America's Role In World War II

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A quarter of the way through the century the worst economic recession in history hit America. The populus of the United states lived through ten grueling years of hardship up until the year America entered the war. The entire country raised itself from the ground and stood proud not only against its enemies but for the ideals it stood for. World War Two brought on a new wave of American idealism and propelled the country into an age of world dominance. From there, their war changed to a fight for democracy in the west against the communists in the east. America turned from being the giant that knocked down Hitler, to being a child fighting small wars in countries barely anyone knew. The American giant of democracy suffered blow after blow trying …show more content…
Saunders Redding). America stood as a strong democracy against the Fascist Germans and the Imperialist Japanese. Against countries who believed that they were the superior race, who murdered millions to achieve a world without undesirable races. America became the forefront of freedom and democracy around the world. A veteran stated “our first duty is to keep the road of freedom open. It must be done continuously. It is the duty of the whole people to do this.”(J. Saunders Redding). America, during the war became almost like a big brother to the world around it. Not only did the United States fight to protect its younger siblings or allies safe, but went further to makes sure that no one ever picks a fight with them again when they formed treaties like NATO. The veteran continues “Our next duty is to broaden the road so that more people can travel without snarling traffic. To die in these duties is to die for something.”(J. Saunders Redding). These ideas not only lead the American war machine in defeating the Axis powers, but also unified the American people under one banner. One entire community in harmony against its enemies then and its new upcoming enemy, communism. America was ready to liberate any oppressed peoples and be the …show more content…
With its high ideals and the full support of its public, America started to square off against the spread of communism. The only problem was that America wasn’t liberating cultures from their oppressive foreign dictators anymore, but attempting to liberate people from themselves. America’s greatest failure came during the Vietnam War. America’s military might seemed to be winning the war for a long time, but “the more we won, the more we lost”. American idealism put the idea into the minds of soldiers and its public alike that “we were freeing enslaved people from their oppressors”.(Jonathan Schell). The problem was that instead of saving a people from its communist oppressors “were destroying villages and throwing people off their land”.(Jonathan Schell). The American public became more and more upset the longer we stayed in the bloody vietnam war. The public saw the faltering ideals of America failing to even uphold its own values, since we weren’t “fighting for freedom or democracy in South Vietnam” as “the government we were defending was so obviously corrupt and dictatorial.”(Jonathan Schell). America no longer knew what it was fighting for anymore as it turned from a war of morals and freedom to trying to act tough in front of the strong communist

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