The US History in the Post World War Era - Essay Example

History and Political Science November 21, US History in the Post World War II Era        World War II (1939-1945) is regarded as the mightiest battle in the history of mankind in which 50 countries participated. It caused bloodshed and death of 55 million people and was effective in causing economic crisis worldwide. The major battle fields of this war included Asia, Europe, North Africa, the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. It was the German invasion of Poland that took place on September 1, 1939, that gave the spark to the war. Germany then invaded Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Luxemburg, Netherlands and France within the span of three months and then aimed at Yugoslavia and Greece. But it was the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese troops as a part of their expansion plan in to the Far East that made the United States to get involved in the war. By 1942, all the major nations in the world were participating in this destructive war.        World War II was effective in bringing about the downfall of Western Europe as the dominant world power. Eastern Europe and East Asia suffered heavy losses. It also led to the rise of the Soviet Union and United States as the superpowers and this opened up an era of Cold War. World War II also marked the end of British Empire. This paper is based on the thesis statement that the World War II and Cold War were the most defining events in the history of United States that brought out radicalization of the nation.          The United States, post World War I had become the dominating power in the world market of food, minerals and industry. But with the crashing of the stock market America was crippled by the financial crisis or the Great Depression in the 1930’s. With the decision of the American Government to join the war, a wave of patriotism began to rage the Americans. World War II brought an upheaval in the lives of American population. The war transformed the social, cultural and political environment of the United States. As the war posed a crisis for American culture, the Americans had to unite to defeat the enemy, irrespective of class, racial and ethnic boundaries that had long divided them. The African Americans were largely employed in various works during the war time. World War II brought significant changes in the role of American women also. Earlier, they were suppressed by the patriarchal society to stay within the confines of their homes. But during the war, women joined the workforce to replace men who were drafted in to the armed forces. "Rosie the Riveter" became the symbol of women working in the manufacturing units.        There was large scale migration of population from the North to South and from the East to West. A large number of African Americans left their labor at the cotton plantations from the rural South America and headed to the defence centers in the North. Patriotic and propagandistic posters of the war increased the mobility of the population.  Industrial centers, set up nearby war stations, became over populated, which led to suburbanization. Due to the shortage in labor force, the teenagers also became the replacements in manufacturing units. About 1.9 million teenagers took defence jobs in between 1940 and 1944 in the lure of patriotism, adulthood and the new "American Dream". The new “American Dream” (Bertho et al. 120) was formulated by the post-war optimism which consisted of a home in the suburbs, securing a highly paid job and a new car every few years. The post-war optimism together with patriotism, instilled in the minds of the citizens, made about 14% (16 million) of the population to serve in the armed forces.        With the decline of the British Empire and the weakening of the rival European economies in the aftermath of World War II, the United States clearly emerged as the leading center of the capitalist world and established its dominant position as a global superpower.        This, in turn, opened up vast opportunities for the US for the economic expansion, within the Europe itself through its Marshal Plan. In the words of Michael Tanzer, "since war-torn Europe and Japan were heavily dependent upon U S assistance for reconstruction, the [U.S] oil companies and the U. S government used this opportunity to virtually ram American-controlled oil down the throat of the world to replace coal...Walter Levy, head of the Marshall Plans oil division, and previously an economist for Mobil, noted in 1949 that without ECA [the Marshall Plan] American oil business in Europe would already have been shot to pieces...” (Bertho et al. 120). When the World War II was finally over and the soldiers returned to their homes, it marked the beginning of a major social change. Post world-war, the majority of the women who had been working was laid off and the blacks were subjected to intense racist feelings. The war united America and its end dismantled the togetherness and patriotism of the citizens. This era also witnessed industrial developments and Americans were introduced in to a new style of living. Post World War II also caused major shifts in concepts of the social relations of gender and sexuality in America, with the political mobilization of youth, women and homosexuals.        The beginning of 1950s is often remarked as a time of great conformity, where every individual in the American society, in the wave of national enthusiasm, wanted to conform to the existing standards of living. This era also saw the empowerment of American women who stepped in to the public life, which once restricted them.        There was a significant economic growth in the middle class during the 1950s; only 9% of families fit the definition of middle-class in the 1940s, which became 30% by 1960. There was also growth in the education and housing of the middle class. The educational system prevailed in the America was now accessible for the children coming from middle class families. There was also a significant growth in the college enrollments, which was largely aided by the GI Bill. More and more Americans could now live their American Dream and owning a home became a tangible reality for them. Since veterans could secure low-interest mortgages and the housing availability was increased, there was a boom in the housing sector in the 1950’s. It is estimated that about 25% of the housing in 1960 were built in the prior decade.        