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What changes happened in American society after WW 2
Effects of war on the national economy
The American society after World War II
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Few argued when the 20th Century was dubbed the "American Century", a term first coined in the early 1940s when the country was still overcoming its isolationist instincts. Over the past 15 years, America's fortunes have changed with dizzying speed. First came the tremors: the dot-com bust and a disputed presidential election in 2000. Then came the massive convulsions: the destruction of the Twin Towers in 2001 and the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008. Long wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have exacted an enormous blood price - the lives of 6,852 American military personnel - not to mention immense financial expense, estimated to be as high as $6 trillion (£3.9tn). The detention centre at Guantanamo Bay has undermined American ideals, just as the NSA and WikiLeaks spying scandals have undercut American diplomacy. …show more content…
Barack Obama, who campaigned in 2008 on a platform of extricating America from its unpopular and exhausting wars, has drawn criticism for disengaging too much. Under both presidents - the first an impulsive unilateralist, the second an instinctive multilateralist content sometimes to lead from behind - America's global standing has been diminished. Polls regularly show that Americans recognize that their country's international standing has waned. Among the young, this trend line has fallen sharply. Only 15% of 18-29-year-olds believe that America is the "greatest country in the world", according to Pew, down from 27% in 2011. Tellingly, however, there has been no great public outcry. No longer is there much appetite for America playing its long-standing role of global policeman, even in the face of the rise of the group calling itself Islamic State. The cost, human and financial, is considered too great. Americans increasingly think that other countries should share the
As the United States developed into a world economic power, it also became a military and political power. Certain things led Americans to become more involved in world affairs, such as territorial growth. There were also consequences to the nation’s new role, like conflict between citizens and people of power. United States government and leaders had to learn the “hard way”, the challenges and negativity that they would face, such as loss of money and lack of control between certain nations, and the positive effects such as expansion of territory and alliances.
In How America Can Rise Again, John Fallows addresses the current state of the United States of America as he tries to establish whether the nation is truly crumbling as many critics and experts claim. Fallows’ analysis of the situation is aided by the fact that he spent some time in Asia, particularly China and India, and is therefore able to compare the situation in the United States with that in two of the world’s fastest rising industrial powers. His analysis is also constructed around the views and opinions of some experts who he addressed with the of America’s apparent collapse. While speaking with historians, soldiers, politicians and experts in various fields, Fallows sought to establish whether the fears of America’s demise were justified or simply a repetition of the regular alarmist claims of discontent parties in the nation. While Fallows’ arguments regarding America’s current state are largely infallible, his conclusions are skewed by the fact that he only compares the United States to China, and not other significant powers such as the European Union.
Ankle sprains are one of the most common musculoskeletal injuries and are especially relevant at all level of sport.1 Of all sports, the incidence of ankle sprain is higher in volleyball considering its non-contact nature.2 The most common ankle sprain occurs on the lateral or outside part of the ankle.3 Reports estimate that ankle sprains account for approximately 24% to 54% of all sport-related injuries and 23,000 persons get them per day in the United States.4
Bob Herbert, columnist and professor of journalism, wrote about the current condition of America in “A Fire in the Basement,” an introduction to a collection of his editorials, Promises Betrayed: Waking up from the American Dream (2005). The “fire” he is referring to, is the idea that America is falling apart from the inside out, and we aren’t even aware of it. He suggests that our current state as a world power is in decline, and it’s not the terrorists we should be worried about. Rather, he gives examples showing that this decline will be the result of the growing inequality, irrationality, and the loss of hope within our nation. He states, “It’s not that life in America was better in the 1960’s. It wasn’t. But it seemed to be moving in a better direction” (396). In other words, we’ve lost a crucial part to what made us a great nation in the first place. If we don’t recover this hope and can-do spirit soon, we may be headed for a supporting role on the world stage.
Interviews with individuals from across the economic spectrum about the heady years after the Wall Street Crash in 1929 reveal a socially transformational period of time. Unlike previous busts, the sheer hopelessness and economic damage was almost unheard of. Furthermore, another difference when compared to previous economic downturns is the incredibly productive economy that had developed as industrialization resulted in mass-market products like automobiles and washing machines becoming accessible to many Americans in the roaring 1920s. The United States’ leadership community, whether in business or politics, was totally ill-equipped to handle such a change in circumstances when, before the Great Crash, production growth was considered the penultimate method to increase prosperity, as exemplified by the spread of Taylorism and also President Hoover’s inept attempts to stabilize the economy at the turn of the 1930s. In turn, many individuals began to view the economy as a rigged system that benefitted the well-connected and
It is somehow strange for today’s reader to find out that the situation with America’s foreign affairs hasn’t changed much. As some clever people have said, “The History book on the shelf is always repeating itself.” Even after nineteen years, Americans think of themselves as citizens of the strongest nation in the world. Even after the September the 11th. Even after Iraq. And Afghanistan.
