World War II America example essay topic

Between World War I and World War II America went through events in the political, economical and social areas that would change the face of the nation forever. The various eras- World War I, the Roaring Twenties, The Great Depression & the New Deal, and World War II each had separate issues that caused changes in relation to class, gender, domestic and international affairs. Although many of these events were only effective temporarily, others still show a strong influence today. Movements such as woman suffrage, events such as dropping the atomic bomb, and social eras such as The Harlem Renaissance still play an important role in the lives of Americans today. World War I laid the foundations for the political and economical crisis that was soon to follow.

Even before the end of the war, Allies claimed reparations from Germany, whose economy was destroyed. Wilson, after meeting with the Big Four, slowly began to accept the idea of reparations. Once implemented, the American banks were now beginning to profit greatly from loaning to both Germany and the Allies- Germany who had to pay their reparations and fix the infrastructure of the country, France whose infrastructure was destroyed and Great Britain, who had to pay back America for all the ammo and weapons they had bought. Germany entered a never-ending debt cycle- repaying the allies by taking out loans, then repaying the loans by taking out even more loans.

Germany's devastated economy as a new democratic nation that was used to monarchy led to poor democratic governments that always failed. These issues eventually caused the Nazi party to become dominant- and Hitler became leader. The Bolshevik revolution in the 1917 started hatred towards the Communists in America (Eventually leading to the Cold War). The Red Scare that followed the war was a good example of the psychotic mind of the average American. The fear of being overthrown by communists was everywhere. Anyone who publicly opposed the war was immediately thrown into jail.

"Subversive" books were removed from the shelves; feminists were attacked because of their opposition of American intervention in Europe. It was a time of chaos. Once Wilson was out of office, and Harding elected, however, things started to change-The 19th Amendment that was ratified in 1920 marked the end of 100 years of women's struggle for voting rights. The 19th amendment, which guaranteed voting rights for all women, also marked the beginning of an era of reform and the return to "normalcy".

The Roaring Twenties was for many a symbol of excitement, innovation, redefining roles of gender, race and class. Our everyday social life is based on many of the changes that occurred during those years. The technologie inventions of the 1920's, such as the assembly line, commercial radio broadcasting, commercial aviation, increased use of telephones, early computing devices and genetic research are a huge part of our everyday life. New ways to organize labor and administrate the corporate system were being put into use. Farming was becoming mechanized- and the number of farmers dropped by millions. The new concept of mass consumption, or Consumerism, was booming across the country.

Advertisements became a familiar addition to the landscape. New magazines, such as Time or The Reader's Digest were produced. Hollywood became a name that was automatically associated with movies. Sound and color were added to the movies and they became one of the more popular social and leisure events. The definition of motherhood was altered, as mothers now turned to doctors, nurses and teachers for advice and assistance on how to raise their children. "Companionate Marriage" tied the woman into a closer relationship with her husband, and she devoted attention to cosmetics and clothing; the children could not interfere in their marital relationship.

Love had become the main reason for marriage. There was increased enrollment in high schools and colleges, and schools started to provide training in the modern technical skills. What's more, schools started to provide the youth with a setting in which they could develop social patterns, hobbies, interests and activities. The Harlem Renaissance brought jazz & blues, black artists, and African American Pride to the world.

The social life was obviously improving greatly. Even so, the cultural tensions still remained. The conflict between the modern world and the traditional values was intensifying. An attempt at complete Prohibition failed, because it led to organized crime that smuggled in alcohol anyway. The 18th amendment, which prohibited sales and consumption of alcohol in the United States, was eventually repealed in 1933.

The Klan had formed again- now anti-foreign, anti-Catholic, anti-black, anti-Jewish, anti-pacifist, anti-Communist, anti-internationalist, anti-revolutionist, anti-bootlegger, anti-gambling, anti-adultery, and anti-birth control. At its peak it had 5 million members, and a member was voted into Congress, however he was convicted of raping a young secretary and letting her die after she swallowed poison. The Klan's ambition to keep traditional values led to a reign of terror on all those who were not the "right" kind. It died out after a few years, but the fact is that people were still not willing to change their racist public expressions even after the war, where many blacks returned heroes; on the contrary, the racism increased dramatically. Another important Traditionalist vs. Modernist conflict occurred in the religion vs. science area- the modernists tried to adapt religion to science; while traditionalists attempted to show that science is all a result of forces done by God, that the Creation was the true story of evolution. In 1925 it went so far that a law was made in Tennessee that prohibited teaching any theory that denies the story of Creation as told in the bible.

