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cover of episode Sex & Scandal in 1920s Soho
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D
Dan Snow
K
Kate Lister
Topics
Kate Lister: 我探索了1920年代Soho的享乐主义景象，它在战后经济低迷时期兴起，性产业、爵士乐和毒品交易交织在一起，成为当时社会矛盾和道德冲突的缩影。女性在战争期间获得的独立性，在战后并未完全消失，她们在Soho的夜生活中扮演着重要的角色，这引发了社会的道德恐慌。 Dan Snow: Soho地区自古以来就以其独特的魅力和略带不正经的氛围而闻名。一战后，人们试图通过放纵享乐来逃避战争创伤和西班牙流感的影响，Soho地区成为这种现象的中心。爵士乐的兴起和新的舞蹈风格也改变了当时的社会风貌。政府试图通过立法打击毒品犯罪，但由于医生可以开具处方，法律执行存在漏洞。媒体对“毒品女孩”的报道夸大了她们的形象，反映了当时社会对毒品滥用和道德沦丧的恐慌。灿烂张等人物的出现，以及比利·卡尔顿等人的死亡事件，都加剧了这种恐慌。最终，Soho地区的改变并非源于政府的打击，而是由于房地产开发导致的绅士化。

Deep Dive

Chapters
Post-WWI London, especially Soho, became a hub of hedonism due to various factors. The economic hardship and trauma following the war led people to seek escapism in a booming nightlife scene characterized by jazz music and drugs. This era saw the rise of the 'dope girls,' women who both entertained and supplied drugs, adding to the area's notoriety.
  • Post-WWI London's economic hardship fueled hedonism.
  • Soho's labyrinthine structure facilitated illicit activities.
  • Jazz music and drugs thrived in Soho's nightlife.
  • 'Dope girls' played a significant role in Soho's underworld.

Shownotes Transcript

When and why did Soho become a hedonistic hotspot, the home of sex, drugs and music?

Kate is Betwixt the Sheets with Dan Snow to talk about post-WW1 London - when a dark underworld of shady characters are soundtracked by an exploding jazz scene, fuelled by a roaring drugs trade.

At the heart of it are the so-called 'dope girls'. Women who fascinated and appalled society in equal measure. 

How did a post war mindset influence the 1920s? How did the press react to all the scandal?  And, who were some of the major players involved?

Historic Soho has been brought to life in the new BBC show Dope Girls, which tells the story of Soho when female gangs ran the nightclubs after the First World War. You can watch it on BBC iPlayer now.

You can listen to Dan's podcast, Dan Snow's History Hit here.)