No politician can objectively point to a time when America was ‘great,’ or when the decline started. Because of the impossibility of clarifying these two times, the media and politicians can bend the idea of greatness around in many ways, and often, the groups suggest that the decline is a first-time occurrence. In the contrary, fears of American decline have existed since America’s foundation. For example, while the Americans were resoundingly successful in the revolutionary war, the British impressed US soldiers, burned the White House and blockaded US ports during the War of 1812. General Sherman and other officers felt the Union’s inability to quickly defeat the Confederate Army proved American decline, and Lincoln’s assassination was seen as an event that would be impossible to recover from. The Great Depression was another period of assumed national decline, and Adolf Hitler believed that America could not enter World War 2 because America had become too weak of a nation (Dowd). Between every period of assumed decline, America advanced greatly, from spreading across the American continent after the War of 1812, to imperializing and creating the world’s most powerful navy after the Civil War, and finally to leaving the Great Depression and World War 2 as the world’s dominant economic, political and social power. Although the continued trend of decline and amazing recovery is not certain, it is important for Americans to understand that the current fear of decline is not new. The American people would benefit greatly if American greatness could be put on a timescale, because the people and historians would be able to more easily determine if the trends and claims are
For years, America has always been perceived as one of the top world powers due to its ability of achieving so much technological, economical, and social progress within a mere couple decades. Despite their great accomplishments, America is actually regressing psychologically, preventing the country from reaching its true potential as an “opportunity rich” country. In Anthony Burgess’ Is America Falling Apart? , the author unveils the circumstances in which America’s restricting society and selfish ideology cause the nation to develop into the type of society it tried to avoid becoming when it separated from the British Empire.
One year ago I realized that drinking and driving is very dangerous. My cousin Janet had everything that anyone will ever ask for in life, a car, a job, a boyfriend that loved her more than anything else in the whole world, a son and a promising future. All that changed when she decided to drive home from a party after drinking. She fall asleep at the wheel, crashed her car very bad into a ditch. Janet was my role model who I looked up in many ways, she always inspired by how hard she worked, but all that changed in one day. For nearly two months she remained in coma and now she is spending several time in rehabilitation to help he learn basic motor functions such as talking, walking and swallowing . For the rest of her life she will likely suffer from memory loss, dangerous seizures and even impaired speech.
“Involvement in two world wars and the Cold War transformed America into a “crusader state” convinced of the superiority of its institutions and way of life and intent on imposing them on the outside world. ” Whether fought at home or abroad every war is to impact all parties involved.
Blue eye shadow, neon clothes, denim,scrunchies,leg warmers, and big hair are just a few things the ‘80s are known for. Many people remember the 1980s for those things, people throw dances, have spirit days at schools,and even have 80s costumes for Halloween all in honor of the 1980’s. These aren’t the only things that make up the ‘80s though. There is much more that happened during the best decade of the 20th century.
The American Greatness, from its founding, changed in the idea of the relationships to other countries. In the founding, America was great because it valued limited government and individual liberty. America broke away from the British government and provided people with the opportunity to pursue their dreams and aspirations. However, in 1950, America saw its greatness as the champion of the democracy abroad. In other words, America went from being an isolated, newly formed country to becoming a “global force “for the good. In the founding, America thrived as an isolated country which pursued the national interest while keeping friendly foreign relations. Fast forward to 1950, America’s primary goal was to spread democracy and provide
In spite of this, surveys have shown ongoing public support for the U.S.’s active engagement in foreign affairs (book). Only a minority of people would consider themselves “isolationists”, while most favor an internationalist foreign policy. Furthermore, the knowledge gap about foreign issues is not limited to the mass public. Even U.S.’s counterterrorism officials do know the difference between a Sunni and a Shiite, the two very important Islamic sects in the Iraq’s war. In addition, the changing in public opinion has to do with the context of problems rather its lack of understanding. Americans’ beliefs that the U.S.’s power should be use to prevent clear threats to the national interest led them to support intervention in some situations and restraints in others. Last but not least, studies have suggested that citizens are not easily manipulated by their leaders. Rather, they are able to distinguish vital U.S. interests from those that are not worth risking American lives
One of the most vigorous debates focuses on the current status of the United States hegemony and whether or not it is in decline. This begs the question, if the United States is indeed declining in status, will it still be an influential player or not? I argue that the United States is losing its prominent position as the hegemonic leader of the world, but will still remain an influential player in global politics in the following decades to come. Its decline is an imminent result of their domestic issues, the violation of international laws and economic deficit, which have posed a grave and serious challenge for the United States. On the other hand, I propose that the United States will remain a dominant force due to its innovation, cultural influences around the world, and military prowess. In their articles, “How Americans Can Survive the rise of the Rest”, by Fareed Zakaria and “America and Europe in the Asian Century”, by Kishore Mahbubani, provides two distinctive and thought provoking arguments from a declinist perspective. However, both articles are susceptible to criticism and will be further examined in order to understand the United States prominent role.
William Fulbright wrote “America is now at the historical point at which a nation is in danger of losing its perspective on what exactly is within the realm of its power and what is beyond.” Mr. Fulbright’s description of how America's potential future could be, if it continues to arrogantly use its power. Furthermore, he "fears that America may be drifting into commitments which, though generous and benevolent in intent, are so far reaching as to exceed even America's great...