America Before and After World War One
Before and after World War One in the United States
World War One was the most devastating conflict the world has ever witnessed in its history. There were millions of casualties in Europe, and America’s choice to enter the war had numerous consequences on American territory, even though no fighting took place there. There were certain characteristics in terms of politics, social structure, and economy that existed prior to World Conflict II that were profoundly altered during the war and had an impact that would last for many years after the war ended. The objective of this article is to examine the manner in which America evolved after World War I in terms of these political, social, and economic issues by examining a variety of sources. It will become clear that, despite the fact that Americans played a smaller role in the war than their European counterparts, participation in the war resulted in an increase in propaganda and racist sentiment, altered the landscape for women, and heralded the beginning of an economic boom that eventually led to the Great Depression.
Before the Great War, a number of changes were taking place in the way the United States dealt with foreign affairs. William Howard Taft hoped to employ “dollar diplomacy,” in which the United States’ economic might was used as a threat to other countries without resorting to military force, to achieve his goals. Following in the footsteps of his predecessors, Woodrow Wilson vowed to avoid foreign strife and the expansionism that had defined international relations at the turn of the twentieth century. In spite of the fact that many individuals believed that Germany was acting immorally in its approach to war, Wilson appeared intent to downplay the role of the United States in the European War. One significant economic aspect that influenced public opinion on this issue was the fact that, prior to the onset of war, the United Kingdom was one of the United States’ largest trading partners, and the Allies themselves relied significantly on the Americans for their exports to the United States. The United States could not afford to lose this trading partner because it is such a significant contributor to the economy, and cutting this link would not be warmly received by the country’s financial institutions. This not only pushed America into World War I, but it also had an impact on the country after the war, particularly in terms of the Great Depression.
Prior to World War II, increasing conflicts between native-born Americans and recent immigrants were a major societal concern in the United States. There were tensions between people who were descended from Great Britain and those who were descended from Ireland, which reflected tensions between the two countries on the other side of the ocean. German immigrants, who were also becoming a minority, “seeing their country of origin as a victim of British and Russian aggression, as well as a French determination to settle ancient scores,” according to the Associated Press. The war itself had a catastrophic impact on the treatment of recent German immigrants, who were the objects of enormous propaganda campaigns aimed at swaying public opinion and rallying support for the war effort in Europe. As previously stated, there was increasing friction between native-born Americans and recent immigrants before to World War II, but this was significantly aggravated in the postwar years, resulting in a shift in relations between different ethnic groups.
During and after the war, the economic situation changed as well, and this had a variety of social ramifications. The war effort was mostly dominated by industry, which was tasked with supplying the Allies with the materials they required to continue fighting, resulting in a boost to the economy in terms of revenues for businesses. However, individuals who stayed at home were warned not to waste food, and individual purchasing power dropped as a result of the food shortage. Women were the most adversely affected, as they were not enlisted and were forced to remain on American territory and face with the consequences of war. The fact that vast numbers of men were killed or missing in action during World War I (whether they returned or not) had a substantial impact on women’s rights is also noteworthy. Suddenly, women were required to fill all of the positions left vacant by men who had gone to fight in Europe, and despite the fact that they received lower wages and were treated significantly worse than their male counterparts, this marked the beginning of an era of change for women’s rights that has continued to evolve to the present day.
Socially, the situation of African-Americans also changed from before to after the war. Some African-Americans, like women, saw the war as a period of opportunity, but there were also some negative implications, as there were with women. Before the war, African-Americans were gaining some social rights, but there was an increase in anti-black sentiment and the Klu Klux Klan. The Birth of a Nation, for example, was released in 1915 and depicted black men as being sexually aggressive and unintelligent. This helped to increase the numbers of Klan members to 5 million by 1925, who also targeted Jewish and Catholic Americans. As previously stated, there was an increase in intolerance towards persons of non-British heritage both during and after World War II, particularly in the United Kingdom.
There would be no discussion of the postwar period that would be comprehensive if it did not include an examination of the Great Depression. Following World War II, the United States had an economic boom that was fueled by increased automobile sales and the development of new industries. It was a new low point in the history of the United States, in part because of the loss of men during World War II, but also because businesses had to expand to meet new demands. For the most of the 1920s, Americans had huge quantities of disposable wealth and were therefore able to afford new forms of entertainment on a regular basis, which resulted in the development of both jazz and Hollywood during this period. This decade of American prosperity was not to last, and partly because of this exaggerated overspending and the optimism of U.S. spending, Black Tuesday and the Great Depression hit Americans hard. The stock market lost half of its value and many banks were forced to close, which of course affected the consumer.
In general, the Great War altered the United States in a number of significant ways. There was an increase in social tensions between ethnic groups, the start of women’s rights movements, and the increasing power of the Ku Klux Klan. Economically, America experienced a great boom and bust cycle that had devastating effects on the country in the long term.
