StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

World War II in American Scenario - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
With the onset of the World War II, most of the American men got enlisted in the war effort and as a result the work force in the American factories gradually got diminished. …
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER99% of users find it useful
World War II in American Scenario
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "World War II in American Scenario"

?World War II in American Scenario With the onset of the World War II, most of the American men got enlisted in the war effort and as a result the work force in the American factories gradually got diminished. To fill up the gap in the factories and to produce the items needed for the war, American women power was maximally involved in both the armed forces and in the production line. Before the war, the American women primarily played the role of as housewives and mothers to the children. However, that changed after the initiation of the World War II, as the women folk were encouraged to join the industries and importantly even in the war efforts. This was pointed out by Quintile who states “The American Propaganda of 1941-1945 was aimed at persuading American Women to become involved in supporting the war effort, encouraging them to fill roles previously filled by men.” Thus various propaganda and continual appeals were issued from the American Government throughout the war to trigger the patriotic feeling among the women and to get their attention. Most of the propaganda aimed at the women during the World War II was three fold and that included the following. Firstly, they were done to fill the vacancies in the production area, which was caused by the departure of men from the workforce into the armed forces. Secondly, the other main aim of the propaganda includes involving the women folk in the armed forces to fill up the desk activities and other roles such as the medical practitioners, nurses, civilians, chaplains, etc. Lastly actively support the armed forces by joining the troops in combative environments. Thus the government mainly focused on coming up with various approaches to make the American women contribute to the nation in a variety of ways. In that direction, the armed forces launched crash recruiting programmes such as conducting rallies, advertising campaigns, and other community outreach programmes to invite the female youth and women in other age groups. The War department publicists also produced huge posters that portrayed women in uniforms so as to make them involved in the armed forces. They particularly used the movie, ‘the Rosie the Riveter’, which depicted the life story of a woman who worked in the plane factory during World War II, as a publicity campaign to enroll more women into the army. Even before the war, men were considered as the breadwinners who need to work outside the homes, while the women’s role was ‘contained’ within the confines of the house. The scene changed completely with the commencement of the Second World War. With respect to the increase in the demand of the military needs, the government decided to utilize the women folk in noncombatant and auxiliary military forces. As said above, women took over the traditional women’s work such as secretarial duties and other desk work inside the military operations. In 1942, US government “instituted the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps, later upgraded to the Women's Army Corps, which had full military status” and the female members of it, “known as WACs, worked in more than 200 non-combatant jobs stateside and in every theater of the war.” (“American Women in World War II.”). Then, women were efficiently used in support functions such as nurses, physicians, etc. The nurses from these groups sprang to the war front and they attended to the wounded soldiers. Also some of the nurses became Red Cross nurses and some served in the military nursing units. Moreover the cadet nurse crops recruited nursing students to work in military and other critical care facilities while they were in school. The cadet nurses and the medical practitioners joined the army to render critical nursing services to the wounded soldiers. They visited many military camps and attended to the needs of the soldiers apart from supplying with critical care medicines and other medical accessories to the camp. . Apart from non-combative roles, women also played active roles in the armed forces. Although there were initial oppositions regarding this involvement of women in the combative roles, due to the need of larger armed force to counter the threat of the Axis powers, women were recruited in large numbers. Lewis lists out the figures of women serving with the American military in World War II: “Army – 140000, Navy- 100000, Marines – 23000, Coast guard – 13000, Air force – 25000, Army and Navy Corps – 74000.” Thus the women auxiliary Army Corps had handful of women equipped with full military status. That is, they were able to and was also trained to operate the heavy military equipments as well as military related communication networks on the war front. Women were also recruited for the Marine Corps and coast guards, and were well trained to attack the enemies entering through the sea route. As part of the Women’s Air Force Service Pilots (WASP), they played a vital role. “These women, each of whom had already obtained their pilot's license prior to service, became the first women to fly American military aircraft.” (“American Women in World War II.”). They assisted in ferrying the military cargoes to various military facilities as well as war front. Women with adequate flight experience were recruited as aviators in the war front. Women pilots from the civilian volunteer services were hired to work with the military aircrafts. Some of the historical studies reveal that among the 25,000 women involved in the air force, 1830 served performing more dangerous and crucial missions and 38 reported dead. (American women in WW II). From the above analysis, it is clear that women played a sizable role in the World War II, when compared to previous wars on global scale. American women stepped out of their houses to serve the country and made a positive impact in the History. Apart from driving ambulances, providing medical care, etc, women actively participated in combative roles by operating various military equipments and also flew fighter pilots. To cover up in a nut shell Women tirelessly gave their time, effort and soul with or without public recognition during the World War II in America. Works Cited Lewis, Jone Johnson. “Women and World War II: Women and the Military.” About.com Women’s History, n. d. Web. 5 May 2012. http://womenshistory.about.com/od/warwwii/a/military.htm “American Women in World War II.” History.com, n. d. Web. 5 May 2012. http://www.history.com/topics/american-women-in-world-war-ii Quintile, Laura. “Propaganda and the Women of WWII.” Yahoo voices, 12 July 2006. Web. 5 May 2012. http://voices.yahoo.com/propaganda-women-wwii-52293.html?cat=37 Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“World War II in American Scenario Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/history/1450589-world-war-ii
(World War II in American Scenario Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 Words)
https://studentshare.org/history/1450589-world-war-ii.
“World War II in American Scenario Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/history/1450589-world-war-ii.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF World War II in American Scenario

