Adrianna Barsa TLA- Freedom, Equality, and the Common Good In the wake of World War 2, countries around the world began to see their economic situations change. While the war may have had some very positive effects on the economy in the United States, other countries were not as lucky. At the time, the United States was focused on getting themselves out of the depression. The war enabled the U.S. economy to steadily improve, as I will further discuss. However, many countries faced repeated hardships as the war surged on. These results directly connect to the Freedom, Equality and the Common Good theme, as other nation’s economies suffered in the midst of the United States individual prosperity. Through careful examination and research, one …show more content…
Due to the excessive fighting that took place overseas, European nations suffered the brunt of the wars abuse. In Europe, “Large amounts of physical capital were destroyed through six years of ground battles and bombing” (The Postwar Economy). This left many European cities destroyed. This mass destruction caused many people to lose their homes and other belongings. While many families may have been lucky to escape with their lives, they lost everything else. Many were forced to start over with nothing but the clothes on their backs. In addition, “The immediate impact of WWII was apparently quite destructive for the countries involved, especially so for those on the losing side—Germany, Japan, and Italy—presumably reflecting their much larger losses in both physical and human capital during the war” (The Postwar Economy). The countries who ended up losing the war had more significant damage to their economies. These counties lost even more physical capital including buildings, machinery, and technology. Death rates in these losing nations were also far beyond those of others. It is explained that, “while earlier wars also resulted in deaths of civilians, civilians were particularly heavily affected by WWII with about half of the WWII European casualties being civilians…Germany and Poland bore the brunt of these casualties” (The Postwar Economy). The increased casualty rates in these two nations were due to the systematic killing that took place during the war. For Germany and Poland, dramatic losses in human capital caused devastation to their economies. For these reasons, World War 2 did not have positive economic effects on European
This was definitely a tough predicament for Europe to be in. In the aftermath of World War I, literally tens of millions were mortally wounded and missing, there were devastating effects on morale and view towards war, which would make most any weakened society ...
For the past century, the United States has been regarded as the greatest hegemonic power in the world. The U.S. played the most important role in the advancement of mankind from social, political, scientific, military, and economic standpoint. Unfortunately, today this is no longer true. Since the 1980’s the U.S. has been on a gradual decline. The introduction and implementation of trickle down economics, otherwise known as “Reaganomics,” has contributed greatly to the systemic dismantling of the socioeconomic structure that made America great.
During the Great Depression, America’s economy was merely destroyed. Because less money was available, industrialization dropped, factories were losing, and the number of unemployment increased. Later, during World War II most of the countries were destroyed, however, America’s economy was able to grow. Due to the mobilization of America, The victory gardens, the rationing, and the urge to produce more to fight better, America’s production increased in order to support its military. Also, different types of industry that wasn’t available before the war started to develop during the war. So, employment started to increase, thereby increasing the economy. Moreover, it was able to fund other countries with weapons and products necessary for the war, and in alliances America was mainly the provider. After the war, when the Americans’ soldiers came back, with a huge number of factories and high number of people ready to work, production flourished. Thus, America started to recover economically and become more powerful. World War II transformed America’s economy from a depressed
The American home front during World War II is recalled warmly in popular memory and cultural myth as a time of unprecedented national unity, years in which Americans stuck together in common cause. World War II brought many new ideas and changes to American life. Even though World War II brought no physical destruction to the United States mainland, it did affect American society. Every aspect of American life was altered by U.S. involvement in the war including demographics, the labor force, economics and cultural trends. During the Great Depression, the American birth rate had fallen to an all-time low due to delayed marriages and parenthood.
The United States, at the time of World War II, was facing an economic depression which concerned the American public and President Roosevelt because they knew that America’s involvement with the war was inevitable. Most resources state that “the United States entered World War II largely unprepared” (America and Word War II 610). However, due to the fact that while preparing for the war there was an increase in economic growth, African Americans and women became more involved in industry and the military, and President Roosevelt incorporated several acts and embargos that encouraged Americans to produce more supplies as well as permitted Britain and France to purchase goods from the United States, it can be argued that America was in fact prepared for its entry into World War II. The external threads of continuity, such as economic, social, political, and geographic factors, had a greater impact on the United States preparedness for war, which resulted in the overall success of the Allied Powers.
