World War 2 Through the 1970s Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

World War 2 Through the 1970s - Research Paper Example The paper will also discuss the civil rights breakthroughs after Second World War for the African-Americans and political awareness of the young Americans during the Vietnam War. On the last part, the paper will describe President Johnson’s great society programs that are currently relevant to America. Introduction There are significant historical turning points for America’s current society, culture, politics and economy from the World War II through to the 1970s. One of the significant turning point was the Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955-1956) that precipitated the civil rights movements (Kennedy & Bailey, 2010). The event led to calls for massive bus boycotts and national protests due to racial desegregation of African-Americans in public transport (Kennedy & Bailey, 2010). The event ultimately led to a series of public protests that ultimately led to enactment of Civil Rights Act of 1964 that prohibited all forms of discrimination. This event led to unification of Ame rican society through eradication of racial segregation in many public places such as schools and public transport thus creating the ideal American society. Another significant turning point was the Watergate Scandal. The term â€Å"Watergate† refers complex political scandals that occurred between 1972 and 1974. Five burglars broke in to Watergate Hotel that housed Democratic National Committee Headquarters. The five were later arrested and confirmed that they had been authorised by Nixon to break in the hotel. The scandal changed the political campaign financing and created the aggressive attitude of Americans towards elections (Kennedy & Bailey, 2010). The scandal revealed that Nixon had a wire tapping system and led to impeachment of Nixon and conviction of several top administrators in his government (Kennedy & Bailey, 2010). This can be seen a major turning point in the enforcement of the constitution and political laws in America. America in the late 1930s wanted to st ay away from European conflicts that ultimately led to the Second World War. America was one of the Isolationists that advocated for neutrality and non-involvement in both European and Asian conflicts (Kennedy & Bailey, 2010). The first reason why America did not want to join European conflicts was the memories of the tragic losses experienced during the First World War. Secondly, America was experiencing negative economic effects of the Great Depression and was committed to expanding its economic interests in Latin America. Immediately after First World War, the US congress rejected American membership to the League of Nations since that move would lead to participation in European conflicts. The troubling economic problems bolstered the idea that America should concentrate on the domestic economic problems and isolate from European conflicts (Kennedy & Bailey, 2010). Before the Second World War, women in America attended only to family duties and were paid much lesser for completi ng the same jobs compared with their male counterparts. The first role of women in helping the Second World War was replacing the men in the labor market since majority of men joined the forces. Women were allowed to work in the manufacturing industry, munitions factories and in day care centers. During the Second World War, women served in the military in an official capacity. Women participated in the war through different military branches such as Women Army Auxiliary Corps (WAACs), Women Accepted for Volunteer Services (WAVES) and Women Air-force Service Pilots (WASP) (Kennedy & Bailey, 2010). Women also served in the Coast Guard units and Marine units. About 350,000 American women participated