<P> Most independent countries enacted women's suffrage in the interwar era, including Canada in 1917 (though Quebec held out longer), Britain in 1918, and the United States in 1920 . There were a few major countries that held out until after the Second World War (such as France, Switzerland and Portugal). Leslie Hume argues: </P> <Dl> <Dd> The women's contribution to the war effort combined with failures of the previous systems' of Government made it more difficult than hitherto to maintain that women were, both by constitution and temperament, unfit to vote . If women could work in munitions factories, it seemed both ungrateful and illogical to deny them a place in the polling booth . But the vote was much more than simply a reward for war work; the point was that women's participation in the war helped to dispel the fears that surrounded women's entry into the public arena . </Dd> </Dl> <Dd> The women's contribution to the war effort combined with failures of the previous systems' of Government made it more difficult than hitherto to maintain that women were, both by constitution and temperament, unfit to vote . If women could work in munitions factories, it seemed both ungrateful and illogical to deny them a place in the polling booth . But the vote was much more than simply a reward for war work; the point was that women's participation in the war helped to dispel the fears that surrounded women's entry into the public arena . </Dd> <P> In Europe, according to Derek Aldcroft and Steven Morewood, "Nearly all countries registered some economic progress in the 1920s and most of them managed to regain or surpass their pre-war income and production levels by the end of the decade ." The Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Greece did especially well, while Eastern Europe did poorly . In advanced economies the prosperity reached middle class households and many in the working class . with radio, automobiles, telephones, and electric lighting and appliances . There was unprecedented industrial growth, accelerated consumer demand and aspirations, and significant changes in lifestyle and culture . The media began to focus on celebrities, especially sports heroes and movie stars . Major cities built large sports stadiums for the fans, in addition to palatial cinemas . The mechanization of agriculture continued apace, producing on expansion of output that lowered prices, and made many farm workers redundant . Often they moved to nearby industrial towns and cities . </P>

What were the years between the wars like