Wwii And Its Effect
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World War II brought about change all around the world including the United States in issues concerning industry, the economy, and humanity. Once the Allied Forces broke through Normandy, the Germans were forced to fight a three front war (in Italy, the east, and the west). It was only a matter of time before the German resistance would breakdown on all fronts. The eventual defeat and collapse of NAZI Germany along with the ending of Japanese advances through the Battle of Midway allowed the United States as well as the Soviet Union to maximize their international dominance, creating tension and hatred between the communistic and democratic governments of both nations. Through utilization of power and the instigation of humanitarian acts towards the reconstruction and economic stabilization of Europe, the United States dramatically altered the European perception of American Federal Bureaucracy. American soldiers were glorified by the American people but also by the grateful souls of the European victims to the treachery of warfare. Americas manpower, industrial capacity, and the support of the American citizens for the war and their determination to help with the war effort gave the U.S. a great advantage over the Axis Powers. The perception of the U.S. as of today contrasts greatly to that of the years before and after World War II due to the ever-changing stresses on the political structures, economy, and societal beliefs of the world.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Imperial Japanese Navy in 1941, the American people united in support of going to war out of retaliation against the assault and slaughter of many American lives. This mindset along with the industrial and economic capabilities of the U.S. enabled them to pull their country out of depression, and finally enjoy full employment and a higher overall standard of living. Due to the absence of American men who were off fighting in the war, American women were able to enter and advance in the workforce, even in jobs that were once only reserved for men. “Rosie the Riveter” became a popular American icon used as propaganda to influence women to join in with the war effort by doing the work their husbands left behind. The downside to this feminist movement toward equality in the job market was that since it was during wartime, liberals and reformers gave priority to military spending over social and economic reform. As a result of this set back in reform legislation, many factories instigated longer work days and ignored laws regulating the employment of women and children in order to boost industrial output and combat labor shortages. The phenomenon of the “military-industrial complex,” a systematic relationship arose between big business and the militarys expenditures on defense, causing a further solidification of the “Corporate State.” This massive amount of money that was spent on military contracts inflated American industrial capacity. Not only did the incident of Pearl Harbor bring forth extreme patriotism but also racial prejudice and paranoia. The United States government forced the relocation of all Japanese-Americans from the West Coast to internment camps. Roosevelt and other American political and military leaders thought the West Coast to be vulnerable to an attack by the Japanese and did not want collaboration between these people and a belligerent nation. Neither Roosevelt nor any other political figure ever realized that these people were only connected to the Japanese by ancestry, not by their ideas, beliefs, or actions. Due to the U.S. support of the war, few Americans actually ever challenged the internment of their own fellow American citizens. The conservation and recycling of materials was encouraged by the federal government so factories would have as much materials as possible for wartime production. The federal government also compelled Americans to cut back on foodstuffs and consumer goods. In order to more strictly enforce this concept of conservation, the government distributed ration cards. These ration cards were needed to purchase anything from gasoline to meat, and restricted the amount of each product that the consumer was allowed to purchase. Rationing eventually became very frustrating for many Americans. For the first time in years, they had money to spend, but there were few goods available for purchase. The necessities of war even influenced American fashion. The War Production Board dictated styles for civilian apparel that would conserve cloth and metal for the war effort. Menswear rid itself of unnecessary articles such as vests, elbow patches on jackets, and cuffs on pants. Womens clothing became more revealing, skirts became shorter and narrower and the two-piece bathing suit came about (“patriotic chic”). As the federal government expanded its role in research and development in a wide variety of projects, from the manufacture of artificial rubber to the construction of the atomic bomb, the urbanization and technological advancement of American society increased. The national unity, extreme effort towards the war, and success of the American people daunted both their allies and enemies in WWII.
After six years and millions of lives lost, the Nazi scourge was crushed and the war in Europe was finally over on May 8, 1945 (V-E day). Although Germany had finally surrendered unconditionally, the war in the Pacific was still raging. In 1939, the Nazis were rumored to be developing an atomic bomb. The United States initiated its own program under the Army Corps of Engineers in June 1942 called the Manhattan Project. America needed to build an atomic weapon before Germany or Japan did. In order to end the war as soon as possible, FDR made the decision to drop these atomic bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Japanese suffered greatly, everything that was once known by the civilian populations of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was destroyed. On August 15, 1945 (V-J day), after all the pain and obliteration caused by the dropping of the atomic bombs, Japan surrendered unconditionally to the Allies, in compliance with the Potsdam agreement. For some time, the United States was the only country with nuclear weapons and was feared by many. In 1949, American military planners received a rather profound shock: the Soviets had just succeeded in creating an atomic bomb of their own. The world shuddered at the thought that the destiny of the globe was now in the hands of two super powers, the U.S. and the Soviet