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Our Changing Society: 1940 - 1999
World War II and AfterEconomic and political problems following World War I led to the rise of Fascism in Germany and Italy in the late 1930's. Fascist leaders in these countries believed in strong nationalistic policies and wished to increase their countries' power and influence. These desires began a regional conflict in Europe. When Japan joined forces with Germany and Italy, the war expanded to the Pacific Ocean. After Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, the United States entered the war on the Allies' side. More than 925,000 Illinois men and women served in World War II. Over 18,500 were killed or injured during the war.
During World War II, Japanese-Americans living on the West Coast were considered security risks. In early 1942, they were sent to internment camps. Later that year, once the U.S. government realized they were not a threat to national security, many were released and allowed to move to other parts of the country. Nearly 30,000 Japanese-Americans moved to Chicago. Although they were first met with distrust, their strong work ethic soon gained the favor of employers. Once security restrictions were lifted after the war, almost half returned to the West Coast. Japanese-Americans living in Illinois today have generally been assimilated into the mainstream of American society. Enrico Fermi and other scientists at the University of Chicago conducted the first controlled nuclear reaction in 1942. This led to the development of the Atomic bomb, which was later used by the United States to end the war with Japan.
These suburban communities were popular for their larger houses, quiet neighborhoods and safer streets. The growth gobbled up land that was once farmland and prairie, and the commute to work increased for persons living in the suburbs and working in the city. As more and more middle class white people moved to the suburbs, the overall population of the central cities began to become poorer with a higher percentages of minorities. This would present considerable challenges in the latter part of the 20th Century in maintaining the infrastructure of the central city and in providing services, such as education and social services, to the central cities' citizens. These challenges included generating adequate revenue to pay for these expenses and dealing with the problems of a racially segregated society. In the 1950s, the Cold War between Communist countries and the United States escalated. After Communist North Korea invaded South Korea, the United States and its allies fought in the Korean War from 1950 - 1953. More than 33,000 Americans died in the war, including more than 1700 casualties from Illinois. There were many nationally known figures from Illinois during this time. Richard Daley was elected mayor of Chicago in 1955 and he served a total of six terms. Through his long tenure as mayor and, with the stranglehold he had on the Democratic party in Chicago, he became one of the most powerful local political figures in the state's history. His influence extended to state and national politics. The Democratic party nominated Illinois governor Adlai Stevenson for President in 1952 and 1956. He lost both elections to the Republican nominee, Dwight Eisenhower. Gwendolyn Brooks, of Chicago, became the first black woman to win a Pulitzer Prize for her poem Annie Allen in 1950. Carl Sandburg, from Galesburg, won a second Pulitzer Prize for his "Collected Poems" in 1951. Sandburg was named poet laureate of Illinois in 1962. Ernest Hemingway, from Oak Park, was another world renowned author. He won a Pulitzer Prize for The Old Man and the Sea in 1953, and the following year was awarded a Nobel Prize for literature.
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Study Guide Questions
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