After the German Army attacked American forces in the Ardennes region of Belgium in December 1944, the US stock market soared in expectation of a prolonged war and increased defense spending. The war demanded different sacrifices from everyone, but some Americans also profited enormously. New defense facilities changed the character of communities, housing shortages plagued major cities, and Americans were asked to limit travel. Even though the war never visited destruction on American cities, hundreds of Americans lost their homes when the US government seized properties to build military bases essential for victory. For more than 120,000 Americans, the war meant imprisonment just because of their Japanese ancestry. For millions, the war meant sending a loved one off to war and coping with wartime shortages of things like gasoline, sugar, and meat. World War II provides a vivid example of Americans’ divergent experiences in times of crises. Although citizens in the same nation may witness the same historical event, it takes on different meanings and is remembered differently, even among neighbors. This reality highlights one of the biggest challenges historians face in interpreting the past: the inherent difficulty of constructing analyses that account for the diverse experiences of millions of people. While many Americans have isolated themselves in an attempt to slow the virus, millions more continue to work in essential industries and in the beleaguered medical field. It is invisible, fast moving, and deadly. Seemingly healthy individuals have been struck down, as have senior citizens and those with preexisting conditions. The United States’ response to this threat has impacted Americans in a variety of ways.
Tyler Bamford, PhD: Different Fights in the Same WarĬOVID-19 is one of the most alarming enemies Americans have ever faced. Senior Director of Programs, Institute for the Study of War and DemocracyĬourtesy of The National Archives. I hope you enjoy these thoughts on how we might learn valuable lessons from the War that Changed the World as we face-and inevitably overcome-the challenges before us today. Scott, formerly a reporter and investigative journalist with the Charleston, S.C., Post and Courier, is the author of a number of bestselling recent books about World War II, including Rampage: MacArthur, Yamashita, and the Battle of Manila. He is the author of several superb books on World Wars I and II, including an upcoming work about the wartime relationship between the United States and the Vichy French regime. Michael Neiberg, PhD, is Chair of War Studies in the Department of National Security and Strategy at the United States Army War College. Those of you who have attended our annual International Conference will be familiar with them. We are also delighted to welcome guest contributions from two distinguished historians who are longtime friends to the Museum. Our contributors this time include Tyler Bamford, PhD, and Keith Huxen, PhD, both historians with the Institute for the Study of War and Democracy.
#Ww2 aftermath on us cities series
Last week my colleague Rob Citino, PhD, Executive Director of the Institute for the Study of War and Democracy, and Samuel Zemurray Stone Senior Historian at The National WWII Museum, convened the first in a series of roundtable discussions on “World War II and the Present Crisis.” Today sees the second installment, in which we look toward what the world will look like after this crisis passes, and what we can do to prepare for it, drawing on the lessons of the past.
0 kommentar(er)
