- The Red Scare which occurred after the end of WW II was caused by many factors including the Soviet Communists acquiring nuclear weapons through stealing US bomb secrets via spies, the cold war with the Communism, some American and British Communist spies working with soviets being discovered, and an invasion of South Korea by Communist. Moreover, American politicians used these issues to instill fear and witch hunt so as to increase their positions or power. Some of the major results of the Red Scare were expatriation or deportation of foreigners and barring the socialists from office.
McCarthy was considered a hero and a patriot to the Americans for opposing communists with an aim to end Anti-American plans. After McCarthy televised the attempts that humiliated and degraded the defendants, he gained countrywide attention in 1950 through claiming to have a list of two hundred and five Communists within the State Department. The Red Scare started declining when people realized that there was nothing to fear from the groups. Mitchell Palmer, the then US Attorney-General, foreseen demonstrations and mass riots on May Day, in the year 1920. After nothing occurred, as a result, the Red Scare bubbled to an end. Nonetheless, anti-alien feelings continued to restructure government policy by all political parties.
Journalist Edward meant that people were not acquaintances of McCarthy wrong doing and ought not to be terrorized by McCarthy when he said that no one can terrorize the entire country unless everyone was his accomplices.
- The labor unions made many gains during the New deal by Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the then US president. Some of such gains included: fair labor practices entailing issues like gaining right to free contract; collective bargaining in which businesses were needed to negotiate in good faith; as well as less employer meddling with the union. This meant that there was freedom of an employee to directly deal with the employer.
Conservative critics brought to the Americans a revival of interest within government. Franklin sometimes responded to resistance with compromise by accepting part of conservative ideas. At times Franklin tried to change constitution for his own good. The new deal failed; however, can be argued to have had positive impact on Americans as some of its programs are still available to date.
- The Great Depression was caused by a combination of worldwide and domestic conditions. As such, no list of specific agreed factors can be said to have caused the Great Depression. First, bank failures during the 1930s where over nine thousand banks collapsed. Bank deposits were not insured, as a result, as banks collapsed people lost their savings. The surviving banks, uncertain of the future economic condition and concerned about their survival, ended creation of new loans. This worsened the situation resulting to less expenditure. Second, reduction in buying across the board. With the crash of the stock market and fear of extra economic woes, people from all classes discontinued buying items. Consequently, a reduction in goods produced as well as workforce. As individuals lost their careers, they could not pay for goods previously acquired by installment plans resulting to their repossession. A growing inventory started to accumulate and with unemployment rate rising above 25 percent which meant, even less expenditure to assist alleviate the economic state. Third, US economic policy or plan with Europe. As businesses started collapsing, the government introduced in 1930, smooth-Hawley Tariff, to aid in protecting American firms. This charged very high income tax for imports, thus resulting to less trade with foreign states. Fifth, drought conditions which hit Mississippi valley during 1930, was so severe and made many not pay their debts or taxes.
Hoover, the then US sitting president, tried to mitigate the crisis by founding government agencies, supporting local help for public works, encouraging labor harmony, fostering cooperation between business and government so as to stabilize prizes, and he tried to balance budget but all his efforts were in vain. The stock market crash in 1929 was as a result of many structural failings and economic imbalances. With stock holders losing more than forty US billion dollars Great Depression was not an option.
- Years after WW I Americans concluded that participation on the war was disastrous mistake, one that should never occur. During 1920s- 1930s they pursued many strategies to prevent reoccurrence of such war. American peace societies called for disarmament and international treaty to put an end to war. Nonetheless, all these efforts never stopped the reoccurrence of another war in 1939 between Germany on one side, and Britain as well as France on other side. This made President Franklin to invoke the US Neutrality Act. He believed this was a different war from WW I. Germany, he trusted was an aggressor and sought to offer assistance to the allies, but still maintained US out of the WW II. He started by requesting congress to make changes to the neutrality laws so that they could sell arms to the allies. After Germany soldiers overran France, Franklin requested congress for a direct support to Great Britain. The legislatures agreed to back him after an intense debate and with the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor on 7th December, 1941, participating in WW II was not an option for US.
- During the war women replaced men workers involved in war. Even though women were not allowed to do jobs normally done by men, because of this war women got a chance to demonstrate that they can. War also made many women to join smoking due to high stressing job environment. African Americans participated in business, which boomed, as many of them did not take part in the war. Native Americans fully participated in the war, but little changed for them. Japanese were thrown into concentration camps, this made many to distrust them after the end of WW II and it was hard for them to advance with such public mistrust. The experiences of blacks during the war, allowed them to accumulate money in business thus migrating to suburban areas. Japanese were mistrusted after WW II resulting from their non-participation. Because of WW II, women were able to demonstrate that they can do jobs always perceived as men occupation. Overall, WW II changed little towards neutrality within America.
