The Effect World War Two Had on America

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.

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

World War II is a great example of how war helped the US strengthen their economy because ending the policy of isolationism and joining the war ended the Depression. In the 1940’s, when the US was isolated from the rest of the world due to the Great Depression,

Instead, most money was in the hands of a few families and businesses who saved or invested rather than spent their money on American goods. Supply became greater than demand on products. Certain people profited, but many others did not. As a result of this, prices went up and Americans could not spare the money for many goods. While the wealth in America was not being distributed evenly, and overspeculation of the stock market led to a lack of confidence, the United States began to fall into a deep depression that would last until the beginning of World War II (Gupta).

Companies that were going bankrupt months before were now literally begging for labourers and some even suffered from a shortage of workers. This was mainly due to the rapid production levels the country needed to produce military equipment including ammunition and vehicles etc. A short time after the U.S. declaration of war, the unemployment rate dropped a massive ten per cent from its previous amount. After taxes, business profits almost doubled and industrial output increased massively at 96 per cent. Government expenditure also sored dramatically to 53 per cent of GDP at its peak in 1945, in comparison to around 20 per cent of GDP previous to the war. This contributed to business recovery and gave companies the kick start they needed. Due to productivity doubling, consumer goods also expanded. The war consumed one third of industrial output and this ensured a constant supply of goods, the U.S being the only country with a significant rise in supply despite rationing. Wages also rose 50 per cent higher by 1944, this was a combination of over-time pay and wage increases etc.

After World War II, the American psyche became permanently stained with new ideas. During this time period, the American government actively sought to change the way the American people thought. The support of the American public was crucial to the success of the war effort. Many ideas introduced during this point of time consisted of new roles of certain people groups in American society. Women and minority groups would prove themselves in the workplace, millions of citizens would be discriminated against, and social barriers would be broken and assembled. Even though World War II took place in Europe and the Pacific, it made lasting social changes that can still be seen in America.

The time period of 1939 to 1945 was a very devastating time for a lot of individuals especially American’s. During this time frame the world was involved in the crisis called World War ll. World Warll had a large negative impact on America’s economy as a whole it affected America’s financial status greatly, American soldiers also suffered a large variety of mental as well as physical health issues during and after World War 2, and many American’s lost their lives for the cause. The major decision to go into war all began on December 7, 1941 when the Japanese forces bombed

After coming out of the Great Depression the United States could not afford to be in anymore debt. From purchasing guns, ammunitions, aircrafts, and warships, the debt was rising dramatically. While the American public supported the troops, the cost of the war would affect America for years to come.

During World War II the United States began to manufacture war materials to support its allies through lucrative government defense contracts as automobile factories like Ford and General Motors put aside their usual business operations and began to produce tanks and airplanes, shipyards too expanded their operations . The demand for war equipment naturally increased the demand for labor and as a result helped pull the American economy out of the grips of the Great Depression. Then as the unthinkable happened, on December 7, 1941, Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, which drew many young American men into the battlefield.

It was said that World War I would be the war to end all wars; unfortunately U.S. President Woodrow Wilson was wrong. In 1939 Germany invaded Poland and the global conflict, World War II, began. Fought from 1939 to 1945, World War II consisted of the Allied Powers and the Axis Powers. The Axis Powers were led by Germany, Japan, and Italy. The Allied Powers were led by the United States, Britain, France, and several other countries. In total, over sixty million people were killed, making World War II the deadliest conflict in modern history. The intervention of the United States after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 brought the end of the war 4 years later.

Roosevelt involved businessmen into war by organizing their efforts to mobilize economy and enhance productive capacity. Surprisingly, by 1942, American production was equal to the combined production of Japan, Italy and Germany which ended depression.

Before World War I, the United States was in a period of isolationism, and a determination to stay out of European wars and affairs, while trying to maintain its status as one of the world’s biggest superpowers, militarily and economically (“United States Before”). America was just exiting the Gilded Age, which was an important time of growth and prosperity. Despite this, the American economy was in a small recession when entering the war, which was reversed by a 44 month period of growth caused by production for the war (NBER). This 44 month period helped the economy expand, and furthered the strength of the country. It also furthered the confidence of American businesses and the government which contributed to the attitude that caused overconfidence and helped to spread the Great Depression.

When the citizens had bought all that they could buy, there was a decrease in demand. Suddenly, the industries had an excess of goods and no one to sell it to. At this point, the Fordney-McCumber Act began to cripple the economy of America. Other nations introduced high tariffs to boost their revenue and to spite the United States. Sadly for the United States, these high tariffs and low demand were instrumental in the depression that America experienced. When the stock market crashed on October 29th, 1929 or “Black Tuesday”, the united states, along with other nations were in economic turmoil and the widespread prosperity of the 1920s ended abruptly. The depression threatened people's jobs, savings, and even their homes and farms. During the heart of the depression, over one-quarter of the American population was out of work. For many Americans, these were extremely hard times. When Roosevelt was voted into office, he introduced the New Deal. While this plan tried to help the united states out of it’s isolationist rut, the second world war was the final solution. Mobilizing the economy for world war finally cured the depression. Millions of men and women joined the armed forces, and even larger numbers went to work in well-paying defence jobs.

In September of 1939, a global war had begun when Hitler led the German forces to invade Poland. The American president was reluctant on entering the war because he was building allies in the western hemisphere and was focused on making life better on the home front. Tragedy struck America on the morning of December 7, 1941 when the Japanese conducted a surprise aerial attack against the United States naval base at pearl harbor. The lethal and deadly force of the attack spurred President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to realize it was time to enter the war. As American troops were being sent off to war citizens' lives on the home front changed dramatically. The soldiers were being taken care of before the people and did not experience the

In fact, the United States had enjoyed an extended period of economic expansion during the war, and following the war the U.S. economy continued with great strength for more than a decade. Life in America, consequently, was arguably better than it had ever been. The middle class had swelled, unemployment rates were some of the lowest in history, and the “American Dream” was for many families a reality.