SOCIAL AND CULTURAL CHANGE AFTER WW2

The first 200 words of this essay...

World War II produced important changes in American life; some trivial, others

profound. One striking change involved fashion. To conserve wool and cotton, dresses

became shorter; vests and cuffs disappeared, as did double-breasted suits, pleats,

and ruffles.

More significant was a tremendous increase in mobility. This set families in motion,

pulling them off farms, out of small towns, and packing them into large urban areas.

Urbanization had virtually stopped during the depression, but the war saw the number

of city dwellers leap from 46 to 53 percent.

War industries sparked the urban growth. Detroit's population exploded as the

automotive industry switched to war vehicles. Washington, D.C., became another

boomtown, as tens of thousands of new workers staffed the swelling ranks of the

bureaucracy. The most dramatic growth occurred in California. Of the 15 million

civilians who moved across state lines during the war, over 2 million went to California

to work in defense industries.

Women

The war had a dramatic impact on women. Easily the most visible change involved the