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Life after WWII The topic, which is to be discussed here, is very broad. The changes that had taken place within American society since 1945 are way to numerous to be all mentioned in this research paper, yet we can pinpoint the main trends that signified those changes. Let us look back at what American society used to be before the Second World War. First thing that comes in our mind is great depression, New Deal proposition, Lindberghs flight, Ku-Klux-Klan cross burnings etc. American society was very much xenophobic, regional cultural differences played big role and in my opinion, there was a feeling of some incoming changes in the air. In a way, it can be compared to our modern society, when there is a great deal of uncertainty in the world affairs.
Yet, we wouldnt be too far from the truth when wed say that American society enjoyed much higher degree of freedom, comparing to what it turned into after the Second World war. There werent any forbidden topics to discuss and the governments involvement in peoples lives was minimal. American economy reached its foremost height in the middle of thirties and in order to keep with its own developments pace, it had to expand The Second World War was just what it needed to turn America into most powerful country in the world. Immediately after the war, a rapid economical growth enabled Americans to easily buy real estate property with a mean of various credits and loans. Inflation was virtually non-existent, as excessive cash was being rid off in war-ridden Europe, which was desperate to receive a financial assistance from United States. Marshalls plan was primarily designed for the benefit of America, not the Europe.
In his book Crabgrass Frontier: The Suburbanization of the United States, Kenneth Jackson describes the building boom that came as a direct result of American economy receiving a powerful surge. The birth rate after the war in America has doubled, more and more families needed place to live. Federal government provided housing programs to great many Americans at that time. The years immediately after the war formed the image of suburban America, to which were so accustomed now these days: People were being told every family has to have its own house. Our economy was developing so fast that we were convinced that having to pay for getting new things was just a formal gesture. Important was to consume, in order to feel comfortable in this consumerist society, which America turned into after the war (Jackson, p. 24).
Jackson describes the main trends that defined the specifics of American building program during the fifties: Neighborhoods built on the outer edges of the city, low density of people per square mile, architectural similarity, easy availability, economic and racial homogeneity (Jackson, p. 112). Culturally speaking, American society became very conservative, emphasizing on traditional roles of husbands and wives. An apron-wearing housewife became a trademark of the fifties. Another thing that we associate the American society with, after 1945, is a campaign against Communism, which led to McCartys hysteria in fifties and sixtieths. Yet from our present view, it appears that the aggressive anti-communist policies, deployed by U. S.
government after 1947 were much needed at the time, since communism was on advance worldwide. Ugly American of William Lederer and Eugene Burdick consists of about 20 fictional stories, taking place in Asia immediately after the beginning of Cold War. Reading this book comes very handy if one is to analyse in what spiritual mode were Americans at the time. Nowadays, Americans are considered to be very arrogant people throughout the world and they began to turn that way in early fifties, as authors effectively show us. Still, Americans were much more innocent back then, even while being arrogant of other peoples cultural values. The concept of political correctness did not exist back than, so people used to just express their thoughts and opinions freely: Vietnamese dont get offended when we abuse them in one way or another, they respect brutal force its only when we there is patronizing on our part, makes them feel inferior.
They are proud people, we need to treat them as such (Lederer. Burdick, p. 45). In my opinion, although American cultural values back in fifties were heavily marked with consumerism, they were genuine. There wasnt much of hypocrisy to be found in how people reflect on reality around them.
The science was rapidly progressing along with the economy, making people to be very optimistic about how they perceived future developments. Even now there is a whole category of people in America, who like watching fifties movies, as theyre filled with cheerful outlook on life. Griffith and Bakers Major Problems in American History Since 1945 is an analysis of those problems that American society was facing after the World War 2. According to the authors, the American greatest problem at the time was confronting Communism and it took a great deal of sacrifice on the part of regular Americans: People used to be in constant fear for being attacked by wicked Russians, yet theyd never will to loose its rights and freedoms (Griffith. Baker, p. 3).
