The time period of 1939 to 1945 was a very devastating time for a lot of individuals especially American’s. During this time frame the world was involved in the crisis called World War ll. World Warll had a large negative impact on America’s economy as a whole it affected America’s financial status greatly, American soldiers also suffered a large variety of mental as well as physical health issues during and after World War 2, and many American’s lost their lives for the cause.The major decision to go into war all began on December 7, 1941 when the Japanese forces bombed Pearl Harbor in Hawaii which resulted in the United States making the decision to go into war.
Loosing Pearl Harbor had a large impact on America’s armed forces because it took out a major battle station, many men and women, along with a large portion of the United States’ military resources. Was the decision to go to war worth what America had to suffer? America’s financial status was affected greatly by the impact of World War ll. America was already in a very deep financial stand due to the Great Depression and the effects World War l.The world already repositioned world power and influence. America was already trying to come back from all of the earlier tragedies and in going to war again it only led America to suffer more and to use what little financial status was left had to be used up. Therefore; America was placed in further debt.
With the onset of World War II, numerous challenges confronted the American people. The government found it necessary to ration food, gas, and even clothing during that time. Americans were asked to conserve on everything. With not a single person unaffected by the war, rationing meant sacrifices for all.
In the spring of 1942, the Food Rationing Program was set into motion. Rationing would deeply affect the American way of life for most. The federal government needed to control supply and demand. Rationing was introduced to avoid public anger with shortages and not to allow only the wealthy to purchase commodities.
In addition to food, rationing encompassed clothing, shoes, coffee, gasoline, tires, and fuel oil. With each coupon book came specifications and deadlines. Rationing locations were posted in public view. Rationing of gas and tires strongly depended on the distance to one's job.If one was fortunate enough to own an automobile and drive at the then specified speed of 35 mph, one might have a small amount of gas remaining at the end of the month to visit nearby relatives.
Recycling was born with the government’s encouragement. Saving aluminum cans meant more ammunition for the soldiers. Economizing initiatives seemed endless as Americans were urged to conserve and recycle metal, paper and rubber. War bonds and stamps were sold to provide war funds, and the American people also united through volunteerism.
Communities joined together to hold scrap-iron drives, and schoolchildren pasted saving stamps into bond books. (Wars and Battles, the Home Front) American soldiers also suffered a great deal of physical as well as mental health during and after World War ll. A number of studies have shown that many survivors do not seek professional help or financial compensation. The Eitinger and Strom study of Norwegian concentration camp survivors (1973) noted that, in spite of heightened morbidity rates, only 23% had applied for and received pensions.Of the survivors attending a national gathering for Holocaust survivors, 77% had received no psychological counseling, though 92% reported that the Holocaust experience had negatively affected their well-being (Kahana, Harel, ; Kahana, 1988). In the National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study (NVVRS; Kulka et al.
, 1990), 86% of the veterans exposed to high war zone stress did not currently receive mental health care services while 59% had never applied for these services. These percentages were 78% and 38%, respectively, for veterans with a current posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosis.Among survivors of urban violence, 79% had not sought help from mental health care institutions (Van der Ploeg et al. , 1985). This implies that many individuals who have been exposed to war and to other violence are not seen by health care professionals. An important question is how these individuals have adapted.
If they did well without professional help, then we might learn from their ways of coping. If, on the other hand, they did not adapt well, this would raise the question why they did not seek support from health care professionals.Knowledge about motives for (not) seeking professional help may enable policy makers and health care professionals to improve the fit between the needs of survivors of war and other violence and the health care organization. The present study was conducted among a large random community sample of people who experienced World War II (WWII) to find out what proportion of the Dutch WW II survivors sought medical or mental help and what the characteristics of these help-seeking survivors are as compared to non-help-seeking survivors.
The majority of these survivors experienced the German occupation of the Netherlands (1940-1945). Others experienced the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies (1942-1945) and the subsequent violent Indonesian independence struggle (1945-1950). (pp. 243-61) Relates sites have also shown the main basic types of health effects. The concept of war neurosis, as classified in 1980 as PTSD in the DSM-III (American Psychiatric Association), was not new.
