Enough —Part IV

My thoughts went back to the decade of the 1950's for two reasons. The Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression, and World War II had set the stage for 1950. Just as the Crusades had opened a new world to the men who went off to fight in the Crusades, the G.I.'s who came home from World War II were changed as well. And the world they came back to was different than the one they had left.

During the war years many men were drafted into the effort. The 'War Plants, or ordnance plants' were in many cases manned by the women left behind. Imagine going from an unprepared state to within a year's time ramping up war readiness? War was declared by FDR on December 7, 1941. V-E day was May 8, 1945, and V-J Day can be any or all of these dates: August 14th (Japan surrenders), 15th (news is announced to the world of the surrender), and September 2nd formal signing of surrender aboard the US Battleship Missouri. Four long hard years were past, and now what?

Just as running as hard as you can and stopping immediately is difficult, so too changing direction after the war would be like slamming into a brick wall. Some ordnance plants were a city within themselves and employed as many as 4,500 workers. These were complex systems, however in 1945 when the war ended they were shut down, and the land put up for sale. Poof! Over and done.

The end of the war in 1945 was the beginning of new territory both for those at home, and those coming home. America had it easy compared to overseas countries that had seen ravages of war. Yes, there were adjustments, but in England for example rationing was slow to disappear. Rationing started January 8, 1940, and lasted in some form until 1954—9 years after the war ended.

The train called prosperity picked up steam in America. In the 1950's things were settling down at least on the surface into a sort of normalcy. The returning men found jobs, or went back to college. Adults weren't as shy about credit as previous generations had been. Bank loans were easier to come by, and with the G.I. loans available more families felt like they could afford their own homes. Women went back to being homemakers for the  most part. The chaos caused by the war eroded the family through an increase in divorce and remarriage.

During this time the phrase could be heard 'we just can't make ends meet on one paycheck'. People looked sorry for the families in which the wives were forced into the work place. Husbands were ashamed because their salary wasn't enough to care for their family's needs, but of course most people understood. It was so sad.

Meanwhile back at the farm.

To Be Continued...