1945: The Most Significant Changes In American History

During the past years of the 1900s many factors have happened that resulted in the change of the United States history and future. It changed the everyday lives of Americans of how they survived and supported themselves and their family, in both positive and negative ways that affected them daily. For instance, the political affairs of the government and the election of candidates for certain parties like democratic or republican can affect the history of the country, on how the government or Congress passed laws that were of equal protection to its people and how it helps benefit both civilians and the nation itself. On social occasions this could affect the United States

As a young woman that has experienced both World Wars, I can now say that World War II has altered the manner of the U.S. World War II was the most widespread and deadliest war in history and there were two sides of the war, the Allies (United States, Great Britain, France, USSR, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Greece, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, South Africa, and Yugoslavia) against the Axis Powers (Germany, Japan, Italy Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria). Our involvement began in 1941 with Japan’s aggressive attack on Pearl Harbor, a naval base in Hawaii and ended in 1945 with a win by the Allies, bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki. During and after the war, I strongly believe that the United States changed for the better with strong heros like Richard Winters and Ira Hayes, an economic boom, and women entering the workforce.

World War Two brought about extreme changes to the United States. In many ways it changed how Americans acted and thought about themselves, thus making a statement to rest of the world. Moreover, World War Two strengthened the United States, and Federal Government. The Government took control of entire industries, According to Bernstein, “military leaders acted from a mixture of motives and attitudes—a desire to control the economy to guarantee military-supply programs” (Bernstein, 1967). They fixed Americans wages, rent, rationing of food, and other supplies.

Even though the United States emerged as a clear victor of World War I, many Americans after the war felt that their involvement in the conflict had been a mistake (Markus Schoof, “The American Experience During World War II,” slide 3). This belief, however, did not deter the country from engaging in many other international affairs in the future, most importantly the WWII and the Cold War. Right from the Manifest Destiny, which led to expand its empire at home and abroad, to the World War I, the country had come a long way from being somewhat a lonely-land to a global superpower of the 20th century. Its influence in the international arena grew unprecedently after its commitment to the World War II, and like they say, the rest is history. If the WWII was a resounding success to the American legacy, what followed, the Cold War, put many implications on the American diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union and to the world. Although the rising Fascism in Europe and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor drove the U.S. to enter the WWII, historians over the years have laid equal blames on both nations for starting the Cold War. These two events helped in shaping up many domestic and foreign policies for the U.S.

From 1940 to 1980 there were many significant events that shaped America. Events in history are not defined by how they actually happened but how they were interpreted. Be it by the people of that land or other lands looking in. In what ways do people receive the important news? News comes through media outlets such as radio, newspaper and television. Americans especially tend to take things at face value. “This information must be true, I read it in a newspaper.” In 1941 Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and in the coming weeks thanks to newspaper, men and underage boys were lined up in a fury ready to serve their country and the United States declares war on Japan. In the same year Hitler declares war on the United States. The United States drops the Atomic bomb and Japan surrenders.

East Asia was an important region of American influence; its strategic location, with its trade routes, for example, had the potential to offer the US a strong foothold in the Pacific region and the upper hand over the Soviet Union. As a result, the use of the atomic weapons in Japan was a significant issue between Russia and the United States; as put in A People’s History of the World, the American decision to use the nuclear bomb against Japan in August 1945 “was clearly motivated, at least in part, by a desire to show Stalin the enormity of the destructive power at its disposal.” The US had already developed the technology yet the decision to use the weapon was a debatable one, despite President Truman’s statements justifying the decision on the basis that a Japanese invasion would cost less American lives. Right next to Japan, the Open Door policy in China was important to American investors and proved to be very profitable, too. As long as Japan and the United States shared the exploitation of

JRP World War II Essay World War II was a pivotal point in America, as it boosted its economy as well as it establishes the ideas of The United States“role”in the world. The United State’s involvement in World War II was justified because of all the wars that America had participated in, World War II led United States to Global power, as well as setting a stone for a rise in America’s economy. World War II was justified because of the Boost in United State’s Economy, the rise of Nazism in Europe, and the necessity for the United States to support its allies overseas. The lasting implications of this war are the establishment of the United States’ global role, as well as the creation of NATO and the economic growth and relationship that America formed with the other countries involved and laying the path for the Cold War Era. The benefits for joining WWII for the United States would be beneficial, due to the fact that the United States had a second industrial revolution prior to WWII.

decision to bomb Japan was mainly focused on Truman's confrontational approach to the Soviet Union.”Moreover, this subject is thought to be more appropriately thought as a side benefit of dropping the bomb and not so much its sole purpose.

