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The Origins of World War I
The Origins of World War I
Social change due to World War One
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World War I begun when Germany invaded Belgium in order to attack France, in which the British declared war on Germany. World War I was called the Great War. President Wilson stated, “It is a war against all nations. American ships have been sunk, American lives taken, in ways which it has stirred us very deeply to learn of, but the ships and people of other neutral and friendly nations have been sunk and overwhelmed in the waters in the same way” (155). This war was viewed as a great crusade to establish legal and moral principles for all nations to follow.
Hiram Johnson, the former reform governor who served in the senate, spoke for many Americans during World War I. He proposed that the government make the defense industry contribute to
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This country disfranchises its own citizens. W. E. B. DuBois stated, “Disfranchisement is the deliberate theft and robbery of the only protection of poor against rich and black against white” (163). It encourages ignorance. DuBois stated, “A dominant minority does not want Negroes educated. It wants servants, dogs, whores, and monkeys” (164). “They threaten us with degeneracy; they cannot be educated” (164). So therefore, African Americans return from fighting and have to continue to fight for what’s …show more content…
Women were offered new possibilities especially in the work force. “Rosie the Riveter” became the popular symbol of women who abandoned traditional female occupations to work in defense industries. Women power will be found for economic independence, the aping of men in industrial pursuits, and or joining battle for the military in which “men” are only supposed to join. Inez Saucer, chief clerk in the tool room stated, “The war changed my life completely. I guess you can say, at thirty-one, I finally grew up” (223). World War II gave women a chance to do something different for a chance that eventually led to an increase in divorce. Women employment grew and their place in society did also. They gained the right to vote and began expressing themselves in ways such as politics and
“There was much more to women’s work during World War Two than make, do, and mend. Women built tanks, worked with rescue teams, and operated behind enemy lines” (Carol Harris). Have you ever thought that women could have such an important role during a war? In 1939 to 1945 for many women, World War II brought not only sacrifices, but also a new style of life including more jobs, opportunities and the development of new skills. They were considered as America’s “secret weapon” by the government. Women allowed getting over every challenge that was imposed by a devastating war. It is necessary to recognize that women during this period brought a legacy that produced major changes in social norms and work in America.
America is a façade hidden behind its notorious past, with an even more troubling present. The land of the free, home of the brave, and one nation claimed to be united under the presence of an omnipotent power, but is it really? America profits off of the so-called dream that is sold to the hopeful and broken. This nation has been riddled with violence, persecution, hatred, and a false sense of togetherness. Racism was not the beginning, it was the ending result of a power struggle between those who wanted control and those who had it. The systematic enslavement and dehumanization of blacks resulted in the concept of a racial caste division, creating the idea of us vs. them (Wacquant, 2002). The Jim Crow laws, prisons, and the creation of ghettos
The role of women in American history has evolved a great deal over the past few centuries. In less than a hundred years, the role of women has moved from housewife to highly paid corporate executive to political leader. As events in history have shaped the present world, one can find hidden in such moments, pivotal points that catapult destiny into an unforeseen direction. This paper will examine one such pivotal moment, fashioned from the fictitious character known as ‘Rosie the Riveter’ who represented the powerful working class women during World War II and how her personification has helped shape the future lives of women.
When all the men were across the ocean fighting a war for world peace, the home front soon found itself in a shortage for workers. Before the war, women mostly depended on men for financial support. But with so many gone to battle, women had to go to work to support themselves. With patriotic spirit, women one by one stepped up to do a man's work with little pay, respect or recognition. Labor shortages provided a variety of jobs for women, who became street car conductors, railroad workers, and shipbuilders. Some women took over the farms, monitoring the crops and harvesting and taking care of livestock. Women, who had young children with nobody to help them, did what they could do to help too. They made such things for the soldiers overseas, such as flannel shirts, socks and scarves.
The 1940s provided a drastic change in women’s employment rates and society’s view of women. With the end of the Depression and the United States’ entrance into World War II, the number of jobs available to women significantly increased. As men were being drafted into military service, the United States needed more workers to fill the jobs left vacant by men going to war. Women entered the workforce during World War II due to the economic need of the country. The use of Patriotic rhetoric in government propaganda initiated and encouraged women to change their role in society.
Women went from being stay at home house wives who took care of the children, to playing a crucial role in the economic development of the country. Women were able to fill a various amount of jobs from factory workers to the armed services. “Women made up 36 percent of the labor force in 1945, compared with 24 percent at the beginning of the war” (Henretta, 735). Between the years of 1940-1945, the women work force increased from 37 percent to a total of 64 percent overall (History, 2010). 50 percent of these working women took up jobs in the defense industry. Even though women were not able to fight on the front lines, they still played a significant role in the war by helping to build the B-17 bombers amongst other war related items such as bombs and tanks. Not only did the Rosie the Riveter campaign empower women to become employed, but it also led the way for other women’s groups. With the support of Eleanor Roosevelt as First Lady, the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps (later known as the Women’s Army Corps) was founded in May of 1942. The Navy had the same concept when they created the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Services (WAVES). There was also a group of women, named Women’s Airforce Service Pilots, who were able to be the, “…first women to fly American military aircraft” (History, 2010). The “We Can Do It” movement paved the way for women in more ways than one. Rosie the
World War I, also referred to as the Great War, was global conflict among the greatest Western powers and beyond. From 1914-1918, this turf war swept across rivaling nations, intensifying oppositions and battling until victory was declared. World War I was immediately triggered by the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, however several long-term causes also contributed. The growing development of militarism, the eruption of powerful alliances, as well as the spread of imperialism, and a deepening sense of nationalism, significantly promoted to the outbreak of the Great War.
