In the period from 1920 to 1930, commonly referred to as the “Roaring Twenties,” previously established values ​​in American society underwent significant changes, shifting toward materialistic and consumerist ideas. Members of the upper classes lived extravagantly, not realizing that many of them were riding a false prosperity. A wider divide was created between the upper class and the lower class as the rich became richer and the poor became poorer. The money ended up in the hands of opportunists who distributed and sold illegal alcohol. A wealth shift allowed previously poor people to become rich. Women began to rebel against previously established social norms and dressed differently. Racism was widespread during the 1920s, becoming a reason for support for new legislation against other races. The prohibition of alcohol in the 1920s backfired enormously. Alcohol remained present in the “dry” United States. People met secretly in gangster-controlled “speakeasies” and drank alcohol. The introduction of new technologies in communications and transportation such as radio and automobile to the common people was a sign of industrialization. The conditions of American society, customs, law and order began to deteriorate during that period. Consumerism and materialism in the Roaring Twenties were evident in the products and purchasing habits of people during that period. People liked to buy luxury goods to impress others, especially the rich. F. Scott Fitzgerald explores this in the book The Great Gatsby. In the novel, a character named Jay Gatsby throws extravagant parties to impress. The following quote gives an image of such a celebration: “At least once every fortnight a group of restaurateurs came down with several... halves of paper... in the kitchen there was a machine that could extract the juice of two hundred oranges in half an hour if a little button were pressed two hundred times by a butler's thumb. The novel strongly relates the aspect of crime and prohibition in the era. In the novel, racketeers allegedly rigged the 1919 baseball World Series, bribing a Chicago White Sox player to lose a game. It is claimed that Jay Gatsby became wealthy through his involvement with a gangster, Meyer Wolfsheim, where he sold alcohol illegally through the drug stores they acquired. The “Roaring Twenties” were an important era in American history. Major events included prohibition, women's rebellion, consumerism, crime. These events created an era that would have a great effect on the future of American history. The Great Gatsby ties into this by providing fictional accounts of real events.