World War Two, like other great wars, impacted the lives of many people, and although widely remembered in a negative light, World War Two changed the social attitudes of the majority. Especially in the Borough of Bexley. World War Two triggered a significant change in the attitudes that people had towards one another. With all the death and destruction, one would assume that the lives of the citizens of Bexley would be run by fear during this terrible time, especially as Bexley happened to be an area that received a great deal of bombing. However, this was not the case. A temperament known as the ‘Blitz Spirit’ was widely adopted, encouraging the citizens of Bexley to rally together and face the war with courage and optimism. This community was spirit was shown in a multitude of ways, for example, through the preparation. Information sheets on the use of public trench shelters were issued by the Borough Engineering and surveyor in 1940. This way of informing the public and making sure that they were aware of what to do illustrates the way in which the community was brought together in an attempt to make sure that nobody was hurt. An array of precautions were put in place, to limit the number of casualties, and in order for this to happen, many underground emergency hospitals were designed, with volunteers from the community helping to run them. The forms of protection that Bexley had in place were obviously useful, as although Bexley had thousands of people with injuries, only 155 people were killed from September 1939 to May 1945. An article from the Evening Standard, published on the 13th January 1941, states that ‘Seventeen women and children who were trapped in the basement of a London house damaged by a bomb.... ... middle of paper ... ...ven our notice.’ Although this demonstrates how society’s views attempted to revert back after the war, this does show that females had had a sacramental role in Bexley. The fact that the women were used to train the men, shows that women clearly did a good deal of work during the war that was useful. Overall, I believe that the war was responsible for impacting four main social attitudes – the morale of the public, the class barriers, the crime rate and the status of women. Even though society attempted to go back to normal after the war, it could not go back completely. People had seen women work, they had felt what it was like to work together with the community, and although it took years and years after the war for it to happen, attitudes eventually changed for the better. The war, just happened to instigate this transformation of the views of society.
Barton poses a series of rhetorical questions to the reader (‘did these women quail at the sight of a gun?...did they faint at the blood?’) which may lead a reader to infer that this poem was written to address the males in society. The continuous use of ‘he’ suggests that since it was the men who decided that women would be of no use on the battle field because of their innate weakness and inability to deal with the nature of war, it wsas now the men who needed to realise that women could do more than ‘wait patiently till victory comes’; women had shown that they were capable of much of the same things that men where including staying calm in the face of war and running the home with absolutely no male influence. This view is supported by radical feminist sociologists such as Kate Millett who believe that ‘patriarchy is not ascribed but rather socially created and therefore capable of being challenged and deconstructed’1. Therefore, ‘The Women Who Went to the Field’ can be interpreted as not only a statement about the changing roles of women in society, but, also as a statement for the need for the recognition of
...owards more love stories. Essentially more forms of propaganda ensued to let women know what they should be doing. More domestic jobs became available such as being a maid, restaurant work, dishwashing and cleaning. However women who worked war jobs wanted their own maids now so they could pursue their own dreams. They felt inspired and accomplished. Lola Wiexl mentioned that although skills within the workforce were easily learned, within the household traditions still persisted. Lola herself said she'd go home cook, clean and do the laundry while her brother laid on the couch. She didn't question it before but she was angry about it for years after her war time experience. Thus patriarchal hegemonies still existed after the war and were perpetuated by the government and media as much as possible to solicit women who participated in activities outside of the home.
After the end of World War II, the United States went through many changes. Most of the changes were for the better, but some had an adverse effect on certain population centers. Many programs, agencies and policies were created to transform American society and government.
In John Hersey's book, Hiroshima, he provides a detailed account of six people and how the bombing of Hiroshima affected their lives. John Heresy felt it was important to focus his story on six individuals to create a remembrance that war affects more than just nations and countries, but actual human beings. Moreover, the book details the effect the bomb had on the city of Hiroshima. “Houses all around were burning, and the wind was now blowing hard.” (Hersey, 27).
Even before War with Germany was accredited, the British government felt that it was necessary to shield the civilian inhabitants, especially children; pregnant mothers, disabled people and teachers accompanied them. The government decided to evacuate children from the major cities into rural areas. They had many reasons for doing this, each of them mainly linked to fear of civilian casualties.
