World War 2 and its Effect on American Society The 1930’s witnessed the rise of aggressive, totalitarian regimes. After World War 1, Germany became a fascist state under the leadership of Adolf Hitler, Mussolini started to gain political control of Italy, and Imperial Japan became ever more aggressive to its Asian neighbors. This was all leading up to a global conflict. With Germany invading Poland in 1939, the world was again in a state war. World War 2 was a very turbulent time for the world, and especially for the United States. America entered the war in 1941 and with their entrance, helped turn the tide in favor of the Allies. Besides the direct impacts like the death toll and destruction that the conflict had on the United States, there …show more content…
The conflict unified the country as a whole, driving many factions and peopled away from their differences and pointing them against a common enemy and common goal of victory. People became more patriotic, buying government bonds to support the war, even as far as growing their own gardens to feed themselves so troops can have the other foods available in the market. The war also turned the nation from a peacetime economy to wartime one. Productions were all diverted for the war effort. Many factories began producing guns, tanks, and bullets. (pbs.org) But a source of labor was high in demand since most of the men left to fight in the war. This opened up many opportunities for the minorities in America, especially women. Before the war, women didn’t have outside jobs. Their role was to tend to family affairs and stay at home while the husband worked to make a living. But during the war, women began filling in for the men that left for war. They began working at the assembly lines and manufacturing plants. This generated income for women. As one of those women, Peggy Terry remembers her experiences during World War 2 during a 1984 interview, she