Roy Lotz's Reviews > Only Yesterday: An Informal History of the 1920's

It is remarkable that one of the most popular works of history written about the 1920s was published in 1931. I can think of no other instance of a history book, written so shortly after the time it covers, still considered one of the definitive works on the subject (except, of course, for Allen’s subsequent book on the 30s). As I read, I was astounded at how well the book held up. It seemed as if it could have been written (sorry about this) only yesterday.

The book is charming for the breadth of Allen’s interest. He covers the political scene, of course—Harding’s brief tenure as president, the Teapot Dome scandal, Coolidge prosperity, and so on. But Allen is at his best when discussing culture, both high and low. He is capable of discussing H.L. Mencken’s prose style as well as the rise in tabloid journalism; and his interests range from crossword puzzles, to religious beliefs, to women’s fashion. The book ends, of course, on a rather uncertain note, as the great bull market finally crashes, leading to economic ruin. Not even Allen could have guessed that the depression would last a decade.

Insofar as the book has a thesis, it is that the 20s represent an enormous break from the past. The rise of radio and car-ownership, among other consumer products, brought about an unprecedented rise in the standard of living. Attitudes towards sex were greatly liberalized (thanks, in part, to the rise in Freudian psychology), while religiousness was on the decline (thanks, in part, to Darwin). The old Victorian value-system of obedient wives and industrious husbands was discredited in the wake of World War I, but there was nothing to take its place save for scientific atheism, uninhibited sex, and the worship of money—or so Allen saw it.

In the book’s closing chapter, Allen seems to sense the pendulum starting to swing the other way. He himself gives the impression that he thought that the 20s had taken things too far in its rejection of tradition, and that a course correction was due. In retrospect, this did happen to a certain extent, as America became more God-fearing and conservative in the 40s and 50s. Be that as it may, the country—and the world—never quite returned to the pre-war world; and even now, a century later, we are searching for salvation in sex, drink, consumerism, science, sensationalist news, novel forms of therapy, and a robust portfolio of stocks.