World War II: The Golden Age Of Capitalism

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.

Final Exam: Between the beginning of World War II and the present decade, the United States underwent significant reform through key legislative acts, which addressed race relations, poverty, and gender. Explain these different categories of reform, their early proponents, their evolution into legislation, and whether or not this legislation truly addressed the issues.

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.

The United States developed into a world super power following World War II. Many of the Allies were deeply affected by the war financially and were struggling, thus leaving a vacuum that needed to be filled. The United States was thrust into the position of “policing” and assisting nations around the world. The Cold War was in many ways a psychological illusion however there were many factors that led to this illusion which were well founded. The Cold War stemmed from a multitude of factors, the difficult war against Nazi’s and Japan, Stalin behaviors were not trustworthy, Berlin blockade, Poland puppet government, the fall of China, the build up of arms and the birth nuclear weapons all fed fear-based anti-communist policies. In

The ascendency of the United States (U.S) into the world’s hegemonic was one like none other. The start of the twentieth century brought upon revolutionary technological advancements that propelled the U.S into the leading economic superpower it remains today. Following the turbulent economic climate of the country following World War I, the development of mass production not only revolutionised the industrial sphere, but also remains widely accredited for being the key driving force behind the economic boom in the 1920s. Existing social values were reformed; free-market capitalist practices were endorsed, and American society aspired to ideals of excessive material wealth and excess. A revolution of mass consumption’ took place in this era, transforming the U.S economy one of global superiority and enabling it to exercise diplomatic authority over the rest of the world. However, it must also be considered that such developments only brought upon temporary prosperity, ultimately leading to the globally devastating Great Depression in the 1930s, and this prosperity was only enjoyed by a fraction of the population. Additionally, the importance of other factors, such as the nation’s role in WWII, and the fiscal policies implemented by the Republican government, when regarding the nation’s rise to global hegemon is fundamental.

World War II began near the end of the worst financial crisis in American history, the Great Depression. In October 1929 the stock market crashed leading to a economic collapse that would become known as the Great Depression. The depression went on to devastate the American economy throughout the 1930’s until its end in the 1940’s. Around this time, Nazi imperialism and frayed international relationships were setting the stage for the largest global conflict ever. World War II ended the Great Depression through increasing government spending, expanding the job market, and growing the national economy. The New Deal attempted to achieve these goals, but was largely unsuccessful.

“We know that enduring peace cannot be bought at the cost of other people 's freedom.” a famous quote spoken by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, concerning World War II. He was alluding to the many dirty, unmoral, and straight forth nasty business tactics and arrangements that were made and practiced during WWII by large multi-national businesses. While the world watched Hitler’s military blitzkrieg assault scheme and Japan’s surprise kamikaze bombing of Pearl Harbor voguish in mad fear, some big businesses smiled as they envisioned the chances for increasing profits rather than the potential death toll of the pending war. Businesses are created for profits, not for politics or to have morals

World War II was a tremendously impactful war which was fought during the forties. It had many turning points and great changes that turned not only the United States but the world. One of the first events that occurred was the rise of Communism. With the rise of communism it caused panic in the country of the United States. The panic was inevitable because anyone could be suspected of being a communist. Also, with communism rapidly spreading in Europe it was hard for the United States to stay in a state of isolationism. Therefore, a key factor of the United States abandoning isolationism and joining the war was the incidence of Pearl Harbor. The bombing of Pearl Harbor was sent by Japan. As a result, the United States declared war on Japan and World War II started. After the war, the impact continued. After World War II, the Cold War began; which was a start to a race in technology, space, and power. The Cold War lasted several decades and was a reaction to World War II.

Capitalist democracy is best described by Harding’s United States campaign slogan for presidency, “Less government in business and more business in government.” (865). United States emerged from the war as the strongest among the allied countries. Their economy sustained as they shifted from production of military supplies to the Allied European countries to creating radios, telephones, and cars as Americans moved from rural living to the city. The roaring twenties began as people started to borrow money for such commodities and investments from banks with little money down. On the other hand, Britain changed its economy from state control during the war back to market capitalism while industry was still a leading role (869). Britain owed a war debt to the United States, which they could only repay if Germany was consistent with paying its reparations. Restructuring of Germany’s debts under the Dawes Plan of 1924, stabilized the international capital markets. Meanwhile, France had suffered devastating human losses and destruction of property during the war (869). With the increase of taxes and continuous reparations paid by Germany, France was able to reconstruct itself by 1929.

The period immediately following WWII began a time of prosperity and abundance never experienced before. The GDP rose 250 percent from 1945 to 1960, and per capita income increased by thirty-five percent (Coontz, The Way We Never Were 24). By 1955, sixty percent of the population was considered middle class, with household purchasing skyrocketing (Coontz, The Way We Never Were 24). For the first time Americans found themselves with access to a myriad of goods and services above and beyond necessity and the financial means with which to avail themselves of them.

Coming-of-Age The authors and the readers have indirect communication through the literature. The author gives his or her ideas by creating authentic stories. Sometimes their ideas are straightforward for the readers to be awake or to learn the authors’ purpose of writing. Most authors emphasize their philosophic opinions, reasons and events that reflect society where we live in.

More workers and growing war industry caused the U.S. to eventually take the economic lead over the world. According to Michael French, “the wartime expansion of the US industrial base, coupled with devastation in Europe and Japan placed the US economy in an extraordinarily powerful position. US industrial production was 45 per cent of world output in 1948 and its national income and productivity, especially in manufacturing, far outstripped other economies” (French, 197). Michael French also mentioned in his book, US Economic History Since 1945, establishing International Money Fund in 1944. IMF, along with Marshall Plan from years 1948-1951, placed US dollar as a reserve currency for other nations around the world. Yet, all of this would not have happened if the World War II have not erupted. Orson Welles, an American director and producer said about the industrial and technological progress during wartime, “in Italy for thirty years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, bloodshed--they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love, five hundred years of democracy and peace, and what did they produce? The cuckoo clock!” (Nasar, 404). Many people are opposing this point of view and pointing out that war can never be consider as a good period of time. Yet, Orson Welles is right because America would have much worse time without the World War II,

The New Deal and World War II both had an effect on race relations in the American West. President Roosevelt’s New Deal was an attempt to fix the hardships of the Great Depression. The Great Depression brought about a change in ideology and opinion that made the New Deal possible because of public support to fix the burdens felt by many Americans, not just whites. World War II brought fear, intolerance and increased racism toward minority groups in the West, specifically Japanese and Hispanic. Class and ethnic differences, as well as wartime tension led to growing hostility between whites and immigrants. However, the New Deal and World War II also improved on previous race relations resulting in shifts in Native American communities, ideology and their place in society. Both the New Deal and World War II were large scale, impactful events that shaped race relations negatively and positively during the first half of the twentieth century.

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 post WWII period in American history is typically recognized as the financial buck that catapulted the U.S. to the economic power house it is today. America continues to harvest the economic success of big business post WWII, like those of the automobile market, which were a powerful force in the economy during this period. The stimulated