The Japanese American Internment

The wartime incarceration of the Japanese Americans was the biggest mistake made by the Americans which they can only regret by erecting memorial such as that in the national Capitol which reminds them of the 120,000 Japanese American kept in the concentration camp and 26,000 who served in the US army during world war ii or by doing extensive and exhaustive research so as to prove their guilt for the action1.... The world war ii brought with it a series of actions and events which affected Japanese Americans in many ways....
8 Pages (2000 words) Research Paper

Changes in American Family during World War II

Name: Course: Date: Changes in American Family during world war ii Introduction The occurrence of any war is known to definitely have an impact on the society, and the case was not different for the American society during the world war ii, as was simply expressed by Harper, that world war ii was a “… period of large and lasting changes” (7).... hellip; While the impact of the world war ii left an indelible mark on the American society that is evident to date, the entry point to the social and family restructuring was women, through whom the reorganization of the social systems then took shape and inflicted the whole of the American society....
7 Pages (1750 words) Research Paper

African-American History

Historians and researchers alike have come to offer their sentiments regarding world war ii in a rather convergent manner.... world war ii for many African Americans holds many memories while for the current generation it is a time that saw another huge ideological and social shift in black consciousness.... This paper will look into the history of African Americans during and after the world war ii while shedding light on the ideological shifts regarding racial segregation after the war together with white racial perspectives....
10 Pages (2500 words) Essay

The US History in the Post World War Era

       world war ii was effective in bringing about the downfall of Western Europe as the dominant world power.... 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.... world war ii brought an upheaval in the lives of American population....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay

Racial and Ethnic Groups

omparison and Contrast of Japanese, Italian and German internments during world war ii with the treatment of Arab and Muslim Americans after 911.... apanese internmentThe attack on Pearl Harbor by Japan during world war ii made President Franklin D.... put in internment camps and others evicted during world war ii.... Italian internmentsDuring world war ii all Italian Americans in America were declared alien enemies and most of them were interned under the War Relocation Authority in camps in Montana, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

Homogenizing a Pluralistic Nation - Propaganda during WWI

male and female through the depiction of several posters and speeches can be found in Chapter 5 of the book “Homogenizing a Pluralistic Nation: world war I”.... during world war I. In the book of “Discovering the American Past”, the Germans were CHAPTER 5, “HOMOGENIZING A PLURALISTIC NATION: PROPAGANDA DURING world war I” FOUND IN WHEELER, DISCOVERING THE AMERICAN PAST, VOLUME II, 7TH EDITION(PAGES 133-167)TABLE OF CONTENTSCHAPTER 5, “HOMOGENIZING A PLURALISTIC NATION: PROPAGANDA DURING world war I” FOUND IN WHEELER, DISCOVERING THE AMERICAN PAST, VOLUME II, 7TH EDITION (PAGES 133-167) 1TABLE OF CONTENTS 2INTRODUCTION 3DISCUSSION 3CONCLUSION 5BIBLIOGRAPHY 6INTRODUCTIONThe scenario of inequality prevailed amid the two genders i....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

Book review Wartime America: The World War II Home Front by John W. Jeffries

For a few readers, the authors endeavors at scholarly adjust and decency may be judged a flat plate of mixed greens, while for others it may be seen as a crisp exertion worst case scenario of customary works and the bits of knowledge of far along revisionist accounts.... Jeffries figures out how to blend an inexorably complex collection of grant without offering into the threat of transforming this record into a piece of the present scholarly social war over which gathering endured most; whether social and social history ought to prevail over financial, political, and foreigner history....
4 Pages (1000 words) Book Report/Review

Japanese Americans and World War II

The paper gives detailed information about Japanese Americans and world war ii.... It is now generally recognized that the removal of over 100,000 Japanese Americans from the West Coast during world war ii and their internment in so-called "relocation centers" were not motivated by legitimate security needs; rather the Roosevelt Administrations policy both developed from and fanned anti- Japanese racism in this country.... This period in american history is one of the blackest blots on American history....
6 Pages (1500 words) Term Paper
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us