Final Honors Paper

Life In Paris, In The 1920’s

By: Malia Bence

Despite the French victory as part of the Allied Powers of World War I, their victory cost them great losses, which then affected the French morale. France, as well as the rest of the world’s countries, entered the “great war” with extreme enthusiasm and views of what the war would be like that consisted of the thought that, the men who served were honorable, brave, and great and the attitude of the people as a whole was similar and they headed strait into the war joyously and excited.

The truth of war was painful and hard to cope with. Their falsely ecstatic mindsets were soon crushed as many of the young soldiers began to return home with serious mental disturbances, injuries or did not return home at all. In the 1920’s the citizens of Paris and the world felt betrayed by their governments and with the experiences of death developed a new morale in which they took on the view of life is too short and began to go out and party more and enjoy the lives that they had. The people of Paris wanted the First World War to be the “der de ders” or the “last of the last” and adopted an anti-war mentality as well.

The main difference in Paris in the 1920’s was the change in the people’s habits and their demand for personal freedom. The people were more lively and full of exhilaration; their behavior was unbridled and exuberant as they transitioned into what seemed to be a carefree time in history. Paris in the 1920’s was a wick for people coming from all places around the globe. Influences came from places such as the United States as expatriate American writers flocked from their hometown to soak up the jubilance of Paris as they wrote and debuted their great pieces of literature. Just a few of these great writers of 1920’s Paris were Gertrude Stein, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Earnest Hemmingway all of which who were also main figures that were part of the “Lost Generation”. The Lost Generation was a group of American writers who gave themselves and even technically their entire generation this title because it defined a sense of moral loss or aimlessness apparent in literary figures during the 1920s. During this time period, Paris was also receiving great influxes of immigration from Italy and Poland.

The 1920’s were a time when the Parisians adopted a more modern lifestyle. For example, it was a time of feminine emancipation. Because most women were alone during ww1, they gained a new status in society and had to take on more responsibilities so as a result, they became more independent after the war. They learned to live in accordance to their aspirations. Some of the more famous women who endorsed and helped move this change forward were, Gertrude Stein, Coco Chanel, and Kiki of Montparnasse.

Along with the rise of independence for women and the Parisians new modern lifestyle came Lesbianism. During the 1920s, opting out of the heterosexual contract and traditional womanly roles was a fundamental condition of artistic identity and professional achievement. Paris was a popular place for lesbians during the 1920’s because France’s Napoleonic Code, which did not criminalize homosexual practices in private between consenting adults (male or female), licensed a way of life that would have been unthinkable in the US. Paris was also very cultured and had a growing population of homosexual men since in the previous years, which drew lesbians to the city.

During the 1920’s in Paris, people knew how to have fun and this was amplified by the fact that the middle class could finally have access to leisure the same as wealthy people. During this time period, people often went out. They would commonly go to music-hall shows (especially the reviews, like Josephine Baker’s who was an American dancer, singer, and actress who found fame in Paris, France). People would also go to Operettas (which were lighter operas in both humor and topic), theatres, and circuses. Another thing that they would like to do was go to the cinema, which was becoming more and more popular at the time.

The consumption emerged during this period with the success of department stores and the institution of correspondence catalogues. The Parisians also began to have a different view on money and the "nouveaux riches", (which were the people who had just become wealthy thanks to the aftermath of the inflation that happened after the First World War). Technologically wise, the TSF (Téléphonie Sans Fil) was created and allowed the society to benefit from the radio at home. In the 1920’s, the car industry was in full development and it completely changed the means of transportation not only for those who lived in Paris, but for the world as well. During this time period it was seen as a symbol of modernity and elegance.

Paris was a watershed of culture during the 1920’s. André Breton introduced the surrealism, which was a literary movement that attracted numerous writers to Paris. Jazz was very fashionable at luxurious parties for the Parisian elite and this contributed to the title that the 1920’s earned, “the jazz age”. This title was more popularly used for the 1920’s in America but still technically used as a title for the time when the introduction of jazz which added to the result of a new cultural movement in not only the United States but in France and England as well.

A new conception of the aestheticism also emerged. It had some impact not only on the painting, sculpture, and design (for example the artistic movement called “Art Deco”), but also on the appearance and more particularly on fashion.

Fashion in Paris in the 1920’s had a huge impact on the world. With the changing overall attitude and blending of gender roles in Paris came a huge shift in the fashion of the people as well. Bouffant hairstyles became short, flat bobs which Coco Chanel popularized, and long, evening gowns became short, above the knee, flapper or “garconne” dresses. The cloche was a type of hat that became very popular in Paris during the 1920’s.

Coco Chanel was one of the most influential fashion icons ever and she made her fashion debut in the 1920’s in Paris. She popularized the use of jersey knit for women’s clothing and the “little black dress”. She elevated the status of both costume jewelry and knitwear and she helped popularize women’s style, shifting from womanly figures with corsets to thin, board-like figures with loose men’s-style clothing. Another important designer was Jean Patou. He also made a huge impact on the fashion world because he used women’s dress fabrics in order to invent the men’s tie. A major reason for the shift in style in the 1920’s was because of the woman’s shift in traditional roles and expectations after the First World War. Women were not only looked upon as a housewife anymore, but as an active and independent woman. They wanted to feel more feminine and like being involved in fashion. The 1920’s were a new opportunity for women to taste a new freedom, which was shown through them cutting their hair, wearing makeup and perfume, smoking in public, and wearing high heels and bare legs which was newly popular at the time as well.

The First World War produced an economic outcome disastrous for all parties, not just for the German losers. The heavy war compensations imposed upon Germany not only were insufficient to fuel French economic recovery, they greatly damaged a Germany which might have become France's leading trade and industrial development partner, thereby seriously damaging France as well. This contributed to the economic crisis of 1929, which had a social and political impact that put an end to this period of lack of concern and “joie de vivre”. On top of the economic issues that lead to the downfall of the jazz age, the French feared the tensions increasing between the states and the rise of the nationalism might lead to another war that no one wanted to happen.