Shaping American History Essay Example for Free

Shaping American History Essay As they say there is nothing constant but change. While there is nothing that can be added to this truism, one can argue that although American society is constantly evolving, the changes that are happening in the 21st century are simply the byproduct of the events that transpired in the past, particularly after World War II. These pivotal decades after the Second World War covers the latter part of the 20th century and these five important periods in modern US history are popularly known by their epithets: the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80, and 90s. The following pages will show the pivotal events that occurred within each decade that consequently shaped American history. In the Aftermath of the War The Second World War was one of the bloodiest in the history of mankind. But aside from the carnage, the most important thing to remember about World War II is the effect it had on the political landscape. Germany was reduced to rubble and humbled beyond recognition. Japan was also humiliated especially after two atomic bombs leveled two key cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Although Great Britain belonged to the winning team, the human and monetary cost of the war forced this once proud nation to take a backseat to two emerging global superpowers, the United States and the Union Soviet Socialist Republic. While the whole world was rebuilding from the ashes of war, the United States began to grow from strength to strength. It also began to evolve, particularly in the area of politics and technology. Its policies after the war as well as the scientific breakthroughs experienced by American scientists made the US a force to contend with. The United States of America replaced Europe as the center of the world. The following historical events will help characterize America in the decades after World War II. The 1950s Television There were so many things happening in the decade of the 50s. It was rebuilding time all over the world. The euphoria from winning the global conflict began to wane and Americans started to ease back into normalcy. During this time American citizens began to notice something that used to be in their peripheral vision during World War II but after the war it slowly began to move front and center – the television set. But it had to begin from scratch, â€Å"There was hardly a large enough audience base to interest advertisers in investing in what programming was available. And there was no evidence that television was more than a costly toy† (Sig, 1998). But things began to change for this little apparatus. Technology was a major factor as well as the astute businessmen who saw the great potential for TV. It did not take very long before American began to appreciate the sitcoms, soaps and news broadcast that they can enjoy watching in their television set. With regards to the impact of TV, John Corner was able to put it succinctly when he remarked that TV radically altered the scale, speed of circulation, and nature of knowledge in society and he adds that there is also, â€Å"The extension of the public knowledge field by television, a process co-extensive with television’s steady colonization of everyday life †¦ has changed the nature both of public and private life† (Thumim, 2002). In light of what is happening today, there is so much truth in this last statement. The use of television as a means to broadcast message into homes made a huge impact in American lives considering the history altering events that occurred after the 1950s. If the television set failed to replace radio as the major method of relaying information then it would have been impossible for Americans to feel the seriousness of the Cold War, the excitement of seeing man landing on the moon, the ambivalence concerning the Vietnam War, the social turmoil of the 80s, and many others.