Psychological trauma associated with war dates back centuries. During the Civil War it was called “soldier’s heart. In the trenches of World War I, medics referred to it as “shell shock” (Lasiuk ; Hegadoren, 2006). The social attitude about shell shock did not firmly support the combat soldier (Moore, 2003; Peplau, 1989).
From the onset, “soldiering” developed the reputation as a device used by malingerers to escape from danger or duty (Pittman, 1974, pp. 13–14). However, when American psychiatrists successfully set up field hospitals to treat soldiers who had neurotic and psychotic conditions from the trenches, surgeons and general medicine became more interested in aspects of psychological care.Along with a more open-minded perspective on mental health came the establishment of a new medical division in the army for neuropsychiatry; America grew “far more receptive to the idea of mental hygiene than it had been in previous years” (Pittman, 1974, p.
7). Aside from providing a reason to improve psychological care for veterans, the Second World War also served as a powerful impetus for making citizens aware of the impoverished conditions in mental hospitals and the enormous size of the challenge of mental illness in America (Pittman, 1974).During the military draft and the pre-induction exam for recruits, the magnitude of the increasing problem of psychiatric disorders was exposed. At the beginning of the war, directly following the destitution of the Great Depression, a large number of potential recruits did not qualify for military service because of psychological disorders. As the war continued, the rejected inductees increased. (P.
719-35) There have also been many studies done on World War 2 veterans to see the effects and opinions on the war.Respondents recognized that the war had negative effects on their mental health at the time, but they downplayed the ultimate importance of this aspect of their wartime experience. Rather, the general perception was that being in stressful situations produced fatigue. This perception was corroborated by key informants, who confirmed that most units were constantly moving and often went with little sleep, which in time made soldiers less effective and more prone to increased feelings of fatigue and depression.Many participants mentioned the sense that one was thankful to be alive even though there was sadness at witnessing the deaths of friends. The consensus was summed up by one respondent's statement, 'There were times when the war seemed awfully long.
You know, you wondered when you saw your comrades get hit and so forth and you wondered when you were going to be next and it preyed on your mind a little bit but I think . . . I survived that" (JV).
(p. 11) The vitality rate that America had to suffer during World War ll was extravagant.The Pearl Harbor attack was one of the most fatal. Many men and women lost their lives during the day Sunday, December 7, 1941.
The harbor was bombed by Japanese kamikaze fighters in a secret attack to keep the United States from interfering with Japan’s invasions. There are many rough figures as to how many American’s died during this war, but they are nearly all estimated to be around 300,000 just in soldiers. That does not include the soldiers who could not be identified or found, and all of the civilians.In 1939, the United States had about 174,000 men in the Army; 126,400 in the Navy; 26,000 in the Army Air Corps; 19,700 in the Marine Corps; and 10,000 in the Coast Guard. At the height of its strength in 1945, the United States had six million in the Army; 3,400,000 in the Navy; 2,400,000 in the Army air forces; 484,000 in the Marine Corps; and 170,000 in the Coast Guard.
In 1939, the United States had about 2,500 airplanes and 760 warships. By 1945, it had about 80,000 airplanes and 2,500 warships.The United States used draft laws to build their armed forces. The United States Selective Service Act became law on September 16, 1940. As it has been nearly obvious more civilians die during a war than those fighting and are unaccounted for as well.
The number of people killed, wounded, or missing between September 1939 and September 1945 can never be calculated, but it is estimated that more than 55 million people perished. (U. S history World War 2) The attack n Pearl Harbor was horrific as one may see from the image below. This image was taken of the Pearl Harbor airfield as one can tell just this small portion of the war had a tremendous vitality rate. World Warll did have a large impact on America’s economy as a whole it affected America’s financial status greatly, American soldiers suffered a variety of mental and physical health problems, and many American’s lost their lives for the cause. Did the United States make the right choice in going to war?The war solved some problems, but created many others.
Germany had been the dominant power on the European continent, while Japan had held that role in Asia. Their defeat in World War II left open positions of leadership. The Soviet Union moved in quickly to replace Germany as the most powerful country in Europe and also aimed at taking Japan's place as the dominant power in Asia. (History, p661 World War 2) One should do the math for themselves and see if the choice was the right one or not.Referencehttp://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1661.htmlhttp://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1674.html
