' out.
I think that the end of the middle class was starting as it was beginning. There was not a creation but a raising of the lower class. A better lifestyle for people that went through a lot. Although the US was not damaged as Europe and the rest of the world in WW 2.
Technology and overproduction was working these people out of a job. Layers of administration and labor were becoming unnecessary as machines could do this operation. But for a while it could be absorbed by companies making a lot of money.
When environmental awareness started happening people were starting to think twice about the resources and the impact of pollution as a by product. The party was really starting to end in the sixties but everybody just carried on.
So do not believe me. Check out these old films yourself.
