The Cold War Era During World War II - 1349 Words

The Cold War Era that followed the end of World War II was unlike any Americans had seen before. After defeating Germany and its allies in the war, the United States faced a change on the home front: young Americans rushed into marriage and parenthood in unprecedented numbers. In Homeward Bound: American Families in the Cold War Era, Elaine Tyler May describes these changes from the end of the war through the early 1960s. The author makes a compelling range of arguments about the changes that affected Americans during this period. Mainly, May argues that the â€Å"domestic containment† that arose after World War II promoted the new dynamic of a suburban lifestyle, in part because of the increasing fright of looming communism during the Cold War Era. May coins the term â€Å"domestic containment† as the center of her argument in her book Homeward Bound. â€Å"Domestic containment† refers to the happy American suburban lifestyle home that was reinforced by popul ar culture because of the scare of communism. All of May’s other arguments in the book hinge on her larger focus on â€Å"domestic containment† being Americans’ overriding ideology during the early Cold War. May states, â€Å"The self-contained home held out the promise of security in insecure world. It also offered a vision of abundance and fulfillment. As the cold war began, young postwar Americans were homeward bound.† It had become evident to Americans that the world outside the natural boundaries of the country was unstable. TheShow MoreRelated The Cold War Era Essay example1046 Words   |  5 PagesThe Cold War Era Works Cited Missing The late 1940s to the mid 1980s the American society saw what could quite possibly be titled the biggest technological effect on society. This era, The Cold War, was a period in which fear of attack or invasion and a need to be superior reigned in the American society. It led to the development of space technology, during the Space Race, communication systems, and military technology in what has been appropriately deemed the Arms Race. On OctoberRead MoreThe Era Of The State Of Wyoming1598 Words   |  7 Pagesthe influenced his style of art. After moving to New York City in the 1930s, Pollock worked with numerous surrealists, muralists and others who influenced and shaped Pollock’s mature style and an era he opened the audience’s mind to, an era called, Abstract Expressionism.(2). Abstract Expressionism was an era that embraced a variety of individual styles, freedom of techniques, use of large canvases and a â€Å"desire to give spontaneous expression to the unconscious,† something Pollock’s works exude. 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This paradigm shift is evident in the texts from the era, and by studying them we come to understand the values and atmosphere of the time and the effect those values had onRead MoreA Social Examination On The Cold War969 Words   |  4 PagesBrittany O’Neill May Paper Elaine Tyler takes a social examination on the war against communism in the book, Homeward Bound: American Families in the Cold War Era. May portrays the idea that the nuclear family structure was a way to amplify resistance against communism. The exterior threat of communism during the postwar and the Cold War era caused for interrelationships within marriages to become a longer and more stable environment. Compared to the previous book we read as a class, May takesRead MoreAn Analysis Of Elaine Tyler s Connection Between Foreign And Political Policy And The Dynamics Of American Families During The Post1173 Words   |  5 Pagesthe dynamics of American families during the post war and Cold War eras through the idea of containment. Her main argument is that domestic containment was bred from political containment. She ties together the widespread anticommunist views of the years following World War II with the ideal of American suburban domesticity to illustrate this argument. Acc ording to May, domestic containment was a side effect of the fears and aspirations that arose after the war had ended - within the home, potentiallyRead MoreFast Food Nation : The Dark Side Of The All American Meal1135 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"Drive Thru† Consumerism Of The 1950’s In Eric Schlosser’s 2001 piece, Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal, he examines the rise of the fast food industry in the 1950’s as it was associated with the rampant consumerism of the era and shows how this led to the fast food industry becoming one of the most unethical, manipulative, and greedy industries that ever existed. Schlosser shows how fast food corporations, through mass appealing advertising, were able to manipulate consumers