A Society Post World War II

World War II brought several changes to the world and specifically America. It not only changed the world map but also set impact on the behaviours. WWII played a major role in building turning points during different periods. Before WWII, African Americans were not offered equal rights in the community. It was considered an impossible thing that African could ever do a white collar or even a blue collar job. However, soon after the WWII, there came a turning point in the lives of African American with the Civil Rights Act in 1964.

After the end of World War II, the United States went through many changes. Most of the changes were for the better, but some had an adverse effect on certain population centers. Many programs, agencies and policies were created to transform American society and government.

During the post WWII period in America, the face of the nation changed greatly under the presidency of Truman and Eisenhower. America underwent another era of good feelings as they thought themselves undefeatable and superior over the rest of the world. Communism was the American enemy and American sought to rid the world of it. Because of the extreme paranoia caused by Communism, conformity became an ideal way to distinguish American Culture from the rest. Conformity became a part of every American Life to a large extent. It became evident through the medium of culture, society and politics throughout the era of the 50s.

Communism is the antithesis of the American society. Americans felt that action was required to prevent communism from entering the U.S. Americans voted for lawmakers that would fulfill the needs to prevent the spread of communism from entering the U.S. This concept was evident in laws such as the Communist-Control act, the introduction of the school course titled Americanism vs. Communism, and executive strategies were popular among U.S citizens (History.com Staff). Finally, the influence of the American ideology impacted the American political system while the U.S was at

During the 1950’s, Communism was a major fear that Democratic nations such as America were afraid of because of its radical ideas. The actions taken due to the Red Scare and the rise of McCarthyism were necessary and completely justified to protect America’s freedom and government from Communist power. With an increase of Communistic nations invading other countries and forcing their ideas upon them there was an uproar of fear in the United States. The Domino Theory was a legitimate fear of if one nation falling to communism, every nation around it would fall as well. Focusing their attention to VIetnam especially, America increased military control in these regions. Multiple Legislative actions taken by the United States such as the creation of the HAUC and the Espionage and Sedition acts were necessary to stop threats to America’s freedom. The heated tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States during the Cold War contributed to the fear of an attack from the East. Senator McCarthy’s convincing accusations lead to many accurate accusations as well as the rise of McCarthyism. Valid points were brought up about president Roosevelt’s New Deal policies of having capitalistic characteristics. While some actions did take away the civil liberties of some Americans, and were not always accurate, they were necessary to protect American Democracy, as well as the safety of the citizens.

When historians observe the 1950’s (50’s) and 1960’s (60’s), they tend to generalize both decades. The 1950’s is seen as a era of conformity and political consensus. The 1950’s are normally viewed as a time of peace and prosperity because many Americans were able to save money during World War II. Mainly white Americans will move to less crowded areas and make their living off of white collared jobs. During the 50’s many Americans will view Communism as an evil, economic power and wish to spread Capitalism instead. The 60’s, however, is viewed as a decade of nonconformity and political divisiveness. Many young men would refuse to fight in the Vietnam war, and women would begin to break the tradition of the “stay at home wife,” and begin to join the workforce. However, both decades show conformity and nonconformity.

Due to the successfulness of World War II, Americas society underwent superb economic and social growth. Between the years of 1939 through 1965, a change was seen within minorities, women's status, and the middle class lifestyle; subsequently, resulting in an all around better life for the citizens of America prior to World War II. As a result of the war, people were now open to segregation, women were a part of the workforce, and the possibility of owning your own house was more probable than ever. One might argue that the changes seen after World War II were not superior --due to reluctant fears for growth and change in America--; however, the changes seen after World War II were inevitable acts that helped shape The America now seen in 2016.

