Post WWII.

I’m fascinated by what happens after big important events. The in-between; the part where the long arm of history kind of…dismisses a passage of time, or jumps over it. The exciting stuff like a huge war is over, and frequently this phase gets leapfrogged over. In this case, we go from World War II to the frenetic changes of the 1960s, with a few nods to McCarthyism, freeways, and Cold War geopolitics. In comparison, the late ‘40s and ‘50s just don’t seem as exciting an era, oftentimes, as the ‘30s, the first half of the ‘40s, and the ‘60s.

But there was a lot going on. A lot in response to what had come before, and a lot that set the groundwork for what was yet to come.

america’s mindset Post-World War II

1945, part 1 : V-E Day

Germany surrendered to the Allies on May 8. This day is now known as “VE-Day,” which stands for “Victory in Europe Day.

People were happy. At least people in a lot of Allied countries were happy.

1945, part 2 : V-J Day

Japan surrendered on August 14/15 to the Allies. This was known as “V-J-Day,” or “Victory over Japan Day.”

Celebrations erupted. One of the most famous was in Times Square, where the iconic portrait was taken of that sailor jubilantly kissing that woman; a a female stranger who was less jubilant in the moment because she was grabbed, and which leads to some thoughtful reflection about the role of glorifying drunken men in uniform assaulting women in public without consent. Anyway, it was V-J-Day and a lot of people were happy, and there was nothing but hope, optimism, and good times ahead…

Back in the USSR

…so fascism was dead and there was nothing but good times ahead.

Oh, except for the upcoming Cold War. The one that a few knew would be coming after WWII finally ended. The one where the world’s new superpowers would soon align against each other, passive-aggressively, and stockpile weapons and (sometimes German) scientists and play a giant chess game with nuclear annihilation as the downside to a wrong move. But nobody knew what the moves would be, or what their opponent’s moves would be. Just that making the wrong move could have global consequences. But not everyone knew or even suspected this then.

A short aside:
“U.S.S.R.” referred to “Union of Soviet Socialist Republics,” often abbreviated as “Soviets.” Sometimes the term “Russia” was used synonymously. This isn’t entirely accurate, although often informally used, because Russia technically was just one of the republics (the biggest and hub of everything). Examples of other republics who were part of the USSR include Estonia, Georgia, Ukraine, etc. So when we say Soviet, we’re referring to the collective 16 parts (republics) that made up the entire country during the era of Communism (1922-1991). When we say Russia, we’re technically referring to the single country - the country that was once one of the republics. Since the fall of Soviet communism in 1991, Russia has been its own country.

Many Americans, both conservatives and liberals, admired the USSR during the war because the Soviets were against fascism - the big enemy - so they had to be decent folks. Enemy of my enemy sort of deal. They were pounding away at the Nazis, and America couldn’t win the war without their alliance. Plenty of liberals figured that Russia would come around eventually to a better way of existence; pick up on the great ideals of America and maybe get a little more democratic. Conservatives also supported the alliance and explained, for example, that the Soviets’ super-secret and powerful police force wasn’t that much different from the FBI in helping to hunt down traitors.

But there were also plenty who were concerned about the nature of America-Soviet relations once the war was over, and how new territory, resources, and power would affect the balance of global relationships.

Basically, it would be the forces of Capitalism (USA) versus the forces of Communism (Soviet Union).

The New Deal

Also, there was intense re-examination of President Roovevelt’s New Deal policies. Post-war, there would be an economy without the need for wartime price controls, wage controls, and rationing. The nature of the work force itself would change dramatically as soldiers returned home and industry returned to making domestic products instead of wartime supplies and equipment.

The Great Depression was in the rear view mirror, so what would the new economy look like?

What would the relationship be like between labor and business?
What work and educational opportunities would there be for women?
For people of color?
For Jews?
In general, what new opportunities would exist for those who had historically been shut out of opportunity and advantage?

What role would the government play in a free market, capitalist, post-war society? One in which a country had banded together in order to defeat a common enemy, but that would now have to take some hard looks in the mirror at itself to see what changes it needed in order to thrive in peacetime.

And without fascism to fight as a common enemy, what would the next battles be…and who would they be against?

Stay tuned.

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