“Flappers were a disgrace to society because they were lazy-pleasure seekers who were only interested in drinking, partying, and flirting” (Dipalo 1). For instance, Flappers went to clubs, drank, and hung out with men and were too lazy to do anything. Therefore, one consequence of the war was the creation of a new woman and this led to a movement like no other. In addition, after the war, women broke all sorts of rules.... ... middle of paper ...
When the war started, women had to take over the jobs of men and they learned to be independent. These women exemplified the beginning of change. Coupled with enfranchisement and the increased popularity of birth control, women experienced a new liberation. When the men returned from the war they found competition from the newly liberated woman who did not want to settle for making a home (Melman 17). This new class of women exercised a freedom that shocked society.
and social aspects of the war. In doing so, he illustrates how the war affected the development of
“WW2 People’s War: An Archive of World War Two memories- written by the public, gathered by the BBC.” BBC. February 2012. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar
World War I is quite possibly the most influential event of the 20th century world-wide. Britain was no exception. The global powerhouse had seen copious amounts of loss in the forms of death, destruction, and economics to name only a few. In the rubble of aftermath, the people of the world’s greatest empire were starving for explanation, solace, and hope. In a response to the trauma of the Great War, the people of Britain created new cultures that utilized the new idea of modernism to push forward and forge a new path into the future. From the phenomenon of the radio and BBC, to the London Underground, Commonwealth, and recreation of the youth, it is clear that the interwar period in Britain was something different entirely.
This was the start of a new age in the history for women. Before the war a woman’s main job was taking care of her household more like a maid, wife and mother. The men thought that women should not have to work and they should be sheltered and protected. Society also did not like the idea of women working and having positions of power in the workforce but all that change...
In the book, Revolutionary Mothers, Berkin writes about the importance of women during the American Revolution. She presents the reader with evidence to show how the women were necessary during war time. They fought for their independence along with their husbands, whether it
The war contributed to making the working class society believe that they were doing they’re part in helping “Big Brother” stop corruption and keeping the society in an orderly state. Big Brother manipulated the society by making up a war using previous pictures and images of a war that happened years ago. The war was also used to erase existing history that the government did not want the society to know. Furthermore, the war was used to keep the government and economy as the basis of power and maintain the balance of “Big Brother’s civilization”. The war mentioned in the film and book led to a conformed and controlled society.
George Bowling’s first glimpse of Lower Binfield in 1939 leaves him baffled. He does not even recognize his childhood home. The small town of two thousand has turned into a city of twenty five thousand. Upon seeing his old home he exclaims, “But where was Lower Binfield? Where was the town I used to know? It might have been anywhere. All I knew it was buried somewhere in the middle of that sea of bricks.” The town is fundamentally different then when George left it. The old brewery is gone and the main manufacturing in the city was bombs for the RAF. People in the streets are preparing for impending war with Germany. They are practicing for air raids and bombers are constantly flying overhead. The marketplace where all the shops were during his childhood is now called the “Old Market”. George could not even find his way around town because of all the new streets. He recognized many of the shops but they all had different names and owners. This difference startles George but also shows an important difference between England in 1900 and 1939 England. Towns were becoming cities, the war had industrialized the entire nation very quickly, and a small town like Lower Binfield quickly became a manufacturing center. The city no longer housed the smaller family owned businesses that had once dominated Lower Binfield. These smaller shops had been bought out by national businesses that were expanding across England closing smaller shops in all the towns. Shopkeepers like George’s dad who refused to innovate and carry different merchandise were left to slowly die as stores like Sarazins, “big retail ...
However historians such as Philip Ziegler and Angus Calder have challenged the idealism of the traditional perception of the period, building up the myth of the Blitz. Ziegler highlights the role of American journalists in supporting the canonical view of the period, including Edward Murrow, who “held his microphone to the pavement so that Americans could hear Londoners on their way to the shelter. They were impressed by noticing that nobody ran” (Ziegler 163-164). Anec...