Wartime America: The World War Ii Home Front (American Ways) - Softcover

John W. Jeffries, .

Softcover

ISBN 10: 156663119X ISBN 13: 9781566631198

Publisher: Ivan R. Dee, 1998

Synopsis

As John Jeffries observes in his new and cogent history of America during World War II, our view of the war has been shaped by two widely accepted perspectives: as a watershed in American history, as a "Good War" of national unity, virtue, and success. Searching for the reality behind these catchphrases, Mr. Jeffries finds a richer and more varied portrait of America at war, one that defies easy interpretation. If great changes came to American life, thy were not necessarily brought by the war; if the struggle seemed one of moral unity, not all Americans were equally wedded to the cause. In considering the nation's political economy and the effects of mobilization; the social and cultural mobility of wartime; the experiences of minority groups; the strains of domestic politics; and the influence of propaganda, Mr. Jeffries paints a picture of a people emerging from the Great Depression and eager for a better life, yet often reluctant to abandon the touchstones of their past. His succinct, informative history is a welcome contribution to our understanding of this crucial moment in the American experience.

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Review:

Beautiful...answers more questions than any other book about World War II.--William M. Tuttle Jr., author of Race Riot: Chicago in the Red Summer of 1919 and Daddy's Gone to War The Second World War in the Lives of America's Children

A rare combination of virtues: both summarizes and modifies existing interpretations. It will become the standard account, the point from which future scholarship will evolve.--Roger Daniels, University of Cincinnati

A trenchant, lucid, and persuasive analysis.--John Morton Blum, author of V was for Victory

From the Back Cover:

In this new and cogent history of America during World War II, John Jeffries suggests that our view of the war has been shaped by two widely accepted perspectives: as a "Good War" of national unity, virtue, and success; and as a "watershed" or turning point in the nation's history, marking fundamental change. Searching for the reality of experience behind these catchphrases, Mr. Jeffries discovers a richer and more varied portrait of America at war, one that defies easy interpretation. If great changes came to American life, they were not necessarily brought by the war; often the war simply continued or accelerated a trend that had been under way. If the struggle seemed to be one of common cause, the fact is that many Americans experienced social tensions and even conflict on the home front.

About this edition

• Publisher: Ivan R. Dee
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 156663119X
• ISBN 13: 9781566631198
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 228