The Promised Land of Nicholas Learn is about how underprivileged classes in America struggled to get on its feet during early fifties. He follows the group of black Americans who have moved from Mississippi to Chicago in search of better life. As plot develops, we get to see scenes of American living from early forties to late sixties. Despite the authors criticism of such ugly things as racism and cultural prejudices that were spread among White Americans at the time, we cannot consider authors position as too critical toward the historical period he describes in his book. His vision of problems that racial minorities were facing after the war is a bit too idealistic as to me; he explains it by a loss of moral urgency to deal with this issue Ellen Schrecker Age of McCarthyism analyses the causes of spy mania that was spread among American public since 1954 Congressional hearing, where senator McCarthy came out with his famous accusations against army's leadership, thus beginning what later became known as McCarthyism hysteria. During period of McCarthyism the freedom of media was considerably reduced as any slight suspicion of being sympathetic to the Communist cause, would result in person immediately losing its job with possible legal action taken against him.
From our point of view, its easy to describe such policy as undemocratic and even fascist: Zealous partisans who often made the eradication of the so-called Communist menace a full-time career, in some respects they were the mirror image of the Communists they fought. They came into their own during the McCarthy period, staffing the main organizations in the field and imposing their agenda on the rest of the nation (Schrecker) Yet, back in early sixties, such policy was more than in place. Let us not forget that the Communism, as political idea, strives to embrace the whole world. Its doctrines are doomed to failure if there are free countries exist that allow people within communist states to make comparisons.
Communism cannot coexist with freedom it can whether suppress all freedom or freedom will suppress communism. In my opinion, it was very important to fight back any attempts of this poisonous ideology to find its way into the minds of American people at the time. It would ultimately weaken them. There is a feeling of nostalgia about fifties and sixties, every time we refer to this period of American history. Besides the fact that many people associate this period with time when they were young, they also feel that the society had just the same characteristics as those people it was naive yet resourceful. Somehow consumerism did not represent any threat as a mean of weakening society.
Quite contrary people were able to prosper within one generation, they enjoyed great many things that citizens of other countries could never dream of, yet they have never lost the sight of their priorities. Those who fought in the war and didnt get killed, were the happiest people in America. Even though many of them had seen their friends being blown to pieces in front of their on eyes, the depression of post-war syndrome were virtually non-existent among them. Second World war had taught people of what does it mean to actively defend freedom and it appears that American society remained very vital right after the war, as those war veterans were still in their sober minds and were able to actively participate the political process. I think that despite the fact that there were a many economical and racial issues back in fifties and sixties, yet the society never indulged in secularism, it stayed united against what was considered to be a threat to America at the time. It appears doubtful whether our society has progressed much since happy fifties.
We have the enemy, international terrorism, yet we cant pinpoint it. We have unrestricted freedom of thought, yet we also have a Patriotic act and surveillance cameras installed in washrooms. We overcame racism, yet the racial issue is being overplayed over and over again, like a rush that wouldve stopped long ago if hadnt been constantly scratched. In my opinion, the period immediately after the Second World War and to the late sixtieths can be considered as a period of American Renaissance. In a way, we can talk of returning back to values of those who built this country. When people voluntarily unite to fight the common enemy (namely Communism), they are still free, although they surrender part of their rights for the common good.
Post-war American society was nothing but such. The anti-Communist network was not a monolith, but a coalition that gradually attracted groups and individuals says Schrecker in her book. Our post-modern society with all its fears and anxieties, divided by secular interests, can use some of our post-war naivety and optimism Bibliography: Schrecker, Ellen. The Age of Mccarthyism: A Brief History with Documents. Boston: St. Martin's Press, 1994.
Lederer, William. Burdick, Eugene. Ugly American W. W. Norton & Company. New York. 1994.
Lemma, Nicholas. The Promised Land: The Great Black Migration and How It Changed America. Parcel and Sons. Vancouver. BC. 1999. Jackson, Kenneth T.
Crabgrass Frontier: The Suburbanization of the United States. New York: Oxford University Press, 1985. Griffith J. , Baker H. Major Problems in American History Since 1945 Lectures.
New York: Oxford University Press, 1992.
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