The Cold War started as a result of antagonist values between the superpowers, United States and the Soviet Union. The United States represented the ideas of capitalism and democracy whereas the Soviet Union was the embodiment of communism and authoritarianism. The contention between these two powers evoked conflicts in a global scenario. Cold war was different from World War II as it posed both as a propaganda war and a war engaging military battalions, at once. Hence, it had a deeper impact in both the domestic and international relations of US than World War II.        The political conflict between the Soviet Nation and the US resulted in the adoption of a policy called “containment, according to which the United States committed itself to preventing any further expansion of Soviet power” (Cold War Influences on American Culture, Politics, and Economics para. 5). This policy resulted in the US military intervention all over the world. The military intervention of the United States in Vietnam and Korea took place to carry out the propaganda of preventing of the expansion and strengthening of communism. Brought out by the military engagements that took part as a part of Cold War and World War II impacted the domestic climate of the United States which had repercussions in the political, cultural and economic arenas of the nation. The Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union brought out deep cultural effects on the domestic stage of United States. It was Cold War that became the defining event of the second half of the 20th century in the history of United States that influenced the domestic stage of the US and impacted many foreign and domestic policy decisions. The Cold war also wiped out racial inequality and discrimination which existed in the nation for centuries. The Black Americans, who were freed of slavery long before the advent of World War II, were considered as second class citizens. But the backdrop of Cold War made the American citizens to realize the contrasting and hypocritical stance they had had on values, “freedom and equality, which eventually made the government to pass The Civil Rights Act of 1964” (Cold War Influences on American Culture, Politics, and Economics para. 3). The US also established employment commissions and passed legislations banning discrimination. Also, the institutional discrimination against the African Americans in the South America was removed and banned discrimination in public and many private accommodations.       Anti-communist presidents such as “Truman, Kennedy, Nixon, and Reagan were selected as the Presidents, who fought against the Soviets both politically and culturally. It was also the Cold War that urged the US to be a prominent economic power in the World” (Post-World War II Domestic Part 2: The Johnson and Nixon Years). The Americans felt that it was their patriotic duty to buy consumer goods, which eventually, made the US to become the worlds dominant economic power.        Cold War, in fact, had a greater impact on the everyday lives of most American civilians than the World War II. With the advent of cold war that started soon after the World War II was over, the normal social life of American citizens was affected. The anticommunist governments of the US encouraged the sprouting anticommunist spirits in the mind of the public to spark patriotism but it also sparked in the suspicion of communist activity in America. While some communists were rooted out, many more lives were ruined based on weak evidence and unsubstantiated accusations and “many of these people were fired, blacklisted, and had their civil rights violated” (Cold War Influences on American Culture, Politics, and Economics para. 2). By the mid-1950s, the American society witnessed a movement among the teenagers which was against the conformity, uniformity and regularity of adult culture. The youth movement, which rejected the existing society values and conventions, was reflected in the art, literature, fashion, music, etc.        In 1960s, a cultural movement called counterculture originated in the United States, which gained momentum as a resentment against the military intervention in Vietnam. It led to emergence of new cultural forms like the hippie culture that gained popularity among the youth and evolved as a youth subculture. This movement influenced the existing sociological issues of America pertaining to War in Vietnam, Racism, Gender, Homosexuality, Womens Rights, etc.         Thus, it can be concluded that World War II and Cold War were the most defining events in the history of United States that brought out radicalization of the nation. Both World War II and Cold War were effective to bring on considerable changes in the American society. Many of the evils of the society, such as discrimination against the women and the African Americans and were identified at the backdrop of these wars. The World War II and Cold War also became instrumental in transforming the oppressing views of American society on various sociological issues such as race, ethnicity, gender and sexuality. The wave of counterculture, which evolved as a sentiment against the World War II and Cold War and its military intervention, continues to evolve and is elementary in addressing the sociological issues in the United States. (Escoffier 29). Work Cited Bertho et al. The Impact of Globalization on the United States. Vol. 1, 2, & 3. Greenwood Publishing Group. 2008. Web. 21 November 2011. Cold War Influences on American Culture, Politics, and Economics. Shad’s Blog: Adventures and Random Thoughts. WordPress.com. 2009. Web. 21 November 2011. Escoffier et al. American Homo: Community and Perversity. University of California Press. 1998. Web. 21 November 2011. < http://books.google.co.in/books?id=-bA2HFf6xowC&pg=PA262&dq=Intimate+Matters:+A+History+of+Sexuality+in+America+Chapter+13+-+Sexual+Revolutions&hl=en&ei=G9fJToXHKMnIrQfk7f2yDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CDQQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=Intimate%20Matters%3A%20A%20History%20of%20Sexuality%20in%20America%20Chapter%2013%20-%20Sexual%20Revolutions&f=false> Post-World War II Domestic Part 2: The Johnson and Nixon Years. Academic American.com. 2010. Web. 21 November 2011. Read More