Females advanced in the work force as more women began to get hired for office jobs. They also gained several rights and a freer lifestyle.

In 1920, the 19th Amendment was passed in the United States, granting suffrage to women. Four years later, in 1923, women living in Great Britain also gained a step forward. The Matrimonial Causes Act was put into force. This meant that in the event of a divorce, both spouses were regarded as equals.

In the 1920's the world experienced several revolutions in areas such as music and new scientific discoveries. People seemed to be taking part in this "change" as well. For instance, women adopted new fashion standards (usually more casual) and beliefs. For women, hair was cut shorter (sometimes the Eton crop) and clothing changed drastically, becoming shorter and less "covering." So revolutionary were these changes that in 1925, the Archbishop of Naples pointed a blaming finger at short skirts. He believed that they were the cause for an Italian earthquake. More liberty was granted to women when advancements in technology created cars with electric self-starters. They would no longer have to hand-crank them or have the assistance of a male.

The flapper, a sign of the 1920's, characterized the changes that were occurring in the decade. Flappers were young ladies, usually dressing in the styles described in the paragraph above. Some were also known to be cigarette-smokers and cosmetics-wearers.

Following the first world war, the U.S. took on what was known as "The Noble Experiment," or Prohibition. With the passage of the 18th Amendment to the Constitution in 1919, the selling, creating, and moving of alcoholic beverages was made illegal in the U.S. Intended to lessen the "evils" of alcohol, the movement created new ones instead. For instance, organized crime escalated, and notorious names such as Al Capone appeared.

People began to look for other ways of obtaining alcohol, despite the established law. Although it was a dangerous practice, they began to make their own drinks with wood alcohol and medical supplies, sometimes causing blindness, paralysis, or even death. Others began to sell alcohol illegally in speakeasies. In New York City during the 1920's, there were some 32,000 of these businesses operating. The source of real alcohol was obtained by smuggling it in from Mexico, Canada, and the West Indies. This trade, known as bootlegging, became quite profitable. Many of those who worked for the law did not help to rid of these problems, as they were able to make a little extra cash through bribes. Alphonse "Scarface" Capone (1899 - 1947) was one of these influential bribers. He virtually controlled the city of Chicago, and in 1927, he and his band made $60 million by bootlegging. He was finally sent to jail in 1932. His charge: not killing, but tax evasion. He would die in 1947 after suffering from syphilis.

Before serving time in prison, however, he had a few matters to handle. The Valentine's Day Massacre, which took place on February 14, 1929, was one of the many outcomes of organized crime during the 1920's. On that day, "Bugs" Moran, who was Al Capone's biggest competition, had some followers waiting for him at a designated meeting place. But before Moran ever got there, Capone's "police-dressed" men murdered them. Scarface was not present at the time, however. He was in Florida.

As for Prohibition, the 18th Amendment was repealed in 1933, when the 21st Amendment was put into action. It had not been such a "noble" experiment after all.

Benito Mussolini (1883 - 1945) was born on July 29, 1833. The journalist/teacher would have five children with his wife Rachele Guidi. As leader of Italy, he would go on to become Europe's first fascist dictator. (A fascist government is one in which a race or nation is placed before the individual.) Mussolini first came to power as Prime Minister of Italy. Feeling that Italy had not been compensated adequately after World War I (the country was given only a few small territories), he received his position by threatening to carry out a "March on Rome." Wishing to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, King Vittorio Emanuele III (or King Victor Emmanuel III) summoned Mussolini to Rome and asked him to become Prime Minister in 1922. In October of the same year, Benito Mussolini and his 22,000 supporters, or Black Shirts, marched into Rome. In 1925, he became Il Duce or the leader;Italy was now under a dictatorship. The former journalist/teacher's rise to power gave Great Britain and France new hopes for European peace. They were, unfortunately, mistaken.

Benito Mussolini did, however, reform his country for the better in more ways than one. During his reign he created new plans that helped industrial and agricultural production in Italy. In 1935, however, the nation invaded Ethiopia and gained control of the country. Mussolini did not enter World War II until mid-1940, and when he did, he faced several losses. Eight years later, the same king who gave Mussolini his power would strip him of it.

While King Victor Emmanuel was working on a cease-fire, or armistice, with the Allies, Mussolini (with the help of Germany) put together a puppet Social Republic in the northern part of his country. Mussolini and Clara Petacci, his mistress, were killed by partisans on April 28, 1945, when the two tried to flee to Switzerland.

In 1922, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869 - 1948), better known to his followers as Mahatma, or "great soul," was sent to jail. His offense: resisting to accept British control of India. He carried out his protest by writing three articles against British rule in Young India, his journal. The pacifist and his followers used non-violent tactics and civil disobedience as means of protest. The India Act of 1919 was established so that Britain could eventually grant self-government to India. Although the act was a step forward, many Indians believed that change was not happening at a progressive rate.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869, and assassinated by Nathuram Godse on January 30, 1948. Before his death he had studied law in London and practiced in South Africa.

On April 15, 1920, a guard named Alessandro Berardelli and paymaster Frederick A. Parmenter were robbed and killed by gunmen. The two, who were employees of Slater and Morrill, a South Braintree, Massachusetts, shoe factory, were holding two containers of payroll (around $15,773.59).

An investigation took place and Italian immigrants Nicola Sacco, a shoemaker, and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, a fish peddler, were taken into custody. Although not much evidence was found, police discovered that both were carrying guns. Sacco also had in his possession a paper advertising an anarchist gathering. His gun, which matched the one that had been used in the killings, was proven to be the murder weapon in 1961. There was no evidence, however, that Sacco had used it during the crime.

Regardless of whether they had really committed the crime or not, many people around the world felt that the two Italian immigrants had not received a fair trial. What the two did receive, in their opinions, was prejudice. Sacco and Vanzetti had been mistreated for their heritage, World War I draft dodging, and anarchist beliefs. Despite Celestine Madeiros, a criminal on death row, admitting to being a part of the crime, the trial ended on July 14, 1921, and Sacco and Vanzetti were sentenced to death. They were electrocuted on August 23, 1927.

Fifty years after the execution of Sacco and Vanzetti, Michael Dukakis, the governor of Massachusetts, acknowledged that the two immigrants had not received a fair trial. On August 23, 1977, their names were cleared.