The Great Impacts Of A Greater War

The Great Impact of a Greater War

The Second World War was an extremely devastating conflict in human history, causing mayhem through both destruction and death. Its impacts on society were widespread, from The

Social Security Act of 1935 to the . World War Two ultimately had a widespread impact resulting in economic growth as well as political and societal reform that led to improved rights for countless United States citizens.

World War Two brought a heavy impact on the United States economy as the nation needed to mobilize resources in order to support their army in the war. The war led to the annihilation of public infrastructure, industries, homes, and formed a severe demand for resources that stretched the nation's economy to its limit.

“The Truman Doctrine and containment”; par. 3). This plan had an important role in establishing the nation's relational bonds with the other powers in the postwar era. The creation of the United Nations, done to prevent the United States’s return to isolation through President

Roosevelt’s and Churchill’s efforts, lessened any political dissonance (Gopnik et al. “The new

US role in world affairs”; par 1). The country established itself as the leader of the free world because of the revealed military might and economic power (Digital History, par. 2).

The considerable changes left by World War Two also affected the nation's domestic politics, as even more policies and programs were put into place in order to promote national unity. The war forced the government to take an active role in handling the economy and keeping social welfare on an incline, in an attempt to bolster the war effort and retain public support for the conflict. The war also caused noteworthy changes in the United States’s civil rights movement, as African Americans and other minority groups seized the opportunity to protest and earned several changes, one example being the Executive Order 8820 which banned the

Lastly, the nation's social norms were also altered heavily, particularly with respect to gender roles. The war led to a significant increase in women's participation in the workforce, as countless women took on jobs in factories and other industries to support the war effort which were originally seen as man-exclusive jobs (Gopnik et al. “Social Consequences of the War”; par. 1). Many worked in factories like Rosie the Riveter but 3,00,000 also took an occupation in the Red Cross and over 200,000 served in the Military (“Research Starters: Women in World War

II”, par. 1). This source also mentioned that women had an active role in the war with the formations of multiple auxiliary branches in the military such as the “Women’s Army Corps

(WAC), Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES), and Women Airforce

Service Pilots (WASP).” Even though they were not allowed on the front lines, the granting of more employment options for women brought them closer to complete liberation from sexism.

This heightened participation in the war effort questioned traditional gender roles