The Agenda For A Generation

After World War 1, America had to demobilize and revert back to a peace time economy. During the 1920’s, it was viewed as a prosperous economy since there was a new labor force due to demobilization, new inventions, and a new infrastructure. Also moral spirits were high since America along with the Allied Powers defeated Germany and the Great War was finally over. However, America began making many economic policies and decisions that will eventually lead up to the Great Depression.

The 1900’s were a time of widespread social and political unrest in America. During this time, many Americans adopted new ideas which were completely different than previous traditional values. These new views were considered more modern and progressive. Some of these values were accepting diverse cultures, city lives, bigger communities, individuality, becoming wealthy, and throwing out the old and replacing it with the new. Not everyone supported the ideas of the Progressive Movement, however. Those who opposed the new ways of thinking were known as the Anti-Progressives. Anti-Progressives preferred traditional, rural lifestyles, and a slower, simpler way of living. The Anti-Progressives were also against immigration and integration. They held on to racist beliefs. The differences led to constant tension between the Progressives and the Anti-Progressives. The tensions between the two ideologies were reflected in American drama, political cartoons and silent films of that era.

When World War I ended on November 11, 1918, President Warren G. Harding proposed “a return to normalcy”. This promised a return of the United States prewar mentality, without the thought of war contaminating the minds of the American people. With this in mind, the 1920s began- but Americans in the 1930s witnessed dramatic changes in their lives from the 1920s. The 1920s was a period of prosperity and economic success, while the 1930s was a time of economic downfall. The economy fluctuated between times of great prosperity and times of undoubtable depression. Following these economic downturns was a period of rigorous attempts to recover from severe economic loss. It did not take long for this economic hardship to lead to some more

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.

During the years between 1920 and 1960, America saw change in many aspects of life. The United States was a part of two major wars and a crash of the banking system that crippled the economy greater than ever seen in this country’s history. Also the country had new insecurities to tackle such as immigration and poor treatment of workers. These events led to the change of America lives socially, economically, and politically. The people of America changed their ideas of what the country’s place in the world should be. The issues challenging America led the country to change from isolation to war, depression to prosperity, and social change. The threats to American way of life, foreign and domestic, were the changing forces to the

America has been plagued with the “American Dream” since its citizens first started spreading out westward in search of wealth and fame. Along with this American ideal came the concept of being un-American and not standing for what was considered “true” American. With the emergence of Populists, Progressives and Radicals came a vast difference between what was thought as American. All groups claimed to be trying to make the US a better place however each differed vastly in their ideas of going about it. During the age of uncertainty between 1890 and the 1920’s a new movement called the Progressives emerged in parts of the Unites States. They emerged as part of a long tradition of reform aimed at correcting the issues of the country.

During the Great Depression, the American birth rate had fallen to an all-time low due to delayed marriages and parenthood. In the 1940's, there was a population growth of 19 million, which doubled the rise of

With the overwhelming amount of Levittown houses, the obsession to obtain the perfect American “ideal family” as seen on TV and the unspoken agreement to fear any and all foreign ideas and values, the 1950s were revealed to be a decade of prosperity, conformity and consensus. Just ten years later the atmosphere in America was shockingly different; the 1960s were a decade of turbulence, protest and disillusionment due to the ongoing struggle for civil rights, arising feminism, and the Vietnam War.

Over the past century, people living in the United States have experienced many changes. As the times change, so do the people. In the 1920's, people acted differently then compared to the people in the 1960's. Yet, they both have one thing in common; they shaped our history.

The sixties seemed to challenge basic American assumptions; the value of hard work and of traditional family values. “Middle” America formed 55% of the population, earning between $5000 and $15000 p.a. They lived between the city slums and the affluent suburbs, and were usually up to their eyes in debt. They wanted the law to protect them and their property. They believed in good manners, in respect for authority and the flag. The changes of the sixties left many of them confused and angry. They were not sure who to blame for social unrest. They were the silent minority that Nixon appealed to in his election campaign, and they helped him to victory. They were the resentment and reaction byproduct of social unrest. They worked to ensure their property and found it unfair that the government gave money to the people that did not work as much as they did. They wanted law and order. They wanted a state that provided security, response to the insecurity they felt in face of the students movement and the liberal culture. They felt ignored by the democrat government because they did not benefit from the financial help, house and health security.

Post World War II America was a society full of anxiety. In the late 1950s Americans were deeply troubled by so many social shifts. Major changes were occurring both internally and externally. They were in the midst of the Cold War, and were vastly approaching the atomic age. There was a communist scare and fear of Russian expansion. Joseph McCarthy was hunting down major celebrities for their communist involvement and the 'Red Influence' seemed to be everywhere. The move toward suburbia and the growth of multinational corporations were flourishing. People seemed to be pulled in every direction. Another change that would have a major impact on society for years to come was the

The way of life before World War I (WWI) and the way of life after greatly differ. This new way of living is the indirect cause of every direct cause of the Great Depression. During the Industrial Revolution, or time before WWI, people all over the country worked, not only men but also boys, because “the Industrial Revolution transitioned the United States from a rural to an urban society” (The Industrial Revolution in the United States, 2014). They worked long hours and had low pay. According to statistics, “most workers in the worked over 10-hour a day, yet earned between 20 to 40 percent less than the minimum pay necessary for a decent life” (The Industrial Revolution in the United States, 2014). These people’s lives revolved around having very few money and only having necessities. People already had a hard time coming across food, so when WWI began, obtaining food became a big problem. This was not only because they need to feed soldiers, but also their allies’ soldiers. During this time, farming had to expand to feed the citizens of the Unite States and of the Allies. Farming expanded, but a lot of the crops and food went to away from US citizens and there became a need for rationing. Food had to be rationed by the government. The rationing was called “Food Will Win the War” (Food Will Win the War: On the Homefront in World War I, 2014) to encourage voluntary food conservation. It was said to have been voluntary because the government did not want to force businesses

During the Great Depression and World War II many Americans delayed marrying and having children because of the poor economy. The number of marriages and births soared after the war. Many older couples who had delayed having children began having them when the war ended. This increase in births among both younger and older American couples created the Baby Boom Generation. This large group of people born in the U.S. from 1946 to 1964 amounted to 76 million children. Those born during this time make up approximately 36% of today’s population (Deutsch). What impact has this had on the economy? Read on to see how the baby boom generation has affected the economy and what will happen as they retire.

The baby boom of the postwar era is a real marvel to society for the simple reason that it has never happened before. Farber states that he is not sure exactly why the baby boom occurred; however, he implies that there were many factors leading to the occurrence of the phenomenon. During the 1950's seventy percent of women were married by the age of 24, and families were having an average of 3.8 children each. There are no records of a baby boom after World War I, nor were there any records of a baby boom after any major European wars. Therefore, the postwar baby boom was due to factors that had nothing to do with the war directly. It was perhaps that America was in a state of extreme prosperity, people had money, houses, back yards and appliances. They then felt it was a good time to settle down

Family pressure during the great depression was unlike any the U.S. has ever seen. Everything about families changed in the 1930s. Couples during the depression delayed marriage, and at the same time the divorce rates dropped because people could not afford to pay for two households. Birthrates also dropped and for the first time in American history below the replacement level. Income was closed to none in all families; regular income had dropped by 35% just in the years Hoover was in office. Families had a lot of stress; some pulled together and made do with what they had others pushed away. People turned to who ever they had, family, friends, and after all else the government. Although there were rich people in the depression as well