American culture in the 1940s was moving and shaking, and even doing a bit of rocking and rolling towards the end of the decade. Like most eras, it was a time of both cynicism and optimism, including the darkest days as well as jubilant celebrations. Following WWII, it would be the first time for many Americans that the idea of the American Dream would become a reality.

World War II’s influence reigned over every aspect of American culture throughout the decade. With men heading off to war, women were needed to fill their vacant positions in the labor force. The U.S. Government developed a powerful fictional female symbol, Rosie the Riveter as part of its recruitment campaign, calling on them to work in factories. Many women took Rosie to heart and suddenly they were building airplanes, ships, trucks, and other military equipment. They quickly realized they could do what was traditionally considered a “man’s job.” These lucrative government contracts helped end the lingering effects of The Great Depression. At the beginning of the war, 12 million women heeded the call to work and by the end of the war, that number had increased to 18 million, or over one-third of the workforce at the time. Although the government expected this period of women in the workforce to last until men returned from the war, many women were not about to abandon their new-found independence and income.

WWII also had a number of cultural effects on the American home-front. The U.S. experienced an immigration influx of European citizens, including many artists all desperate to escape Hitler and the Holocaust in their war-torn countries. The dark history of WWII also includes the bombing of Pearl Harbor and two atomic bomb drops on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. During the war years of 1940-1945, it was a time of rationing, affecting the supply of everything from gasoline to nylon stockings since those materials were needed to make military equipment. There were scrap drives for steel, tin, paper and rubber. Because fruits and vegetables were scarce, the government encouraged people to grow their own Victory Gardens as one of patriotic action that could do right at home. It’s estimated that Victory Gardens supplied 40% of all vegetables in the U.S. during the war’s latter years. 

Fantasy pinup girls became extremely popular with men stationed abroad. Pinups’ ruby red lips and elaborate hair styles called Victory Rolls, Triple Rolls, and Up-Dos were also popular with working women as a way to express their femininity while working in overalls and work-pants. Soft flowing feminine waves a la Veronica Lake also were quite popular. Chic hairstyles, red lips and nails were ways to counter the plain, simple fashion at the time. Fabrics like cotton and wool were needed for military purposes so styles that required less fabric like peplum jackets were IN. Women also became quite savvy at mixing fashion separates as a way to make their wardrobes seem more diverse than they really were. This scarcity of fabric made it prime time for the daring debut of the bikini in 1946. 

In entertainment, movies provided a welcome, fun escape for people worrying about their loved ones deployed overseas, but it was also a means for the government to drum up support for the war effort. People flocked to the theater to see stars like Rita Hayworth, a young Liz Taylor, Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. In sports, Jackie Robinson’s first baseball record was to breakthrough the color barrier, blazing the trail for other minority players. Jazz and Big Band Swing artists like the Count Basie Orchestra, the Dorsey Brothers and Dizzy Gillespie helped keep people spirits up while Bing Crosby’s soulful croon appealed to people’s sentimentality. Everything from Western Swing to Afro-Cuban beats and fun, upbeat music paved the way for 1950s Rockabilly and for rock ‘n roll in the ensuing decades. 

After the fall of the Third Reich and the official end of the war, returning GIs returned home to ticker tape parades and an overwhelming sense of optimism took hold. One of the final great legacies of FDR was to sign the GI Bill of Rights that enabled returning soldiers to obtain a college education which brought a new boon of economic prosperity. It also brought on the Baby Boom that lasted through 1963. These new young families were moving to the suburbs and buying their first homes often called post-war cottages or bungalows, and leading the good life.

In 1946, refrigerators went into mass production providing women with even greater options to feed their families including frozen dinners and pre-packaged foods. This was a great convenience to the new working mothers at the time. As the U.S. interstate freeway system developed, more families took to the roadways to see more of the country and the family road-trip was born.

The 1940’s included dark phases driven by fear and suspicion. One became known as the American Inquisition. In 1942 the U.S. Government started questioning the patriotism and loyalties of Japanese Americans. The screening process resulted in many innocent people being sent to internment camps. This racially motivated paranoia was the most extreme ever enacted by the government against its own citizens in U.S. history at the time. It was followed by another wave of mass hysteria driven by Wisconsin Senator Joe McCarthy fanning the flames of paranoia, he ushered in the Era of McCarthyism that spanned from 1948-1956. During this phase, hundreds of innocent people were targeted under subversion and viewed as Communist sympathizers. Many of these people’s lives were ruined. They lost their jobs, were deported or sent to prison.

Overall, the 1940s was a pivotal decade for the U.S., and the economic boom and industrialization took hold would continue to accelerate for decades.