The effects of WWII on America were far greater than any other previous conflict. Not even in the previous great world war had American experienced the horrible reality that comes with violent confrontation on such a colossal scale. In every respect, the nation was going through changes and turning points on many fronts that had not previously touched. In a sense, the war exploited changes that needed to be made that weren’t recognized until after the fact. One of the most significant effects was on the equality movement toward women and minorities. Prior to WWII, the role of the woman was limited and the racial divides were painfully clear. But when the men were needed overseas, the women were the only people available to care for the families and maintain the industrial fortitude of the nation. Almost incidentally, the role of women was enhanced and the turning point occurred. The movement toward equality for other races also made great strides at this time. It is important to note that the aftermath of WWII opened up the eyes of America toward the need for equality, but it was more purely coincidental than anything else. The men were gone and there wasn’t anyone else, so America relied on women and minorities to pick up the slack essentially. What turned out to be a very beneficial outcome was not necessarily intentional.

            Following WWII, Europe was in ruins. War had run on years and the end had finally come. The end result left two superpowers to rule the world: America and the Soviet Union. Now internationally recognized, America was prepared to take the lead. No longer was the nation immersed in the Great Depression or fighting for survival. It was almost as though the intervention of America was the straw that broke the camel’s back and gave them the right to be in charge. As Churchill stated, “America stands at this moment at the summit of the world.” One of the main reasons America was left at the head of the table was because they now provided the soundest voice in the international arena. Their aid in the war definitely made the difference and the time for a nation to lead the world toward preventing another confrontation of ridiculous proportions was clearly needed. By taking charge, they adopted the crucial role of taking on the difficult problems and making the decisions that would be felt throughout the world. Unlike the aftermath of WWI, America was now the nation to be reckoned with and feared. Unfortunately, the Soviet Union had grown to a similar stance of power and world would soon become immersed in a new type of warfare: a cold war where the greatest asset was intimidation and the threat of power. This new deadly game of chess would solidify the role of America for the next half of the century as the leader of the free world.

During World War II many minorities and women were affected in a positive manner.  Women and African-Americans were presented with many job opportunities they would have had if there had not been a war.  The war was also in a way the beginning of their equality.  The Japanese-Americans were affected negatively and even had some of their rights taken away.

            During World War II many men were taken from their homes and jobs in the United States to be sent to the army.  Behind them they left many positions in desperate need of workers.  Women were some of the people hired to do these jobs.  Over six million women began to work in jobs that were outside of their home.  However this was only a small majority of women.  “A poll in 1943 revealed that a majority of American women would not take a job in a war plant if it were offered.” (854).  About three thousand daycares were then created in order to provide places for the children of the women working to stay.  After the war ended, two thirds of the women who were working during the war left their jobs.  This was either because of a forced removal by employers or because the women left due to obligations at home.  World War II foreshadowed a revolution in the status of women that would come.

            The lack of jobs in the United Sates during World War II also had open opportunities for people from Mexico.  In 1942 an agreement with Mexico was made.  This agreement brought thousands of Mexican agricultural workers to work on the farms in the West.  These people were known as braceros and they continued to live and work in the western part of the United States for many years after. 

            One minority group that was negatively affected by World War II was the Japanese.  Since Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, many Americans became extremely suspicious of Japanese-Americans.  People who looked Japanese were sent to relocation camps because the government was afraid that they could be spies.  Japanese-Americans were forced to leave their homes and jobs to live in some camps that were isolated from the outside world.  In this case, World War II was not a movement toward equality since it only caused people to discriminate against the Japanese. 

            World War II could be considered a turning point in the movement for the equality of African-Americans.  A huge “Negro March on Washington” was to be held in 1941 to “demand equal opportunities for blacks in war jobs and in armed forces.” (855).  In response to this, President Roosevelt issued an executive order that prohibited discrimination in defense industries.  He also created the Fair Employment Practices Commission that was meant to guard his executive order. 

            After World War II America’s international role changed because of how the war ended.  At the end of the war, the United States was not greatly harmed.  American forced fought the war in a great manner and helped the Allies to win.  Also the economy of America flourished because of the huge amounts of products that were being created due to the war.    

Women and minorities became a strong part of the war effort, and unlike WWI, they stayed in the workplace after the fighting stopped. There was also a great African-American migration from the South to the North and West.

World War II created opportunities for women and minorities that never existed before. The war made jobs available for women and minorities that would have otherwise been off limits for them. Factories desperately needed workers, and with so many men in the war they turned to women and minorities to replace the missing men. For the first time in history, a significant number of women were leaving their places in the home and minorities were getting more job opportunities.

            Women were in the work place, but there were not as many as some might have thought. Most of these women left their jobs after the war was over, and others were replaced with soldier’s coming home from war. Women were not reluctant to give up their positions in the workplace, since many of them were eager to start families and saw their jobs as a patriotic duty not a step toward equality. For the most part, the short-lived change did not  affect attitudes about women’s equality.

            Minorities, on the other hand, found more liberty in their jobs. Blacks, seeing the opportunity for jobs during the war, left the south and sought jobs in factories. And for the first time there were more blacks in cities then there were in the south. The jobs gave the workers a new sense of pride. Soon there were calls for equality in the workplace and in general society. Native Americans, who were usually outcasts in American society, were also taking advantage of the opportunities that the war provided. By the end of the war half of Native Americans were living in cities instead of reservations. Blacks and Native Americans were playing roles overseas, as well as, at home. Both were admitted into the army. Blacks however rarely saw combat, and were assigned to menial military jobs. Native Americans, however, played a significant role as “code talkers”. They transmitted radio messages, in their native languages, which were inexplicable to Germans and Japanese. The assimilation of different ethnicities in white America, created racial tension that the country never experienced before. There were constant race wars, many of which ended in death.

            Americas role in the world also changed after World War II. In both wars the U.S. managed to stay out of affairs until it was absolutely necessary. The difference is that at the end of World War II the country offered more ideas for international reform, in a way that everyone would benefit. The country also had more influence, because of its recovering economy. The war left most European nations in financial ruin. The U.S. benefited from the selling weapons and the economy grew more with the increase of jobs that the war created. The U.S established a greater and influential role for itself at the end of the war.