The Birth of the Modern.

At the turn of the century a growing middle class, composed primarily of men and women in management and service jobs, was gaining prominence in American life. With the rise of bigger, more-efficient businesses, the triumph of the automobile, and the growth of national magazines, the broad characteristics of twentieth-century America fell into place. Americans grew more prosperous, more mobile, and more alike in their tastes and habits — all of which seemed like progress. One reason for their growing similarity was the national magazine. Although there was a vast array of magazines in nineteenth-century America, none of them commanded a particularly large audience of readers. In the 1910s, however, thanks to a combination of innovations in printing, mailing, and advertising, some magazines began to approach circulations of one million or more. The most successful of these magazines...