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Effects of consumerism on society post ww2
Effects of consumerism on society post ww2
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In Western Europe, after World War II, there was an economic boom due to the baby boomers and the need to advance the welfare of the countries that were affected by war. This caused a rift between the middle and lower class. Consumerism played an important role in the cultural and political changes after World War II.
Politically, the Soviet Union and the United States were in an arms race as well as a space race which impacted the two countries greatly(413). After the USSR launched Sputnik, U.S. tried make more advancements in the space race. Meanwhile, Russia’s dive into creating the intercontinental ballistic missile put America in a tight spot. America however countered ICBM with its own version. Because of the arms race between the
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These leaders were John F. Kennedy and Fidel Castro, an ally of the Soviet Union. The powers struggle between these two nations led to the Cuban Missile Crisis. (417)
After the Second World War, the Soviet system revolted and reformed due to the population’s need for a change from the violence attached with communism. While rehabilitation occurred, every act was criticized or revised and many criminals reentered society. Due to the increase in crime rates, the general population 's faith in communism dwindled and the idea of Stalin was less supported. This was a change from the beginning of World War II, where the population thought that communism was the only way out of the bad economy then.
America wanted to spread the Cold War culturally, and thus relied on the arts and the radio network in order to do so. Using literature as a main mode of propaganda, the CIA financed musicians and art exhibitions that were anti- communist and promote the United Stated among the western European readers. The Soviet Union on the other hand, worked actively to spread the support of communism.
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Culturally, new literary styles emerged. New Wave cinema and novel were consumer items that were increasing in popularity. This can be seen in the pictures of advertisements during that period. They all revolve around the newest and most popular appliances, clothes, and food. Also, film and novels were being used to resexualize the population after war. With this movement came the distinct line between masculinity and femininity. The growth of television was also a big deal. There was a major jump in the use of it between 1950 and the 1970’s.
...o the Soviets inability to properly contain their civilians. The main reasons why the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics lost the Space Race the United States of America are because the USSR was communist. The civilians did not support or like living in a communist society, which made them flee to freedom and ran the cost of border control up to employ more guards. Also, the USSR alone controlled East Germany and East Berlin, while the United States ran West Berlin and West Germany with its allies France and Britain. Finally, the United States was tough competition for the Soviets. The sheer determination of the Americans to defeat the Soviets in the Space Race and restore order in Europe was greater than the Soviets expected. Even after failed attempts at reaching space, the Americans never gave up and beat the Russians to the moon, winning the Space Race.
After the end of World War II, the United States went through many changes. Most of the changes were for the better, but some had an adverse effect on certain population centers. Many programs, agencies and policies were created to transform American society and government.
Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union began with mutual distrust in World War II, intense rivalry, and conflicting ideologies. Cold War was fought with four major weapons. The weapons were propaganda, economic and military aid to devastated nations after World War II, arms race, and the alliances. Propagandas were used for containment and to raise the people’s morale and patriotism. Economic aid of the devastated nations was also used as a method of containment, as it prevented the desperate nations from falling under communism. Arms race was one way of representing the nation’s military pride and the ability to retaliate when attacked, although the arms were not developed to dominate world power. Finally, alliances were created and its scale was compared to verify the superior side of the Cold War.
These rivalries would become clear when two countries competed in the space race, a competition between the U.S. and the Soviet Union concerning achievements in the field of space exploration. The Soviet’s took the early lead as they put the first satellite, Sputnik 1, into space. The launch of Sputnik 1 established a sense of fear in the American public, resulting in the creation of NASA in the late 1950’s. This opened the door for space exploration today and for future generations. After World War II, the Cold War created tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States leading to extreme national pride and competition, culminating in the space race which began with the launch of Sputnik 1.
In 1980, it seemed like the United States was not as dominant in the world as it had been before. The Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union began after World War II. The two nations had joined forces as members of the Allies, but tensions arose after the war. The Americans were very worried about the spread of Soviet communism, and tried to prevent it with a policy of containment, where the United States would protect countries from outside oppression. The Cold War also expanded to include the race between the Soviets and Americans to create atomic weapons. Furthermore, there was a race between the two countries to put the first man in space, which was accomplished by the United States in 1961 (“Cold War History”). The Cold War was a standoff between the United States and the Soviet Union to try to prove their dominance in the world. Each country wanted to have more power and diminish the power of the other. At home, Americans were paranoid with the thought of Soviet spies and communists hiding amongst them, dubbed the “Red Scare.” President Richard Nixon and the Soviet premier Leonid Brezhnev signed the Strategic A...
