Lecture #23 – America at War
1. General Changes
: economics – emerged from both wars an economic powerhouse;
economy was intact and the homeland didn’t see any fighting on its
soil.
: world power – emerged from both wars as a world power, a
potentially stabilizing force in world affairs; after WWI they retreated
into isolationism, whereas after WWII they accepted their role as
superpower, alongside the Soviet Union; the Cold War ensued.
: gender roles – war means less men in the factories, more men in
the army; women, as a result, took to factory jobs in droves during
both wars; this was especially true during WWII; helped break
decades worth of taboos regarding the proper role of women (domestic
spheres, etc); traditional gender roles were re-asserted in the years
immediately following WWII.
2. Propaganda
: an age old method of political communication; intensified with the
advent of nationalism and mass communications technology.
: most war propaganda was for enlistment purposes and fund raising.
: the enemy – portrayed as subhuman and monstrous; appealed to
emotion rather than reason; similar to the way advertisers marketed
products; due to heavy involvement of the advertising industry in
producing war propaganda.
: structure / activities – Committee for Public Information (CPI) in
WWI; Office of War Information (OWI) in WWII; both organizations
had censorship powers and could distribute press releases to news
organizations; enlisted celebrities and intellectuals to help them out;
encouraged the film industry to make patriotic films—i.e. ‘The Beast of
Berlin’ and ‘To Hell With the Kaiser’ (WWI) and ‘Destination Tokyo’ and
‘Back to Bataan’ (WWII).
: Frank Capra, Alfred Hitchcock, Walt Disney, and even Looney Tunes
made war propaganda.
: race – anti-Japanese propaganda was much more brutal than antiGerman propaganda; due to racial differences; may have led to much
more brutal warfare in the Pacific theater, as well as increased support
for the internment of Japanese-Americans.
3. Racial / Ethnic Conflict
: nativism and racism always intensifies during times of war; 100%
Americanism during WWI—harassment of German-Americans, etc—
and the push for interment during WWII; relations between whites and
blacks also worsened.
: The Third Battalion, 24th Infantry (1917) – all black regiment
stationed in Houston, Texas; faced intimidation by police and locals;
rumors that one of the soldiers was killed led to an armed
confrontation; 16 whites and 4 blacks were killed; 19 black soldiers
sentenced to death, 43 faced life imprisonment.
: after WWI race-riots broke out all across America, including Chicago,
Washington DC, East St. Louis, etc.
: The Zoot Suit Riots (1943) – conflict between Latinos and military
personnel in Los Angeles during WWII; for three nights in June 200
sailors attacked young Latinos, beating them and stripping them of
their clothing; condoned by white newspapers and local politicians.
: big race riot in Detroit in 1943 as well; 34 people dead in 36 hours
4. Aftermath
: both wars saw an unparalleled rise in consumption after hostilities
drew to a close; the 1920s and the 1950s, in many respects, are seen
as the high point of consumer culture.
: both wars also witnessed periods of intense political repression; the
First Red Scare after WWI was due to the Russian Revolution and a
strike wave; the Palmer Raids of 1919 saw the government arrest and
deport over 10,000 prominent left-wingers; seen as a dress rehearsal
for the political repression of the Cold War.
: the second Red Scare lasted until 1989, unfortunately; also known as
the Cold War (more on this next week).