1920s – A Business Boom

• Kansas City = nations first shopping center• A&W Root Beer = first fast-food chain restaurant• Advertising became big business

Consumer Economy:

• An economy based on people buying a lot of stuff

• Depends on a large amount of buying by consumers

What drove Growth? • Advertising, new products, lower

costs & credit led to a business boom

Credit/Installment plans

• 60% of all cars

• 70% of all furniture

• 80% of all radios, refrigerators

• 90% of all washing machines

• Cheaper Power

• New appliances & housing boom quadrupled demand for electricity

Henry Ford & The Model T• Assembly Line – a manufacturing process where

each worker has a specialized task in the end product