Of the factors which shaped American society in the Cold War era, the fear of communism and its potential to spread imposed the greatest effect upon the United States. From the worldwide devastation of World War II arose two powers: United States of America, fueled by a capitalist economy, and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, or USSR, whose economy embodied the communist ideals of Karl Marx. Marx himself stated, “Communism is already acknowledged by all...powers to be in itself a power”. Marx predicted the power of a communistic society well before the first World War began. In the wake of the devastation

The United States had appeared to be dominated by consensus and conformity in the 1950s. As the commotions of the first half of the century ended, people were relieved but faced oncoming internal issues. The Great Depression and the two Great Wars caused people to seek tranquility and harmony. The fifties were the decade of change led by president Eisenhower. During this time the nation was in an up rise in many ways. The economy was booming as the Gross National Product more than doubled from the past decade. Thus there was a rise in consumer spending which had a domino effect on the economy. Though it was unexpected, many issues arrived such as the fear of communism and the suspicion of communists hiding in the government. At this period

Looking at the United States in 1965, it would seem that the future of the liberal consensus was well entrenched. The anti-war movement was in full swing, civil rights were moving forward, and Johnson's Great Society was working to alleviate the plight of the poor in America. Yet, by 1968 the liberal consensus had fallen apart, which led to the triumph of conservatism with the election of President Reagan in 1980. The question must be posed, how in the course of 15 years did liberal consensus fall apart and conservatism rise to the forefront? What were the decisive factors that caused the fracturing of what seemed to be such a powerful political force? In looking at the period from 1968 to the

World War II was a very important event in American history, but as bad as war is or seems to be there always seems to have better outcomes in the end. By the Japanese bombing Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 and bringing America into the war it opened the eyes of all Americans to the problems not only domestically but internationally and the biggest problem that was discovered after the completion of World War II was the level of social equality around the world. It had been a problem that had plagued the world for many years but the atrocities that brought about by the war coupled with the ever growing eye of the media caused for greater concern in the light of social equality in the world.

From its founding, all the way into modern times, the United States has been a country made up of immigrants. With a population that has come from all over Europe, Asia, Africa, and more, there were many different ideas about how and who to support in all aspects of American life. During World War I especially, there was much resistance because American civilians felt torn between their motherland and their current homeland. Though Americans had reasons to disapprove the war, there were many who had an incentive to encourage it. Much of American civilian support for World War I was founded in the idea that the groups these people were associated with would benefit from the war.

Is it possible to know what Americans thought of World War II, if they believed that the war was a just war or whether they did not agree for what the United States was fighting for? The historian Studs Terkel believes he knows this answer and that Americans saw themselves as liberators of an oppressed world fighting for the just war which can be concluded from his famous volume, The Good War. Of course one person’s beliefs should not be believed as easily just by reading a book. A person should base their opinions on something much more analytical than that. In order to decide whether some Americans actually thought that World War II was a just war, a thorough analysis should be done of American life looking at all the facts found. Beginning with American experience before the war then analyzing the experience of the war and the home-front itself and finally ending with the analysis of America after World War II a conclusion can be made regarding the American point of view.

The Eastern Front of World War II was heavily taxing on both soldiers and civilian populations between 1941 and 1942. Specifically, both Soviet civilians and soldiers found themselves with dwindling supplies, increased work, and taxing psychological and physical conditions. In particular, thievery and deceit were commonplace as a means for people to survive in the Soviet Union. This was a result of mismanagement, corruption, and famine which in turn created an environment where stealing was a necessity for survival. Furthermore, this breakdown of social order can then indicate the effects of prolonged conflict upon a society.

First, it needs to be understood that a lot of the problems that U.S faced in the fifties and sixties were not simply a result of communism, but a result of flawed leaders. This is the point at which many historians draw the distinct line between fear of a legitimate threat in ideology, and using an ideology to group together groups of evils. While communism may be a flawed form of government, it certainly was not the cause of every problem the U.S attempted to make it out to be. A cartoon poster made and published just before the fifties was entitled ‘Is this Tomorrow?’. This piece of anti-communist literature portrayed a U.S in which communism was the preferred