The Years of Uncertainty Revolutions in Science, Literature, Philosophy, Art, Music, Women s Roles, Transportation and Communication change the world!
Science Albert Einstein Theory of relativity The speed of light is constant (186,000 miles per second) so, as moving objects approach the speed of light, measuring time and space become relative. This shook the way people saw the world they became less certain about it.
Science Sigmund Freud Much of human behavior is irrational (beyond reason) so to understand it, look at the unconscious part of the mind to understand people s actions. Analyze dreams helped to understand people s behavior His ideas were controversial because they weakened faith in reason, but they gained much influence
Brutality of World War I caused writers, philosophers, artists, and musicians to question accepted ideas about reason, progress, and what was acceptable. Forces affecting writers and philosophers Disillusionment Despair Fear of the future Doubts about religious beliefs
Writers TS Eliot Poet, playwright western society lost its spiritual values Post war era was a wasteland Ex-patriate
Writers William Butler (WB) Yeats Poet, playwright Second Coming things fall apart
Writers Franz Kafka Fiction writer Absurd, surreal writing Characters in books caught up in threatening situations that they couldn t understand or get out of
Writers James Joyce Poet, playwright Developed modern novel Stream of conscious type writing reflecting Freud s ideas about the unconscious Wrote the novel, Ulysses
Philosophers--Existentialism Reaction to Uncertainty Search for meaning in uncertain world led some thinkers to believe there was no universal (one truth for all) meaning in life Each person creates meaning through the choices they make and the actions they take (Remember existentialists are concerned with reason/meaning of existence)
Existential Writers/Philosophers Jean-Paul Sartre More or less the founder of existentialism Everyone born into different circumstances so there are endless possibilities to find meaning to life
Friedrich Nietzsche Critical of religion, morality modern culture Focused on paradox Wanted society to get away from reason, democracy and progress. Wanted society to focus on pride, strength, and individual action His ideas had a big impact on politics in Italy and Germany in the 20s and 30s
Revolution in the Arts Artists New direction in painting started before WWI but continued to evolve afterwards The horrors of the war, the disillusionment, the rebellion against tradition and authority continued. New art forms surrealism (dreams and unordinary art forms), expressionism, and cubism developed
Artists--expressionism Paul Klee
Artists--Expressionism Wassily Kandinsky
Artists--Cubism Georges Braque
Artists--Cubism Pablo Picasso
Artists--Surrealism Salvadore Dali
Music composers try new styles Movement away from traditional styles in classical and popular music Ballet Orchestra Emergence of Jazz in America
Music Igor Stravinsky ballet Rite of Spring Irregular rhythms and dissonances (harsh combinations of sound)
Music Arnold Schoenberg Composer who created new sounds for the orchestra and string quartet Rejected traditional harmonies and musical scales
Music Origins of Jazz New popular music style originated in the US Developed mostly by African-American musicians in New Orleans and moved north along Mississippi during huge population migration Lively, loose beat, where musicians often improvise as they play seemed to capture the new freedom of expression of this time
Effects on Society Changing women s roles Technology advances improve quality of life Automobile alters society Airplanes transform travel Radio and Movies dominate entertainment
Women in Society World War I changes women s roles as they worked in factories and earned money and more freedom Earned right to vote (women s suffrage) Changes clothing styles to that of less restrictive dress Altered hair style cut short Pursued careers in medicine, journalism, education, and other professions Spoke out in public for other freedoms
Margaret Sanger Advocate for Women s Choice (Abortion Rights) Emma Goldman Advocate for Women s Rights (More Radical Views)
Technology Science adds medicines Improvements in transportation Improvements in communication Changes in entertainment
Transportation The Automobile Improvements electric starters Air-filled tires Powerful engines Headlights and bumpers Factories produce more vehicles Cost of vehicles drop (affordable to more people
Transportation The Automobile Lifestyle changes Opened up travel for pleasure New business develop that are devoted to tourists Affects where people live and work (commuting) Creates demand for more/better roads/highways
Transportation The Airplane International travel increases after war Trans-Atlantic flight becomes reality Record setting flights (Lindbergh) Air travel is available first only to the wealthy Aviators become heroes to public
Lindberg s Spirit of St. Louis in flight--1927
Transportation the Airplane Amelia Earhart 1 st woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Lost on flight in 1937
Communication Radio Invented by Marconi in 1895 First wide spread use in WWI (military) Public broadcasting begins in 1921 Immediate success across US Every major city had stations (news, sports, plays) Most families purchase one
Early radios
Communication Motion Pictures (Movies) Film making industries spring up in 1920s World wide phenomenon Europe serious art form US entertainment Charlie Chaplin King of Silent Films Talkies develop in late 1920 s
Impact of These Changes World gets closer as transportation and communication speed up and become common Global prosperity depends on economic well being of all major nations especially the United States