Chapter in Perspective

The postwar era marked a departure from Americans' pasts in two critical ways. First, isolationism ended. Trying to contain Soviet expansion, the United States entered into "entangling alliances" of the kind it had long resisted; indeed, it took on itself the duty of preserving the peace and security of the "free world." At home, the country entered an unprecedented period of economic growth free from the boom-and-bust depressions that had characterized earlier business cycles. Nevertheless, memories of the Depression focused American anxieties on economic security and encouraged a renewed consumer-spending binge not unlike the 1920s. When President Truman sought to extend New Deal programs, renewed debate occurred over the legacy of the Roosevelt era. The appeasement of Hitler at Munich and Japan's surprise attack on Pearl Harbor also remained vivid memories that shaped the postwar generation's attitude toward national security. The postwar era was a blend of past and future, a product of memories, hopes, and fears.