Following the conclusion of the Second World War, the United States and the Soviet Union made it a priority to outdo each other in every possible facet from arsenals of missiles to international alliances and spheres of influences. Yet when the Soviets launched Sputnik on October 4th, 1957, the world changed forever. The first manmade object was fired into space, and it appeared that American technology and science had fallen behind. Yet, the public feared that not only were they now technologically inferior to the Soviets, but also deduced that if a satellite could be launched into space, a nuclear missile could just as likely reach the mainland United States. Less than a month later, the Soviets pushed the bounds of technology yet again by
American film and radio changed dramatically because of the 1940s and everything that came with the time. Theatre got darker after the war, also bringing propaganda into radio and film. The radio was the way Americans connected to the world because it offered on the spot information. Everyone was tuned into the radio for news, entertainment and music.... ... middle of paper ...
In conclusion, many soviets citizens appeared to believe that Stalin’s positive contributions to the U.S.S.R. far outweigh his monstrous acts. These crimes have been down played by many of Stalin’s successors as they stress his achievements as collectivizer, industrializer, and war leader. Among those citizens who harbor feelings of nostalgia, Stalin’s strength, authority , and achievement contrast sharply with the pain and suffering of post-revolutionary Russia.
This investigation will examine ways in which the US economy improved during the second World War and what caused these improvements. World War Two was a turning point for the American economy from the end of the Great Depression to the start of an economic boom. The reasons for this economic improvement are still debated today. This investigation will look at the economic indicators before, during, and after the war. It will also consider the two main arguments for the cause of the sudden economic growth and determine which one seems most probable.
The end of World War II was the main contributing factor to the “return to domesticity”.
World War II was based on the idealistic view of Americans, especially concerning the people’s perspectives on how America was being perceived, and how they wanted to be seen. The American public, witnessing foreign tragedy worked to push against suppression in order to rise in equality. Coming out of the Great Depression America was extremely cautious about intervention in foreign affairs spurring an isolationist view. When determining their entrance into World War II America thought about the immense amount of casualties brought from World War I and the lack of positive consequences. Much of the changes enveloping society were a continuation of the new deal policies.
Following the death of Josef Stalin in 1953, the harsh policies he implemented in not only the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, but also its many satellite nations began to break down. There was a movement to distance all of the socialist nations from Stalin?s sadistic rule. In the Peoples? Republic of Hungary, there was much disillusionment with this Stalinist absolutism (Felkay 50). This disillusionment with the Soviet ideal of socialism lead the people of the fledgeling socialist state of Hungary to rise up in revolt, but ill-preparedness and the strength of the Soviet Red Army put down the insurrection within several days.
Stalin’s hunger for power and paranoia impacted the Soviet society severely, having devastating effects on the Communist Party, leaving it weak and shattering the framework of the party, the people of Russia, by stunting the growth of technology and progress through the purges of many educated civilians, as well as affecting The Red Army, a powerful military depleted of it’s force. The impact of the purges, ‘show trials’ and the Terror on Soviet society were rigorously negative. By purging all his challengers and opponents, Stalin created a blanket of fear over the whole society, and therefore, was able to stay in power, creating an empire that he could find more dependable.
At the same time, the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics were involved in the Cold War. They were competing against one another, constantly trying to show that their country (and therefore their form of government and ideals) was the better choice. They were competing for influence over the rest of the world. Eventually the USSR and Communism lost, but far more important results came out of this competition instead.
During the Cold War period, tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union were high, and both superpowers were building up their arsenals of nuclear weapons and trying to prove that one of them was scientifically and politically stronger than the other. Without any warning, the United States received news that their rivals had launched a satellite named Sputnik, which had a mass of ten times the size of the planned American satellite (Reeves). The American people were shocked. In author Francis French's words, “For the first time in a hundred years, we faced the fact that not only were we not the best at everything in the world, we were not even as good at some things.” American leaders decided that a grand space plan must be crafted