On December 7, 1941, with Japanese attack on Perl Harbor, all debate over avoiding war and the policy of American isolationism was gone. It was the beginning of a great war that brought death, devastation and finally the victory and power to United States. At the time of Roosevelt’s appointment in 1933, historically crucial events were taking place in Japan, Italy and Germany which had to shape the future and the fate of United States. This paper studies and analyses the major factors which contributed to American success both at home and abroad during WWII in addition to world’s view about American participation in war and bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

“Yesterday, December 7, 1941 -- a date which will live in infamy -- the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.”1 This quote by Franklin D. Roosevelt marks the address to congress concerning one of the most impacting events in the history of the United States: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Twentieth century American history was filled with monumental events. From the assassination of William McKinley and subsequent presidency of Theodore Roosevelt, to Black Thursday in 1929, to the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965; numerous events throughout the last century helped mold the landscape of the United States for decades to

Everyone in America during the 1940’s was all about the progression of the country through the American Military. Segregation of women, African Americans, etc tended to cease during the war due to the need of people no matter their differences. Through change, sacrifice, and determination World War II changed the American psyche. Before the war Americans surveyed that they wanted the Allies to win and that the U.S. should send supplies to other countries during the war, through the “Lend Lease Act”. There was a nationwide debate on whether the U.S. should enter the war, the country was split.

Americans have been wondering whether President Truman should’ve ordered the usage of weapons which was against Japan back in August 1945. The World War II which involved almost every part of the world. This decision had the citizens thinking every year that passes by as if the President had made wrong decision. This horrible event had the citizens in doubt. The results were not good for the Japanese civilians. Because the of the atomic bomb they had lost not only their families, but also their houses and businesses. It impacted the tens of thousands of people in every way possible. To what Americans observes from this is not only the pros it had brought for the citizens, but it

In the 1930’s and the 1940’s there was a change in American leadership. Having this change not only changed the outcome of the war that we were currently in, but how the rest of the world would view our country after the war. The decision that Harry Truman was forced to make on the choice to drop the atomic bomb or to attempt more land invasions was a choice that shaped the outcome of the war. There were major influences and side effects from the dropping of the atomic bomb and what it did to the country of Japan. Having the option and the weight of the moral decision weighing on Truman’s shoulders about what decision should be made, he was the only one who was capable of making the decision that shaped the outcome of the war. Having dropped the bomb on Japan, as a statement of power and a means to an end in a form was the only way that American lives could have been spared as comparing that to the lives that would have been lost in a land invasion. Knowing what the issues with the bomb was; one has to look at the moral issues, the results of the incident, and also how it played in the rest of the development of the world.

In 1945, following the surrender of Germany to the Allied Forces on May seventh, a series of dialogues occurred between Harry Truman, Joseph Stalin, and Winston Churchill at the Potsdam Conference as to how to end the war in the Pacific. The Potsdam Conference was Truman’s first major meeting with Churchill and Stalin, as he came into power after Roosevelt’s death in April of 1945. President Harry Truman had two viable options for defeating Japan; a mainland invasion with the aid of the Soviet Union, or using the recently tested atomic bomb on Japanese soil. When making his decision of which method to use, Truman considered the fierceness with which the Japanese protected their territories, the implications of each situation on Truman’s negotiating power with Stalin, and the speed at which each option would would bring the war to an end. The American liberation of Japanese islands in the Pacific had proven to be very slow and militarily challenging, which served as an indicator of the difficulties and scale of casualties that a mainland invasion may involve. With the option of the atomic bomb, there would be no need for American military intervention, meaning virtually no American casualties. If Truman were to choose land invasion, he would need Stalin’s help, giving Stalin power to make demands of Truman and Churchill. With the use of the atomic bomb, Truman recognized that Stalin’s requests would not need to be met as the Soviet Union would not have any involvement in the

World War II end it, while the Cold War just started. As an old realist like Niccolò Machiavelli would say “the end justifies the means.” The thinker would had agree with President’s Truman decision if only Japan would had been stronger and ready to keep on fighting and a an outcome of understanding would had come out. The poor excused, if payed attention, if Japan does not provide absolute surrender, although its people have sworn loyalty to the Emperor at that time, they would be attack. United States officials Byrnes and Baruh influenced Truman in using Japan, although he denies it, as an experiment arena for the atomic bombs. David McCullough wrote a biography of Truman and he mention how the Secretary of State, Stettinius was truly not an expert of foreign policy and did not know what he was doing.