The attractive, reckless, independent ‘flapper’ appeared on the scene, shocking society with her wild behaviour. Hair was shorter, dresses were shorter, and women started to smoke, drink and drive motorcars. Women felt more confident and empowered, and this new independence was reflected in the new fashions. Women over 30 had been given the vote in 1918, and by 1928 this had been extended to all women over the age of 21. During the war, many women had been employed in the factories, giving them a wage and therefore a certain degree of independence. The experiences during the War influenced British society, particularly women. Both authors politely poke fun at the socialites and upper classes, but their novels give a good idea of the heady days of the 1920s. Wodehouse and Nancy Mitford, herself a ‘Bright Young Thing’, portray the ‘Roaring Twenties’ in Britain in their novels. Perhaps they felt a need to enjoy life to the full, because so many other young lives had been lost on the battlefields of Flanders. This generation had largely missed the war, being too young to fight, and perhaps there was a sense of guilt that they had escaped the horrors of war. The hedonistic lifestyle portrayed in books and films such as ‘The Great Gatsby’ was perhaps for some, an escape from reality. Nightclubs, jazz clubs and cocktail bars flourished in the cities. For the ‘ Bright Young Things’ from the aristocracy and wealthier classes, life had never been better. Manufacturers and suppliers of goods needed for the war effort had prospered throughout the war years and become very rich. The First World War had ended in victory, peace had returned and with it, prosperity.įor some the war had proved to be very profitable. What was it like to live in the 1920s? The 1920s, also known as the ‘Roaring Twenties’, was a decade of contrasts.
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