John Scopes, a young Tennessee biology teacher, was arrested because he protested against the new law. Eventually the religious prosecutor was cross-examined, humiliated, and fundamentalists suffered a huge blow- modernists started teaching evolution in schools. Besides cultural tensions, the economic status of the average American dropped drastically after the 1920's boom. Prosperity depended on the few basic industries- automobile and construction, and many people were still living in poverty. Europe cut its imports, the Dust Bowl had hurt the income of many farmers, and stocks were inflating like mad. On the outside it seemed good, since people were making "money", but in reality their dollar had no real value.

Between the years 1928-1929, stock trade rose to over 5 million shares a day, and at times it hit 10 and even 12 million stocks traded daily. Brokers weren't helping, as they offered easy credit to those buying the stocks. In October 1929, the stock prices plummeted, but were followed by temporary recoveries as big bankers started buying stocks to restore public confidence. On October 29th, known as Black Tuesday, the market crashed. People that had invested all their money in stock lost most of their assets, if they had any. Many were left homeless as well.

In an effort to cure the economy, many permanent changes have been made in the base of tax collection, relief foundations, insurance and other economic areas. If the white people were in a bad situation, the African Americans, Mexican Americans and Asian Americans were in for the worst. If they managed to find jobs, the pay was very poor and never fulfilling. As long as whites were out of jobs, they demanded that no colored person will get one, and so most colored people remained jobless. Following the grim situation that the Americans were in was the sprouting of relief foundations- The Salvation Army, Red Cross Kitchens and private charities.

These foundations have lasted since those times and still provide help to the needy all around America. During the Depression, however, many of the relief houses could not keep up with the demand- and many were shut down. To cope with the depression from the Depression, film and radio increased popularity- and funny characters such as the Marx brothers, Mickey Mouse, super-heroes like Superman and the Lone Ranger, and others started to appear on screen and in the radio. President Hoover didn't help much, and he even made things worse by not taking immediate actions to revive the economy.

After Hoover was declined the presidency, and Roosevelt stepped up, the New Deal would bring important permanent economic changes to the Americans. After many ABC Soup programs that brought back employees- such as the Tennessee Valley Authority- and built a large part of the South and West's roads, dams, reservoirs, bridges, railroads, the workers slowly recovered. But the budget was in a huge deficit and the banks were bankrupt- and that had to be fixed. The Glass-Steagall Act, in 1933, gave the government authority to curb irresponsible speculation by banks.

It also established the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. which guaranteed all bank deposits up to $2,500. The 1933 Truth in Securities Act ensured that the market would not fall to such lows- corporations would have to give accurate and full information of their income and expenses to the public. Laborers were starting to gather into unions, and by World War II, over 10 million workers were gathered into unions, after some successful protests, in which the employers recognized the organizations. Maybe one of the most important impacts of the New Deal was the Social Security Act- that guaranteed income for the unemployed and pensions for the elderly. In 1938, towards the end of the New Deal, the administration successfully supported the Fair Labor Standards Act, which established a national minimum wage and a 40-hour maximum workweek, and it also placed strict limits on child labor. The New Deal had established the idea of the "Broker State"- strengthening interest groups so they can compete in the free market.

The government was the mediator for such events. In the 1930's, it was farmers (after years of struggle) and workers (from mass mobilization). Other groups, those too weak to demand assistance or those that could not gain political support- suffered. Those were usually groups that had greater need then the ones that were getting help.

African Americans, for example, were not assisted during the New Deal. However, they found an ally in Eleanor Roosevelt, the First Wife, and African Americans since 1936 have voted Democrat. The fact was that African Americans supported Roosevelt because he was not their enemy. He did not do much to help them, however.

Women achieved only symbolic gains in the New Deal program- such as the first female Cabinet member. The program generally supported the belief that women should give up their jobs to men when times were hard. Like with the African Americans, the New Deal was not actively hostile, yet it did little to stop racial and gender economic inequality (which still exists today). The New Deal left its own legacy in the basis for the federal welfare state, and FDR enhanced the power of the federal government by putting it in front of both the state and local governments. FDR also strengthened the role of the president, as the center of authority in the federal government. Congress lost its power over the control it had on the president in years preceding the New Deal, and finally it established the Democrats as the dominant political party for several decades.