The article was published on February 6, 1943 in the midst of World War II. Women had become an asset to the war effort and were then considered "At Home Soldiers" or "Riveters". They worked in the factories constructing submarines for the Navy, planes for the Air Force, and became medics.
Rosie the riveter was the face of recruiting women into the Armed Forces during WWII. The increasing demand for soldiers was not being filled fast enough by just males. As a result, between the years 1940 and 1945, the percentage of female service members increased from 27% to 37%. Even on the civilian side of things, the ratio of married working women outside of their homes increased to one out of every four. The population of women that did not join the war was prompted by Rosie the Riveter’s iconic image of working in one of the many munitions industries throughout the US.
In the May 29, 1943 edition of the Saturday Evening Post, first appeared Rosie the Riveter. Grasping her lunch box under her arm and a riveting gun on her lap, Rosie had a strong message to society. Because of World War Two, many men were forced to leave their homes and fight for their nation, leaving many jobs open. At the time, women were expected to stay home and raise the children, while men worked the hard jobs and provided for their families. If most men were gone, who would support their families? Rosie’s message encouraged women to get up and find a job to help their families during the 1940’s. “From 1941 to 1945, nineteen million women worked in factories and businesses, on farms, and in the military.” As found on page 4 of Rosie the Riveter. Much of the government’s advertisement motivated women to get jobs and help in winning the war for the nation. At most places during the time, women had taken up a majority of the workplace. The author of Doing Our Part: American Women On the Home Front During World War Two claims, “At these plants women made up half of the workforce, replacing men who
Many African Americans were forced to live in poverty, because the events of neo-slavery after Post-Civil War, resulted to seemingly unavoidable poverty, given that their economic and social wellbeing were mostly influenced by the decisions of the whites, rather than the their own decisions. Hence, the many blacks become the stagnant component of the United States society; because even though after they gained freedom they were depicted ‘free people’, in reality they were still the same people not free from slavery, as a result most of them languished in poverty. I believe that this actions of enslaving African Americans through this system is what has led to the present state of things whereby many blacks are still poor because just like in the post-civil war times different forms of enslaving blacks have been put in place for example imprisoning through racial profiling and the concentrating of blacks in inner cities where there are not that many resources such as good schools, social facilities and good jobs which leads to crime and wasting of these people and a criminal justice system that seems to work against black
During the war, men were off fighting for America, and the women were left behind to take over their jobs in the factories. Women proved that they can do almost all of the same jobs as men. Rosie the Riveter, a picture of a woman flexing with a caption of “We Can Do It,” became the symbol for women all across the nation. After the war, years later, women began to receive equal pay for the same jobs that the men were doing. Many other minority groups, such as African Americans, played a huge
Women showed their skill and ability to work, changing their role in society. “Women were hired for traditionally male occupations” (“Women in business”). After being hired for male jobs, women were portrayed differently and not as the average housewife. In 1944 women addressed the fact they do not get equal pay for equal work and to have working conditions improved (“Women in Society”). That included having childcare for working mothers. This prepared women to be more aggressive and be more demanding so society would accept them and so they could continue taking on these nontraditional roles after war (“Women in Society”). Working made women more demanding and they stood up themselves. It did take some convincing to have women join the workforce. The concept of working women was encouraged and advertised during the war because employment was necessary. Rosie the Riveter was also a shaped image and type of role model for women to follow (“Women in Society”). Women were comfortable being housewives before the demand for workers, but things had to change. Women’s viewpoint changed from staying home and taking care of the household, to them not wanting to be known as a housewifes anymore. “They demanded participation in the public arena and refused to accept the restrictions of traditional gender roles”(“Women in Society”). Women wanted to participate more in the community and contribute more to the country. Not only did they want to participate more in society, but they wanted to be viewed as equal to men in society. In 1944, women addressed the fact they do not get equal pay for equal work and to have working conditions improved. That included having childcare for working mothers. This prepared women to be more aggressive and be more demanding so society would accept them and to continue taking on these nontraditional roles after the war (“Women in Society”). After witnessing how they were able
World War 1 World War 1 was called “The Great War”, “The war to end all wars”, and “The first modern war”. It has many causes and a few repercussions and I will describe them in detail. The most widely known reason for the start of World War 1 was the assassination of the Arch Duke Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary in the Serbian capital of Sarajevo. The ArchDuke was there to talk to the Serbian leaders about peace on the Balkan Peninsula. After a Serbian was arrested for the assassination, Austria-Hungary pulled out of the peace talks and declared war on Serbia.
During America’s involvement in World War Two, which spanned from 1941 until 1945, many men went off to fight overseas. This left a gap in the defense plants that built wartime materials, such as tanks and other machines for battle. As a result, women began to enter the workforce at astonishing rates, filling the roles left behind by the men. As stated by Cynthia Harrison, “By March of [1944], almost one-third of all women over the age of fourteen were in the labor force, and the numbers of women in industry had increased almost 500 percent. For the first time in history, women were in the exact same place as their male counterparts had been, even working the same jobs. The women were not dependent upon men, as the men were overseas and far from influence upon their wives.