How did writers and artists express new ideas during the 1920s?

Changes in Art

Cinema

Avant-garde films, such as those by Jean Renoir, broke new ground in film technique and storytelling. Renoir’s masterpiece, Grand Illusion, reveals the romantic notions of war to be lies. Instead, World War I is depicted as a cruel and senseless conflict.

Art

The Dada movement challenged artistic boundaries. Many of its adherents, including Marcel Duchamp, enjoyed causing a scandal as much as creating an artwork. For the piece shown here, entitled Fountain, Duchamp merely removed a urinal from a wall and scribbled "R. Mutt, 1917" on the side. Duchamp encouraged artists to break away from conformity.

The Surrealist movement, led by Salvador Dalí, encouraged people to revive their imaginations. His works, including the 1938 painting Apparition of a Face and Fruit Dish on a Beach, incorporated elements of fantasy and dreams.

Architecture

The Bauhaus school of architecture was probably the most famous style of the modern era. Bauhaus architects emphasized geometric shapes and primary colors in their works. The leaders of Bauhaus also insisted that designs be functional rather than decorative, unlike the Romantic works from before World War I. Because many Bauhaus architects were Jewish, the German government considered the Bauhaus style subversive.

Photography

Many modern artists turned to photography to express the modern world. Although photography appears to have little in common with the fantastic images of surrealism, both styles attempted to show how the new world was different from the old. Many modern photographers took documentary photos of the effects of the Great Depression. Dorothea Lange's Depression-era photographs from the American heartland remain poignant memorials to a proud but struggling people.

Music

By combining African American music with rhythmic dance music and unconventional instruments, jazz musicians created a vibrant soundtrack to the modern age. Jazz music, perhaps more than any other art form, clearly symbolized a break with the past.

the articles of confederation only set up the continental congress at the federal level. there were no executive or judicial branches except within the states. the states were allowed to keep every right that was not specifically given to congress. the bonding of the states was through a 'firm league of friendship' that best served as a defense agreement against invasion. states were not allowed to use taxes as a way to discourage treaties, and states were extremely limited in their dealings with foreign nations.

not many historians today talk about the strengths of the articles of confederation, likely because of how unpopular the document quickly became. the articles did set the legislative body, congress, as the highest power in the nation because of the fear of monarchy. congress had the sole power to declare war, assign treaties, entertain foreign relations, and operate post offices. disputes between states and territorial issues were to be brought to congress. the document also stipulated that canada was allowed to enter the union if they desired.

there were more weaknesses than strengths under the articles of confederation. the lack of power given to the continental congress strangled the federal government. the articles gave congress the power to pass laws but no power to enforce those laws. if a state did not support a federal law, that state could simply ignore it. congress had no power to levy taxes or regulate trade. without a federal court system or executive leader, there would be no way to enforce these laws, either. amending the articles of confederation would also require a unanimous decision, which would be extremely difficult.