The impact of World War II - Term Paper Example

 The impact of World War II The Roaring 1920’s brought fresh changes to American society that would serve as focal point for years to come. Post World War I, a shift to consumers began. Magazines were printed to appeal to society and the rise of newspaper emerged. Newspapers now contained every little news about sports, dramas and scandals that were currently in trend. In essence, America’s economy shifted to consumerism with the rise of advertising. In addition, new technology became widespread and gave the birth of the first automobile. The model t-ford automobile was one of the key innovations that became a centric masterpiece in American history. In addition, automotive companies attracted the mass population. This was greatly due to the mass migration of Americans from rural to urban areas. Thus, a revolution of the “industrial era” began as railroads were created, factories were built along with women employment. For the first time in history, women were hired, which signified a mini reform movement. The utilization of conveyor belts was also greatly mastered and the concept of the “assembly line” became a key element as car production became efficient. The roaring 20’s also give the rise to employment laws and regulations, which consisted of minimum wage, 8 hour work shifts, and 5 days of regular work. Ford was the first company to introduce this idea behind a clever strategy of consumer spending. If it enabled its workers to have spare time, they would spend it in leisure which would boost the nation’s economy. The 1920’s also was marked by the Great Depression that occurred post World War I. In addition, the 1920’s signified the ban of alcohol through prohibition, which drastically reduced the death rate from drinking. The 18th Amendment was one of the critical elements that banned the manufacture and sale of alcohol. One of the more prevalent and essential events that occurred during the 1920s was discrimination and racism that plagued the nation. The rise of William Simmon in 1920’s was drastic as the emergence of the new Klan began. As immigrants continued to pour in from nations, Simmons used this as fear tactic and as an opportunity to reap money where he sold memberships along with life insurances. The rebirth of the KKK continues to gain strong support as African Americans, Catholics, Jews and Chinese became target of hate crime. The whole nation and even Congress itself passed the National Origins Act, which limited citizenship to immigrants. Anti-immigration legislation such as this one was a critical element as it marked the beginning of restricting immigrants after the open door policy. The Progressive Era, which lasted until the 1920’s, was a response to an industrial era and a shout for reform. Its effects touched virtually all Americans and transformed the role of government in American society. The Progressive Movement was successful as it was promoted by both parties in Congress. One of the prominent players in this reform was Theodore Roosevelt, who used his passive presence to dominate the political scene. In two terms of service, he solidified the navy, won the noble prize, aggressively pursued the building of the panama canal, and played a vital role in ending the Japanese-Russian war. He gained popularity amongst his supporters and tremendously helped the nation in the reform movement. The New Deal was one of the most essential legislation that continues to be prominent in American history. This deal was introduced by Franklin Roosevelt, who had a vision of reform to boost the United States economy back on its feet. FDR gained so much popularity by citizens that he was elected four times due to his reputation and the ongoing of the War. The New Deal enabled the American government to passively play the role of a “big government.” Prior to the depression, society felt that the government did not play a big role in regional community. However, that soon changed as the government began to directly implement programs and services that effected peoples’ lives in a micro level. The New Deal aimed to focus in three main aspects which consisted of: recovering from the depression, relief for its victims, and modifying the economy. One of the key programs of the new deal was the Agricultural Adjustment Act, which protected farms from reducing in prices and basically allowed the government to pay subsidiaries. In addition, the Civil Works Administration act, provided civil works job to four million workers. As a result, unemployment was drastically reduced. The Civilian Conservation Corps was another key act that sent young men to work camps to restore nature preserves. It provided sanitary conditions for boys, and a paycheck that they can send home. The Federal Emergency Relief Act, allocated millions of funds to direct aid to workers that were jobless. The National Youth Administration provided part-time employment for students that went to college and high school. The Public Works Administration was another key act that Congress legislated, which distributed $3 billion towards public works. The Federal Security Agency was another key act that implemented social security while funding education and initiated the food and drug sanitation standards. To conclude, the New Deal was no doubt successful as it created millions of employment opportunities but at the same time discriminated against African Americans and Chinese Americans. The New Deal closed gaps for any opportunities for immigrants and contradicted the theory of the “melting pot” culture that American took pride in. The beginning of WWII also initiated the work camps that Japanese Americans were forced to reside in. These harsh discriminatory policies plagued the true concept of being a true American. The impact of World War II no doubt played a critical role towards the advanced development of United States. The beginning of WWII ended the depression that plagued the United States as men were enlisted in army and women had to take care of issues in domestic font. The call for war meant that factories in US shifted from creating consumer to goods to war weapons in amazing speed. Firms began to produce guns, rockets and took the role of war plants. In essence, America became the biggest super power of producing goods internationally. The war also played a huge role domestically as millions of working men left their jobs to fight in the war. Thus, that meant women were employees in the American industries such as working on railroads, driving buses, in factories making weapons, and on the agriculture department. This also signified another reform movement for women, who now earned wages and obtained power since they become “bread winners.” The war also impacted the demand and supply of products that were produced in the home front. Urgent requirements for war meant that citizens had to go on a “ration system,” which included meats, butter, sugar, fats, oil, coffee, canned foods and gasoline. Furthermore, the government set an excise tax on jewelry and cosmetics. Moreover, cities began to practice the preserve of electricity by implementing “blackouts,” which consisted of cities dimming lights. This was also due to the fact that cities wanted to protect themselves against the attacks of submarine. Lastly, the war expanded the powers of the government as government began to issue “war bonds” in order to finance the huge task of war. The involvement of the government was huge during these years and indicated that the government can control price levels, taxes, bonds, and the standard of living amongst the population when it came to war preparedness. Works Cited Goldstein, Joshua, S.  War and Gender: How Gender Shapes the War System and Visa Versa. Cambridge University Press.  2001. Leone, Bruno, O’Neill, Teresa, ed. The Great Depression: Opposing Viewpoints. San Diego, California: Greenhaven Press, Inc., 1994. "The Changing World of Work," EyeWitness to History, www.eyewitnesstohistory.com (2000) Read More