This genre intends to provide background information that further contextualizes and clarifies the historical events occurring in and alongside The Great Gatsby.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) is a stock market index that shows how 30 large publicly owned companies based in the United States have traded during a standard trading session in the stock market.
Because the DJIA is based off of 30 of the most influential companies in the U.S. economy, it is a good indicator of general market trends, which then allows us to draw conclusions about the effect of the economy on the social climate of the time.
Because the DJIA is based off of 30 of the most influential companies in the U.S. economy, it is a good indicator of general market trends, which then allows us to draw conclusions about the effect of the economy on the social climate of the time.
The figure above illustrates how the DJIA changed from year to year during the 1920s. It is evident that the averages increased rather steadily from 1920 to 1929, reflecting the economic prosperity that allowed for the decadence and materialism of the Roaring Twenties.
However, it is also evident that the stock market took a dramatic downturn at the end of the '20s, in what is called the Stock Market Crash of 1929. This abrupt economic collapse resulted in the Great Depression (1929-1939).
However, it is also evident that the stock market took a dramatic downturn at the end of the '20s, in what is called the Stock Market Crash of 1929. This abrupt economic collapse resulted in the Great Depression (1929-1939).
Source: http://www.fedprimerate.com/dow-jones-industrial-average-history-djia.htm