Postwar Uncertainty (Ch. 15, Sec. 1)

New Scientific Theories Challenge Old Beliefs • • • • World War I caused many to question religious faith (fear of uncertain future) Writer T.S. Eliot described the postwar world as lacking hope and faith Einstein’s Theory of Relativity (space and time not constant) challenged Newton’s absolute laws of motion & gravity Freud’s theory of unconscious, irrational behavior attacked the idea of reason/choice

New Ideas/Styles in Philosophy, Art, and Music • • • • Sartre and Nietzsche believed in existentialism (meaning through choice & action) Cubism transformed natural shapes into geometric shapes (Picasso) Artists rebelled against realism and turned to surrealism (above or beyond reality) Jazz , which originated in the US, gained popularity across the US and Europe

Changes in Women’s Lives/Roles

• • • • • Women gained right to vote in most democratic nations Women wore less restrictive clothing (no more corsets) They continued to work outside the home in careers (still responsible for family) Cut their hair short (bobbed) and began to wear makeup Drove cars, and drank & smoked in public

New Technologies in Transportation and Entertainment • • • • Automobiles became a part of everyday life (commute to work, vacation, travel) People began to travel by airplane (passenger airlines catered to the rich) Radio became an important form of family entertainment (news, sports, weekly shows) Movies (first silent, then with sound) became another popular form of entertainment