The war created costs exceeding 350 billion dollars and was also responsible for the deaths of 292,000 American soldiers. Separation from fathers or sons had devastating consequences, and many kids felt robbed of their childhood, missing out on having a fatherly figure. With each member of the family having to fill in for different roles, everyone was shocked and struggling to stay together as a strong unit.
Now there were around 5 million women known as "war widows" who had to carry a family on their back by themselves. However, they also needed to join the now-underpowered workforce and keep their family alive, abandoning their children to take care of themselves. These children were now known as "latchkey" children, having nobody to watch them for the majority of the day. Attracted by open jobs, many young adults dropped out of high school so that they could start taking in income to take care of themselves and their families.
American society also went down as a whole. The mood became dull and depressing, and people sometimes tried to close themselves off by others, struggling with depression or loss. Juvenile delinquency, venereal disease, and truancy rose at incredible rates. It seemed like the young generation was being torn apart by what was happening to the older generations around them. Their parents, friends, items, money, food, and many other things started to become unstable and created problems. It was a time of struggling and many hardships.
2 comments:
Although the American government tried to keep up morale, the toll of so many men leaving for the front line affected families on the home front, as you said. What is particularly concerning is how so many of the "latchkey" children you write about dropped out of school to work. It is understandable given their circumstances, but once the war ends, it will be particularly difficult for the largely uneducated "latchkey" children to find employment.
The repercussions of war on families and the individuals is devastating regardless of time period or country. I wonder if the government implemented any kind of relief programs for the people who were affected greatly by the loss of family members.
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