In the book Perils of Prosperity by William E. Leuchtenburg, the United States at the time undergoes through times of tremendous economic growth and social changes in between 1914 to 1932. Leuchtenburg talks about some of the major changes that helped shaped the American society into what it is now today in his book. The standard of living rose, the economy flourished, the roles of women in the workforce and political changes are all examples of the major post-Civil War changes which Leuchtenburg talks about then leads into World War 1. It was a wonderful era of transformation for the United States, but there are consequences which occurred in those times. Despite the all the prosperity that took place, there were times where prosperity had
The first World War is recorded down as one of the “deadliest conflict in human history”. With over 16 million dead, it was one of the first wars with a high amount of casualties. However, the one that tops the list with around 60 million deaths was World War II. What caused such a large scale war to happen in the first place? Seven and a half months after World War I, a treaty was signed between the victorious countries, Great Britain, France, United States, and Germany (Overview). It was created with the intention to create peace Europe and ensure that another war like World War I doesn’t happen again. However, the peace was short lived before the second World War engulfed Europe and the rest of the world in a brutal bloodshed. Instead of lasting peace, the Treaty of Versailles contributed greatly to the cause of World War II as it caused humiliation and anger within Germany. The pent up emotions eventually led to the rise of the Nazi Party and Adolf Hitler, who were angered by their loss in territory, military restrictions, economic reparations, and the war guilt clause.
After the Civil War ended in 1865 there were three competing notions of freedom concerning the want for independence, the end of slavery with the recreation of the Northern economy, and the persistent desire for white supremacy. Separation was drawn between the white Northerners and Southerners, as well as the freed Blacks. Each one began to assert their ideas of freedom, interpreting what this freedom meant personally, and for the nation as a whole. The North wanted to end slavery, and recreate the South in what they saw as moral. The Southern whites wanted to return to the life attained before the Civil War, by practically maintaining control through white supremacy. The freed Blacks and slaves wanted their own independence through community strengthening, without the interference of white power. All of these notions
During the aftermath of World War I great change was happening to America’s society. Of the nations that were involved in the worldwide conflict from 1914 to 1918 no other nation experienced prosperity socially, politically, and economically as quickly as did the United States of America. The middle-class American suddenly became the most important component to the growth of the American economy. As the purchase of luxuries, the automobile in particular, became more available to middle-class, opportunity in the housing and labor industries expanded.
Unlike what most of the people were expecting, the war had horrible devastations. At least 10 million soldiers died in war while 21 million were wounded. Civilians faced dangers and hardships since the world experienced food shortages. Economies were neglected because every effort was directed towards the support for the war. Hunger, influenza pandemic and other diseases caused civilians to die not only in warring countries but even in neutral c...
After the end of the World War I in 1920, the United States entered in a period where great changes were made. During this period known as the New Era of the 1920’s, many innovations were taking place as well as many economic developments, which were stimulating the way through a change in America’s society. However, while for some Americans this was an era of better opportunities for living, some others were suffering the consequences. Later on, with an unequal distribution of wealth and low incomes, America’s economy was in a vulnerable point of a catastrophic collapse. And so it was. By the end of the 1920’s, when the stock market crashed, the prosperity of that period disappeared and the nation was sunk into an economic catastrophe known as the Great Depression. Many factors constituted the reasons for this collapse, for example, the Wall Street crash, the oligopolies domination over American industries, the weaknesses in some industries (textile, coal and agriculture), and also the government policies and international economic difficulties. Then, by the early 1930 with the depression spreading and affecting the entire society, the policies, philosophy and optimism that Herbert Hoover had brought to his presidency was being challenged. As a result, by the time of the elections in 1932, Hoover lost the presidency against the candidate of the Democratic Party, Franklin D. Roosevelt and his campaign of what he called the New Deal. Based on this, FDR pushed towards many solutions for the “crises of a collapsing financial system, crippling unemployment, and agricultural and industrial breakdown” (Goldfield, Page 704). Even thought when various changes were made, it was during the period right after the elections of 1936 that polit...
Individual rights refer to the liberties of individual to pursue freedom and happiness, and that right should not be interfered by other individuals or the government. It is related to ideal of the United States Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson said “A wise and frugal Government shall restrain men from injuring one another, and shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvements.” This statement represents US’s ideal. Laws to protect individual right in the United States and South Korea are more different than they are alike.
losses plagued the history and culture of European life. After World War II many people finally
Almost all countries have a document that sets them apart from all of the others. A document where they state what their countries beliefs are, their laws everyone has to follow and many more things too such as what each person is entitled to as a citizen and what rights that citizen has. Most countries have one of these and they are likely called a Declaration of Independence, this document is the law of the land that everyone has to follow. While most countries have a lot of similarities there are also a few differences that set everyone apart, such as how countries define liberty and equality.
World War I also changed America's economy and industries. When America joined the war, supplies like guns, ammunition, food, and uniforms were needed, so businesses stepped up to fill this demand. In addition, with most of the men at war, regular daily life halted and the rest of the people found jobs to help get su...