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The Effect Of 9-11 On The Transformation Of America

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The transformation of America is often discussed in both popular media and academic dialogue. Each generation has a name, new technologies define new eras, and events seem only notable when they are “historic”. While major events catch the interest of a broad spectrum of the public consciousness, subtle interactions between actors and slight shifts in beliefs are constantly changing the realities of the world. When the twin towers fell in 2001, the United States seemed to be thrust into a new world of Weapons of Mass Destruction, Jihadists, and a global fight against terrorism; bombs were dropped, ground forces were deployed in foreign states, and anyone who publicly questioned the urgency of war was at risk to be labeled a traitor. …show more content…

After the war, the industry of the United States faced strong competition from recovering European economies which lead to the enthusiastic reduction of free trade with the Smoot-Hawley act of 1930. This major imposition of across the board tariffs and the resulting decline of economic power lead an ideological change in economic ideals that would only start to take hold following the rapid growth of the next twenty years.
Along the same lines as the widely perceived view that the United States went to war in the Middle East in response to 9-11, the attack on Pearl Harbor is seen as the reason the US entered World War Two. While the Japanese attack of December 7 was the spark to enter the war, the interests of industry within the United States were to mobilize for war which would require one of the largest cumulative orders for American goods ever. The strong economic relationships between the United States and Europe had been placed in jeopardy due to the conquests of the German forces, and even before the attacks on Pearl Harbor, titans of industry sought ways to protect their markets abroad. The immense economic and military growth that occurred with World War Two is the platform that all intervening foreign policy has been based upon, and the goals of American involvement abroad could be

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