American Culture in the Post World War II Years Essay

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Popular cultures in the U.S include music, dance, literature, cuisine, arts, gun culture and poetry. However, many historians have alleged that the most popular culture in the U.S is cuisine. The period preceding WW II saw American people practicing various cultures such as gun culture and culture that required men to be the sole breadwinner of the family while women remain as housewives. In this culture, children were supposed to be obedient to their parents and society as a whole. Therefore, hooliganism was highly restricted in the American culture and everyone was required to observe the required norms of the society. As for the African American population, they were still prohibited in fully interacting with other Americans since some form of racial segregation still existed in American society.

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During the WW II, American society experienced a significant transformation that lead to changes in American culture. After the WW II, a revolution in American society begun to be apparent as more norms were being adopted in the society while others were being removed. The segregation of the black population subsided as the society moved towards national integration. Music such as rock and roll which was initially perceived to belong to the African American culture was incorporated into American culture through the influence of teenagers. The period after WW II witnessed large concerts of rock and roll music by musicians such as Elvis Presley which attracted a large crowd from both the white and black population. Therefore, music was incorporated into American culture in the 1950’s with the influence of rock and roll. Further still, the improvisation of Jazz music set a stage for new music culture in the American society that incorporated and appreciated the works of the black population. Consequently, the American society became integrated and cases of racial segregation became minimal (Faragher, J. M. et al.1999).

The period after WW II saw an emergence of a new teenage group that was defiant and unruly. This generation was eager to earn their freedom from the control of the adult population and as a result, formed their own cultural and social groupings. Consequently, they were able to obtain their freedom and begun challenging authority in the society. As a result of this freedom, juvenile delinquency became so common and the parents lost trust in their children. Indiscipline causes increased among the teenagers who were now able to earn and spend money in their own way. In fact, it is alleged that the youths during this period spent a lot of money than any other youth’s generation prior to them. The period after WW II especially the 19590’s saw the upsurge of various literature works by different authors. The writers of this period differed from their colleagues who wrote articles of the WW I in the sense that they concentrated on writing rebellious literature and post war effects rather than concentrating on the events of WW II. Sexual fictions books also reached their peak during this period thereby transforming the society from the traditional conservative view of sex to the contemporary view (Faragher, J. M. et al.1999).

This period also witnessed changes in gender roles in the society. During the war period, various women were incorporated into the service sector through employment and as the war came to an end, they refused to take up their traditional roles. Instead, women began pushing for equality between them and their male counterparts. Women refused to take up their traditional domestic role of being housewives and instead opt to study and work. Modeling among the women also became so rampant thus improving on their public image which had initially seen them as mere housewives.

This period also saw the widespread of technology in American culture such as Television, radio and other form of technology that promoted social interaction among the society members. Through the programs aired out in these Televisions, the traditional setting of the American family was changed to incorporate new lifestyles seen on various Television shows. For example, the family show on ‘I love Lucy’ in the 1950’s really transformed the society by installing new morals and values in American culture. Lastly, this period saw the upsurge of various civil rights groups agitating for full equality between the black population and the white population. For example, this period produced civil activists such as Martin Luther King Jr. who was in the forefront of campaigning for equality in the American society so that the African Americans would also be incorporated in the Americans society’s culture (Faragher, J. M. et al.1999).

In conclusion, the period after the WW II was characterized with a change in American culture with women taking up position of responsibility in the society. The greatest achievement of this period was uniformity that came to prevail in the American society where the young and the old interacted freely with each other unlike in the pre war period where the youths were barred from contributing to society’s issues. However, despite the positive changes that occurred in the American culture, this period witnessed very unruly group of youths that were disobedient to social norms and values.

References

  1. Faragher, J. M. et al. (1999). Out of Many. A History of the American People: A History of the American People. 3rd Ed. Prentice Hall.
  2. Mintz, S. (2007). The Containment Policy.
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IvyPanda. 2021. "American Culture in the Post World War II Years." November 14, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/american-culture-in-the-post-world-war-ii-years/.

1. IvyPanda. "American Culture in the Post World War II Years." November 14, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/american-culture-in-the-post-world-war-ii-years/.


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IvyPanda. "American Culture in the Post World War II Years." November 14, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/american-culture-in-the-post-world-war-ii-years/.

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