Comparing the Effects of the Second World War on British and American Society - Essay Example

Comparing the Effects of the Second World War on British and American Society World War II resulted in the death of 50 to 60 million people, directly or indirectly, over 3% of the world population at that time. It is estimated to have cost more money and resources than all other wars combined: about 1 trillion US dollars in 1945 (roughly 10.5 trillion in 2005), not including subsequent reconstruction (World War II). Moreover, the commonly used figure for the number of Jewish victims is six million, so much so that the phrase "six million" is now almost universally interpreted as referring to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, though conventional estimates by historians of the exact number range from five million to over six million. In addition to the Jews, the Roma and Sinti were targets of the Holocaust; about 220,000 Sinti and Roma died in the Holocaust (some estimates are as high as 800,000), between a quarter to a half of the European population (Holocaust). However, the impact of the Second World War on society does end on these statistics. Its impact can still be felt in today’s modern society especially on the British and American. World War II cost the United States a million casualties and estimated 400,000 deaths. In both domestic and foreign affairs, its consequences were far-reaching. It ended the Depression, brought millions of married women into the workforce, initiated sweeping changes in the lives of the nation's minority groups, and dramatically expanded government's presence in American life (Learn about). Although World War II was not the bloodiest in American history, the war consolidated the nation’s role as a global power and ushered in social changes that established reform agendas that would preoccupy public discourse in the United States for the remainder of the 20th century. (The Great Depression and World War II (1929-1945). For the British, the Second World War is sometimes regarded as simply a continuation of the previous war after a brief period of peace, but the conflicts were significantly different, particularly for British society. The war started with a phony war in which threats of major actions did not materialized, but thousands of children were moved from the cities into the country. Ten times the number of children was evacuated in 1939, when there were troops on the early expeditionary force in France, but many returned some months later and remained in the cities until the end of the war (History of British Society). There were half the number of military casualties in this war than the World War I, however, the improvements in aerial warfare meant that there were many more civilian casualties and a foreign war seemed much closer to the British territory. The early years of the war in which Britain "stood alone" and the Blitz spirit which developed as Britain suffered under aerial bombardment helped pull the nation together after the divisions of the previous decade, and campaigns such as "Dig for Victory" helped give the nation a common purpose (History of British Society). During the course of the Second World War, food, clothing, petrol and other items were rationed among the British citizens. Access to luxuries was badly restricted, though there was also a significant black market. Families also grew victory gardens, small home vegetable gardens, to supply themselves with food. Civilians also served as Air Raid Wardens, volunteer emergency services and other critical functions. Schools and organizations conducted scrap collecting drives and money collections to help the war effort. Many things were conserved to turn into weapons later, such as fat to turn into nitroglycerin. A notable case was the collection of street railings as scrap iron, which changed the 'feel' of many older urban streets. This metal, however, was unsuitable for reuse and subsequently dumped (World War II). For some of the very poorest, though, rationing was beneficial as their rationed diet was of greater nutritional value than their pre-war diet. Just as after the First World War, there was a short-lived boom after the Second World War and then an economic downturn, with the early 1950s known as the austerity years (History of British Society). Additionally, the British were subject to constant threat from the Nazi’s missiles and the possibility of chemical attack, which made daily life for British more difficult. Routine air raid exercises were conducted. Children were trained to use gas mask. In contrast, the daily lives of most American society during the war are more subdued and relax. Despite almost all aspects of daily life were affected by the large numbers of men away in the armed forces, life for Americans did go on. However, despite rationed food, shoes, and gas, and the efforts to save materials such as tinfoil during the four years of war, Americans continued to grow up, formed new relationships, and adjusted to new locations (Rudnik). Notably, both the British and American societies did show similar degree of patriotism. While the British planted home gardens to supply food to themselves, the Americans planted Victory Gardens in every vacant lot they could find. Similarly, both societies participated in the recycling of animal fat, cans, paper, cigarette and gum foil, and every type of scrap metal so that these materials could be used for the "War Effort (Rudnik).” To further express their patriotism, Americans printed books with narrow margins and small spaces between lines of print to conserve paper. They saved their pennies and bought Defense Stamps until they had enough to turn the stamps into a U.S. Defense Bond. They hung flags in their front windows with a blue star for every member of that family who was serving in the Armed Forces (Rudnik). In the United Kingdom, women joined the work force in jobs that the men overseas used to occupy (World War II). The focus on agriculture to feed the nation gave some people their exposure to the farms. Women played an important part in the war effort as the Land Girls; there were also 500,000 women in the armed forces, with even Princess Elizabeth, the future queen, training as a lorry driver. The measure of freedom women received through these jobs, and working in factories in the jobs of male workers who had gone into battle, is considered as contributing to the later sexual revolution (History of British Society). Similarly, in the United States, women also joined the workforce to replace men who had joined the forces, though in lesser numbers. In the United