US becoming a Global Power
Learn about US history!!! Part 3
Roaring 20's, World War 2, Cold War and finally Peace
Roaring 20's
This was a great time were everyone enjoyed themselves after the horrible World War 1. Because now everyone had the luxury to party, and be wild, the whole country danced, smoked, kissed, and ate all night long. The country was filled with flappers and endless fads, parties for rich and poor, everyone was having such a great time that they forgot about the war and became careless of the future.
P.S. A great movie of the 1920's is the Great Gatsby. It shows how life was back then.
WW2 in Europe
The war in Europe began in September 1939, when Germany, under Adolf Hitler, invaded Poland. Britain and France responded by declaring war on Germany but took little action over the following months. Germany had formed an alliance called the axis with Italy, USSR, Japan, Finland and other minor countries. In 1940, Germany launched its next initiative by attacking Denmark and Norway, followed shortly thereafter by attacks on Belgium, the Netherlands, and France. On June 22, 1940 Germany signed an agreement that gave them control of the Northern half of France.
Up until this point in the war, the Soviet Union had been allied with Germany. However, on April 6, 1941 Germany invaded the Soviet Union. Then the Soviet Union changed to the side of the Allies. The United States had stayed neutral during the war. They tried to help out the Allies, but did not want to enter the fighting. But that changed when the Japanese attacked the U.S.(Later on in the next paragraph). When the Russians reach Berlin, Hitler commits suicide and Germany surrenders on 1945.
WW2 with Japan
Japanese expansion in East Asia began in 1931 with the invasion of Manchuria and continued in 1937 with a brutal attack on China. In 1940, Japan signed the Tripartite Pact with Germany and Italy, entering the military alliance known as the "Axis." Seeking to curb Japanese aggression and force a withdrawal of Japanese forces from Manchuria and China, the United States stopped trade with Japan.
Faced with severe shortages of oil and other natural resources and driven by the ambition to displace the United States as the dominant Pacific power, the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor in 1914. After huge fights, the U.S. ends the Japanese- American war by dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan surrenders on 14 August.
Cold War
Origins of the Cold War
Everything started before the war, with growing distrust, broken promises, and the "Iron Curtain". The cold war was a war without much physical fight. At first, with the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan to help Europe fight against communism and rebuild their homes, the Soviet Union was kind of pissed at the U.S.
Crisis Over Berlin
Berlin, Germany's biggest city, was divided into four zones, and when the U.S., Britain and France tried to reunite it, Stalin, the USSR leader, saw it as a threat to the Soviet Union and closed all West Berlin roads to the rest of the world. The U.S. sent an airlift for 11 months to West Berlin, dropping of food, oil, and other supplies. Another bitter symbol that reminded people about the Cold War was the Berlin Wall. For a long time a huge concrete wall divided Germany for almost 30 years, till it was taken down by a bunch of protesters and unhappy people.
New Alliances
The NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) was an organization of countries that helped Western Europe against the Soviet threat. The Warsaw Pact was the organization that supported the Soviet Union to fight against NATO. It was definitely a cold war.
1949: Year of Shocks
When the U.S. and NATO thought they were on the upper side of the fight, they discovered three incredible shocks:
- The USSR had managed to copy the atomic bomb
- China had turned communist, and against the U.S. goal
- The USSR had about 25% of the world resources
Postwar Policies and Prosperity
From War to Peace
After decades of War, the U.S. welcomed the soldiers and had the economy rise. With the GI Bill of Rights, giving soldiers a free year in collage, loans and paying them unemployment benefits, an inflation problem rose. But all of these problems were solved when the baby boom phenomenon occurred. More people started to buy more for their families, women worked more with house keeping , and most everyone was happy living suburbs. And don't forget the sexism during this time, women were seen as inferiors to men and a objects. Playboy started during the 50's due to sexism.
Lifestyles in the 1950's
With a huge economic boom, more goods are produced and sold and more jobs were created. People stared to have good, services and many luxuries, like washing machines, TV's, automobiles and many other consumer goods. Rock music was also created during the 50's, and with Elvis Presley, all the teenagers were guaranteed fun and wildness. Though most parents were against this new kind of music and behavior from teens, but youth took over and nobody could stop the fun for a long time. Most Americans enjoyed this life, where they had more money to spend.
The End for Now...
About the Author
Autobiography
Hi, I am Josefina Perez Jimenez, and I am thirteen year old girl that lives in Costa Rica. I was born on May 26, 2000 in Argentina.I study at Country Day School, there I learned and did many things, one of them is this project. I am very proud that I could actually do this and hope that it helps many people learn about U.S. history. Hope it helped :)