Ashlyn Mendoza
History 18 / CRN 30027
July 31, 2022
How America Has Changed Since WWII
Since World War II, America focused primarily on the growth of the people and society,
with a victory in Europe and the Pacific under its belt. Now, soldiers were coming home to their
families, jobs were being created more than ever, more children were being born than at any time
in the country’s history, and the country entered a new age of prosperity and slowly became one
of the world’s two superpowers, the other being the Soviet Union. Advancements in areas like
civil rights, national security, and political fronts proved to be challenges for America and its
people, however, none were too strong to resist change at the hands of the people. The American
people began to prioritize their safety over freedoms, which in turn caused alterations in the
governmental system reflecting these changes in values.
A new dawn rose for the United States on the front of civil rights, fighting for more rights
and security for those who had been deemed lesser such as blacks, Asians, and Hispanics, while
attempting and succeeding to criminalize separatist ideologies such as segregation. Civil rights
leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. And Malcolm X. arose in the mid-1950s to 1960s.
Although both would be assassinated in tragic circumstances (in 1968 and 1965, respectively),
their messages were intensely popular with the segregated crowds and inspired vast amounts of
uproar for a change. Countless marches on governmental buildings and protests and boycotts of
services like public transportation helped effectively communicate the wish for civil rights
legislation to be passed. John F. Kennedy, president from 1961 until 1963 when he was
assassinated in Dallas, had announced earlier that year his plans for the Civil Rights Act of 1964,
which stretched as far as it could, outlawing any racial discrimination and separation in a public
setting, breaking down any signs of segregation including in the workplace, where discrimination
was also banned. As mentioned, Kennedy was not able to implement this act during his
presidency, which led to acting President Lyndon B. Johnson passing it a few months after his
arrival in office in 1964. Segregation as a law was now abolished, and, despite ongoing racism
and hatred towards minority groups for years afterward, the United States had become more
secure and equal than ever before. Many Americans were supportive of this new legislature and
the equality of those who live in the country, however, there were many people who opposed it,
mostly located in the South. But Americans were willing to give up some of their freedoms to
promise security for those around them and themselves, to adjust their government and the laws
the government abides by to ensure a safer and happier living for themselves and the future
generation.
National security was also an area of improvement, in both positive and negative ways,
after WWII. During President Harry S. Truman’s term in office, he signed the National Security
Act of 1947 into law, which enabled certain institutions such as the Central Intelligence Agency
and the Federal Bureau for Investigation. Truman had opened these institutions as a means of
defense for both homeland United States and for any investigations into other countries and
nations. The FBI was used as a means of investigations on a large scale that occur in the
mainland United States, such as drug trafficking, terrorism, espionage in the U.S., and general
large-scale crime organizations. The CIA had been created specifically for studying any
undercover activity on both U.S. soil and in other countries, such as covertly led insurgencies,
and a major part of the CIA’s reputation is aiding in coups in other countries. One infamous
example is a failed attempt at overtaking the Cuban government by means of Cuban immigrants
who were against Fidel Castro’s Communist-influenced style of rule, known as the Bay of Pigs
invasion. Led under command of John F. Kennedy, former U.S. President, in 1961, the CIA paid
for weapons and supplies in exchange for the Cuban immigrants using them to overthrow the
emerging dictator before relations with the Soviet Union grew too strong. The invasion was a
failure and resulted in Cuba tightening ties with the Soviets, which increased already high Cold
War tensions. These institutions, however, were created specifically for the defense and security
of both the United States and its people. The organizations, while spotted sometimes with
controversy and sometimes with not a very great reputation, are still acknowledged to be for
defense purposes and help ensure the security of the American people.
A true change since the end of WWII could be marked as intense changes in political
beliefs and how they are described, and why they occurred. Political and economic beliefs
struck the entire world especially hard due to the massive money-draining war machine that was
WWII. The Soviet Union, a Communist nation and, ironically, a former ally during the war, had
spread its ideologies of fair wealth division and equality in all senses to the poor, destroyed
countries of Eastern Europe, such as Poland, the Baltic States, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, and
East Germany. Due to this spread and influence so close to allied countries to the U.S., where
Communism was viewed as a dictatorship hellscape version of democracy with absolute
governmental control, the U.S. passed the Truman Doctrine in 1947, disavowing any further
spread of the Soviet Communist ideology into other countries. This sparked the Cold War,
which was a 45-year-long era of complacency between the U.S., the Soviet Union, and their
respective allies. With this, came many periods of time during the 40s through the 60s known as
“Red Scares” where the rise of Communism and the possibility of the United States becoming
Communist was especially high. American citizens had been fearing the spread of Communism,
especially in the mainland United States. Fears of the democratic country the citizens adored
turning into an authoritarian regime had been rampant since the outbreak of the Cold War began.
Furthermore, with the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the political parties saw a divide; segregation
was outlawed, and political parties supporting segregation had a major turnaround, where
Republicans sought the South due to the Democrat President Lyndon B. Johnson implementing
the act. American politics changed drastically after WWII, especially concerning the Communist
economic ideology, and which side of the coin citizens were on regarding the Civil Rights Act.
Although the attitude of the American people had adjusted during tough times to reflect
more modern and progressive values, it did not mean that at its core that the idea of freedom and
individuality had diminished. Civil rights led the country into a highly controversial yet wellneeded era of equality where security in ethnicity was important. The changing scope of national
security as well helped Americans feel like they had plenty of safety from the government and
helped the American people feel backed and supported. Lastly, a changing world of politics
even on American soil led to the changing of policies surrounding politics and what they agree
with and on, even pointing to a new era of changes in the political world.