The Best War Ever
Americans came to view World War II as “the best war ever” because the nation
experienced unprecedented economic prosperity, the war created new opportunities for the
American people, and the US emerged as a superpower after World War II. Propaganda played
an extremely significant role in shaping the image of the war. The propaganda used to “spin” the
facts changed the war stories into anecdotes that would motivate the American people to be “on
board” with the war. This paper will discuss why the motivations to “spin” the war were in fact
good and how this propaganda affected the war itself. Lastly, examples will be given as proof
that this propaganda was in fact a necessary evil that eventually helped the US successfully
surpass the difficult years of war.
Although far from it, World War II became known as “the best war ever,” and it is easy
to see why Americans during the time believed this to be true. World War II rescued Americans
from the devastating times of the Great Depression. The American people were asked to
contribute to the war and were told that they were as important as any soldier on the front line.
They came to believe that their efforts were single handedly fueling the war; and to some extent,
they were correct. “American industry provided the needs of its own military and contributed
substantially to arming its allies. America was the only Allied nation able to field and fully equip
major armies in both Western Europe and Asia” (Adams, 69). Christopher Tassava states:
“For the United States, World War II and the Great Depression constituted
the most important economic event of the twentieth century… The American
economy expanded at an unprecedented (and unduplicated) rate between
1941 and 1945. The gross national product of the U.S., as measured in
constant dollars, grew from $88.6 billion in 1939 — while the country was
still suffering from the depression — to $135 billion in 1944. War-related
production skyrocketed from just two percent of GNP to 40 percent in 1943.”
The idea that Americans were fueling the war effort was felt all over the nation.
Americans did everything they could to help the economy prosper. This included building
weapons, producing food and supplies, buying war bonds amongst other things. The war
undoubtedly helped recuperate the American economy in unprecedented ways. This is a major
reason as to why World War II is considered by some to be a great war.
This is not an insinuation that the American society was perfect by any means; it was
very far from perfection. Terrible things happened during World War II. Even after the attacks
on Pearl Harbor occurred, Standard Oil refused to cancel its chemical contracts with I.G. Farben,
a synthetic rubber manufacturer for Hitler. This meant that even after being attacked, some
Americans felt it was right to honor financial contracts with the enemy. (Adams 71) This clearly
does not depict a perfectly ethical society, but one thing is certain; the American people believed
in their power to aid the economy as well as the war efforts and they acted upon that
responsibility, helping the US achieve financial prosperity post World War II.
The war also brought about a plethora of opportunities for American women. Millions of
women began their involvement in factories, offices, and military bases. Female journalist also
saw the war as an opportunity to expand their horizon. World War II offered new professional
opportunities to journalist all over the country. “Dozens of women fought for the right to cover
the biggest story of their lives.” As the war culminated at least 127 American women “had
secured official military accreditation as was correspondents, if not actually front-line
assignments.” (War, Women, and Opportunity)
World War II was considered a “good war” because of the outstanding position it placed
the United States in. The United States had claimed its place as a superpower amongst countries
all over the world. The US did not suffer from the loss of infrastructure or a shortage of citizens
like other countries that experienced the fighting in their home front, so it did not need to spend a
lot of money on rebuilding the country in a physical sense. America was also able to successfully
make a profit from the War, something that other countries did not experience so the country was
stronger financial at the culmination of the war than towards the beginning of its involvement.
Lastly, America emerged as a hero; a country that could battle against any individual that
attempted to destroy the democratic principles that men all over the world are entitled to. As the
war ended, America was seen as a “rich, united, and confident America.” (Adams 114) The war
initiated “the greatest era of prosperity in human history.” By 1945, two-thirds of the world’s
gold reserves, half its shipping, and more than half its manufacturing capacity belong to the
United States.
Propaganda played a vital role in getting Americans involved in the war efforts. The
American people were eager to help because they believed in the war, partly because they didn’t
truly understand the war. To say that the motivations in spinning the war in a positive fashion
were good may seem strange, but it is true; the motivations were in fact good. Without this
“spin” national morale would not have been as high as it was, and the American people might
not have been as willing to step up during the war, possibly crippling sectors of the financial
prosperity.
Unlike future conflicts such as the Vietnam War, Americans were excited about World
War II. They believed in the cause, in the soldiers, the leaders, and their ability to prosper. The
American people weren’t aware that soldiers shot prisoners, machine-gunned defenseless
enemies, raped women, and set entire villages on fire without any mercy (Adams 7). If this is
what they woke up to every morning, they would not be motivated to work, to support the troops.
If this is what they heard on the radio, they would resent the president, the entire government and
lose faith in the nation as a whole.
Yes it is unethical to lie, and yes the American people were blatantly being lied to by the
media, the government, and the journalist on a daily basis, but yes this was a necessary evil.
“Spinning” the war made people want to join the forces, to have a positive image of the country.
This directly impacted the war because men and women that were enlisted in the army were not
particularly excited to go to war, but before being deployed they went in with a positive attitude
and believed that they were helping their country fight the “good war.”
The “spin” impacted the war itself because it gave soldiers unrealistic expectations of the
situations overseas. Young men and women were exposed to over 300 films, 40 percent of them
being musicals that depicted the war as a “combination of escapism and toe-tapping patriotism”
(Adams 11). This mythologized the war, altering the perception of soon to be soldiers all over
the nation. The reality that they faced when they entered the war altered their perceptions forever
and finally burst the perfect scenery Hollywood had portrayed.
It must have been difficult for any parent or family member to deal with the idea of a
loved one going to fight overseas, publicity made this idea a little bit less difficult to deal with. If
the American people believed in the war efforts and supported the soldiers, they would be more
accepting and supportive of the idea of a loved one being involved with the war; they would be
heroes of “the best war ever.” Without this propaganda the American public would have
undoubtedly had an extremely difficult time getting the American people on board with the war.
This is by no means an argument stating that World War II was “the best war ever,” this
is just an explanation as to why the American people believed it to be so at the time. World War
II is one of the most atrocious events that humanity has ever been faced with, and how some
countries have been able to prosper after such tragic events is still hard to believe. Americans fail
to discuss the nuclear bombing, the use of napalm to literally set the enemy on fire and having
them “flare up like Roman candles” (Adams 74). As a society we would like to block such
horrific acts of cruelty from our past and focus on the idealist perception of the “best war ever.”
Although the propaganda might have been necessary at the time of the war to get Americans
successfully through the difficult years, it is important to understand the truth about the events
that occurred prior to, during, and after the culmination of World War II.
Adams speaks of the difficulties of retelling historic events, of the biases created by
different historians, and of the changes history encounters through generations. It is an
imperative part of the learning process to understand the actual events that occurred during this
not so good war. Only then will we be able to learn from the mistakes of the past and hopefully
be able to grow as a nation and avoid some of the mistakes that altered the lives of people
worldwide.
Works Cited
Adams, Michael C.C. The Best War Ever. Baltimore: The John Hopkins University Press,
1994.
Tassava, Christopher J. . The American Economy During World War II. February 2, 2010.
March 20, 2011 <http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/tassava.wwii>.
War, Women, and Opportunity. July 27, 2010. March 20, 2011
<http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/wcf/wcf0002.html>.