Social Changes

World War II swept aside many traditional beliefs, and accelerated social trends that had begun in the first part of the 20th century. Values were changed by the disruptions caused by the war.

Because World War II was a war of unprecedented brutality, old concepts of proper military conduct were eroded. Before the war, the bombing of a nonmilitary target such as a city was considered a heinous act. For example, the destruction of the city of Guernica by Luftwaffe bombers during the Spanish Civil War horrified the world. By the end of the war, the line separating civilian areas and military targets had become so blurred that devastating air attacks on lightly defended cities of little military significance were seen as legitimate extensions of military strategy.

The willingness to accept the horrors of war had limits, however. The most profound example of this was the world's shock at the discovery of the Holocaust—the attempt by the Nazis to kill all of Europe's Jews and other persons they considered undesirable. Many participants in the Holocaust were brought to trial after the war, charged with "crimes against humanity." The defense that some offered, that they were "only following orders," was rejected as insufficient excuse for the barbarity of their acts.

World War II had other profound social effects. The needs of war production brought women of all countries into industrial jobs, and gave them a taste of the independence that could be gained by working outside the home. This helped to alter the traditional concept of a woman's place in society, and encouraged many women to seek social equality. Those blacks who served overseas found there little of the racism that existed in the United States, and many returned determined to fight for their civil rights.

The United Nations (UN) was organized in the spring of 1945 as successor to the League of Nations. Because the organizational structure encouraged active participation by the major powers, there was hope that the new organization could succeed where the League of Nations had failed. Although the UN did prove to be more successful than the League, it did not achieve its main goal of maintaining lasting peace.