States, these women are now called "Rosies" for Rosie the Riveter. Franklin D. Roosevelt stated that the efforts of civilians at home to support the war through personal sacrifice were as critical to winning the war as the efforts of the soldiers themselves (World War II). Moreover, the war swiftly reshaped the place of work in both United Kingdom and the United States. For example in the U.S., over 1,400 companies produced everything from field rations to parachutes to torpedoes, while new aircraft plants employed 100,000 in the construction of engines, aluminum sheeting, bombsights, and other components. War jobs also attracted 60,000 African Americans from the South and an equal number of Japanese Americans who were released from desert detention camps. Round-the-clock training programs at high schools and universities provided these new war workers with necessary skills (Duis). Surprisingly, due to economic boom, travel and leisure began to be more affordable to most British and Americans after the struggles of war. Holiday camps, which had first opened in the 1930s, became popular holiday destinations in the 1950s and people increasingly had more money to follow their hobbies. The BBC's early television service was given a major boost in 1953 with the coronation of Elizabeth II, attracting an estimated audience of 20 million, proving an impetus for people to buy televisions (History British Society). During those days, new consumer goods with new technologies were coming into houses, and the houses themselves were often owned with mortgages. Chain stores and shopping centers were replacing the markets where people traditionally bought their goods and advertising became widespread. Cars were also became an important part of British life. With the congestion of the city-center and ribbon developments springing up along many of the major roads, the idea of the green belt to protect the countryside began to immerge which was at risk from development (History British Society). The same scenario occurred in the American society as well, in addition though, the returning soldiers resulted in the increased number of babies born after the war, which late to be know as the “baby boom.” Politically, the Labor Party in the U.K. won a victory after receiving huge support from the returning soldiers. Rationing, which had been enforced during the war was extended afterwards with bread only being rationed between 1946-1948 and sweets being rationed until 1954. The most important reform was the founding on the 5 July 1948 of the National Health Service, which promised to give "cradle to grave" care for everyone in the country regardless of their income (History British Society). Similarly in the U.S., everybody seems to care for each other more after the war and there were greater awareness for human rights and civil liberties. Moreover, the British and American societies benefited both positively and negatively from he massive research and development demands of the war, including the Manhattan Project's efforts to quickly develop the atomic bomb. Moreover, it paved the way for creating a network of national laboratories in the United States and new sciences like cybernetics (World War II). In addition, the urgent need for speedy time-critical calculations for various projects like code-breaking and ballistics tables accelerated the need for the development of electronic computer technology. Today, Computers and the internet technology not only affects British and American society but the whole world as well. While the war stimulated many technologies, such as radio and radar development, it retarded related yet non-critical fields such as television in the major powers (World War II). The Jet aircraft age began during the war with the development of the Heinkel He 178, the first true turbojet; the Messerschmitt 262, the first jet in combat; and the Gloster Meteor, the first Allied jet fighter. During the war, the Germans produced various Glide bomb weapons, which were the first smart bombs; the V-1 flying bomb, which was the first cruise missile weapon; and the V-2 rocket, the first ballistic missile weapon (World War II). The last of these was the first step into the space age as its trajectory took it through the stratosphere, higher and faster than any aircraft. This later led to the development of the ICBM. Wernher Von Braun led the V-2 development team and later immigrated to the United States where he contributed to the development of the Saturn V rocket, which took men to the moon in 1969 (World War II). Militarily, the role of the United States in World War II was antecedent for its defense of democracy in the face of dictatorial aggression. Ever since then, Americans fought abroad, not only winning the war but also bringing a new cosmopolitanism home with them. As before, the war was an engine of social and cultural change. In this war, Americans of diverse backgrounds lived and fought together, nurturing American identity and building notions of a common future (The Great Depression and World War II (1929-1945). By contrast, United Kingdom’s position as a Global superpower declined after World War II with the emergence of the United States and the Soviet Union as the dominant powers in the world. Consequently, friction had formed between the U.S. and USSR before the end of the war, and with the down fall of Nazi Germany, relations between the two superpowers deteriorated further. In the areas occupied by Western Allied troops, pre-war governments were re-established or new democratic governments were created; in the areas occupied by Soviet troops, including the territories of former Allies such as Poland, communist states were created (World War II). Works Cited Duis, Perry R. World War II. 2005. The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago. Chicago Historical Society. 27 Nov. 2005. . “History of British society.” Wikipedia. 20 November 2005. Wikimedia. 27 Nov. 2005. . “Holocaust.” Wikipedia. 27 Nov. 2005. Wikimedia. 27 Nov. 2005. . “Learn About World War Digital History. “ Digital History. 27 Nov. 2005. Digitalhistory.uh.edu. 27 Nov.2005.. Liddel Hart, Sir Basil (1970), History of the Second World War Cassel & Co; Pan Books,1973, London Rudnik, Chrys. Compiler. “Life on the Home Front: Books About WWII.” January 2001. Suburban Library System. 27 Nov. 2005. . “The Great Depression and World War II (1929-1945).” 2005. NCHS.ucla.edu. 27 Nov. 2005. < http://nchs.ucla.edu/standards/era8-5-12.html>. “The Home Fronts.” Wikipedia. 27 Nov. 2005. Wikimedia. 27 Nov. 2005. . “World War II.” Wikipedai. 27 Nov. 2005. Wikimedia. 27 Nov. 2005. . Read More