Politically speaking, America of the Post WWI and Pre WWII was practicing trade around the world, and isolationism in regard to wars. America was regarded as the "policeman" of the world, with economic expansion in Latin America, attempting to extend the 1920's disarmament agreement, trying to stop the Japanese from invading China- America was basically protecting their own interests and trying to not get directly involved. Attempts to stay neutral with the Neutrality Acts and "Appeasing" Germany were in vain, as the Second World War had started in Europe. At first, America still tried to practice the same isolationism they had been practicing since World War I. As in WWI, they were selling supplies to Allies, "Blood Money". After the Fall of France in 1940, America started giving increased aid, on the Lend-Lease basis, where the Allies, mainly Britain, would give back any supplies and troops they took once the war had ended. By 1941 America had abandoned its neutrality, and a naval war against Germany had begun.

The Japanese, who had been extending their empire in the Pacific, were eventually embargoed from trade by America after their take-over of China. Pearl Harbor was bombed on December 7th, 1941, killing over 2300 troops. It was the largest attack on American grounds until the bombing of the World Trade Center, September 11th, 2001. America declared war on the Japanese immediately after the attack, and three fronts were opened- namely the Pacific and the European fronts, and the North African front that was fought until 1943.

Perhaps the most important impact of the war was the return to prosperity. Unemployment, deflation and industrial sluggishness had almost vanished completely as the wartime industry was expanded. The federal budget had soared; from $9 billion in 1939 to $100 billion by 1945, and individuals were pumping their income into the banks's agings accounts, which would eventually keep the postwar boom alive for many years. The West received great investments into its economy, as 10% of the federal budget went to improving California- major shipbuilding centers, as well as centers for steel, magnesium and aluminum production. The West eventually turned into the fastest growing region post-war.

Today California is home to a large percentage of the national budget, as well as being the most developed region in the United States. In addition to economic growth, the war saw the biggest technological growth and a huge increase in scientific innovations, due to the government pouring money into military R&D. Although the Germans had made advancements in mechanized armor, using it on tanks, planes and naval machines, and the Japanese had extraordinary naval and air technology- with its sophisticated fighter planes, Americans and British had techniques of mass-production. The automobile assembly line was converted to produce airplanes, tanks, ships and other war machines in much greater numbers then the Germans had. They were working fast on increasing the technology as well, and by late 1942 the Allies had weaponry that was at least as advanced, and more plentiful then those of the Axis. America also developed the radar and sonar, which helped them detect both German u-boats and airplanes that were flying nearby. Anti-aircraft technology was developed, and it stopped the air raids in great numbers.

Successfully capturing a German Enigma encoding device was another piece of technology that helped the Allies win. During the war, many of the minorities were enlisted to fight. African Americans, who were disappointed after World War I, were determined to use the current conflict to make demands to improve their position. They eventually succeeded, though only slightly, when Roosevelt established the Fair Employment Practices Commission to investigate discrimination against blacks in the industries. However, many of the soldiers were sent into combat congregated with whites- and although they usually functioned as cooks or floor-sweepers, the fact that they were on the same boat with white sailors was a great improvement in their status. As bad as Japanese-Americans were being treated for being the enemy, that's how good Chinese-Americans were treated for being an ally.

The Chinese Exclusion Act was repealed in 1943, and racial animosity was on the decline. Perhaps the most remembered event of the Second World War was the dropping of two atomic bombs, one at Hiroshima and one at Nagasaki, in Japan. Development of the bomb began in 1939, when Allies received information that the Germans were taking the first step towards developing such a bomb. Tested at the Trinity site in Alamogordo, New Mexico, the decision to drop the bomb by President Truman was controversial and is still being debated on. On the morning of August 6th, 1945, Hiroshima was bombed, over 80,000 casualties, and Nagasaki was bombed 3 days later, with over 100,000 casualties. September 2nd, 1945 was the surrender date of the Japanese.

Fourteen million troops and over 35 million civilians had perished in this devastating war. The era between World War I and World War II changed the face of America greatly. From the traditional world of religion, hands-off capitalism, modesty, white-male supremacy, emerged a new world- where evolution was taught, radio and movies became the main source of entertainment, where blacks were treated more as equals and less as scum, where women received voting rights and labor benefits, where California became the economic powerhouse. The era has set the economic and social values of which we live by today, as well as many political issues that have recently ended (Cold War) or issues that are still going on today-for example the Mexican illegal immigrant work force. All in all, I believe that the individual triumphs, or collapses, in the class, gender, domestic and international affairs of those times have changed the face of America and set the basis for our everyday lifestyle.