Dr Manju Antil (Counselling Psychologist and Psychotherapist)

The entry of the United States into World War II brought about profound changes in almost every aspect of American life. Millions of men and women enlisted in the military and saw a part of the world they never would have otherwise seen. The labor needs of the war industry prompted millions more Americans to relocate, primarily to the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf Coasts. It was there that most of the defensive installations were located. When World War II ended, the United States was economically superior to any other country in the world. Even her 300,000 combat deaths suffered by Americans paled in comparison to other significant belligerents.

American society, built on the economic foundations left behind by the war, was more prosperous after the war than most Americans dreamed of before or during the war. Public policies such as the so-called His GI Rights Bill passed in 1944 provided funding for veterans to attend college, buy homes, and purchase farms. The overall impact of these public policies is little immeasurable, but they have certainly helped to return veterans to rehabilitate themselves, feed their families and have children in unprecedented numbers.

Not all Americans share equally in these expanding life opportunities and growing economic prosperity. The general picture and reality of economic prosperity, and the aspirations of many white Americans that came with it, did not escape those who, both before and after the war, were largely excluded from the full meaning of the American dream. As a result, African-American, Hispanic, and American women have become more active in their attempts to attain full freedom and civil rights as guaranteed by the post-war Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution.

The postwar world also presented Americans with many problems and questions. Overwhelmed by the victories over Germany and Japan in 1945, most Americans initially viewed their position in the postwar world as optimistic and confident. But within two years of the war's end, he lost that credibility as new challenges and perceived threats emerged. By 1948, a new form of international tension had developed - the Cold War - between the United States and its allies and the Soviet Union and its allies. Over the next two decades, the Cold War created much tension between the two superpowers abroad, and fears of communist overthrow dominated domestic politics.

For 20 years from 1945, there was a broad political consensus on the Cold War and anti-communism. Traditionally, most U.S. foreign policy initiatives have enjoyed bipartisan support. But after the US military intervention in Vietnam in the mid-1960s, this political consensus began to crumble. By 1968, heated debates among Americans over the Vietnam War suggested that the Cold War consensus had been broken, perhaps irreparably.

(b) After Japan surrendered in 1945 and the end of World War II, Allied forces led by the United States occupied Japan, bringing about dramatic changes. Japan was disarmed, its empire dismantled, its form of government converted to democracy, and its economy and educational system reorganized and restructured. It took years of reconstruction to recover from thousands of air raids, including the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. By the 1950s, former foes had become Western allies, parts of American culture had become part of the Japanese landscape, and Japan began to find economic footing as a manufacturer of consumer devices and electronics. Rice field.

From 1952 to 1973, Japan experienced rapid economic growth and social change. By 1952, Japan had finally regained its pre-war industrial output. After that, the economy expanded at an unprecedented rate. At the same time, economic development and industrialization supported the emergence of a mass consumer society. Many Japanese who used to live in villages have become urbanized. Tokyo's population, which was about 3 million in 1945, reached almost 9 million in 1970. Initial close ties with the United States, facilitated by mutual security treaties, have been replaced by occasional tensions over US policy toward Vietnam, China, and the exchange rate. At this time, the first trade dispute over Japanese textile exports occurred.

On the other hand, as in the 1920s, foreign cultures had a strong influence on young people living in cities. After the war, they broke with their own traditions and increasingly turned to Hollywood and American popular culture as an alternative. Japan's new international image was projected and reinforced by events such as his highly successful 1964 Summer Olympics and his 1970 Osaka World Exposition.