Page 20 - 1983 Wardlaw Hartridge

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16
The Forties
During the early part of the I940’s, FDR chose to reject neutrality and en­ tered the war. The decade then be­ came an age of violence and fear, and later, a time for relaxation. The na­ tion was nervous during the early part of the decade, for the turmoil of a second world war made its mark. As Europe was ravished by shell fire, the United States reverberated with the
shock. Finally, America was relieved when the war ended with the dropping of the A-bomb.
Once the war was over and "Johnny came marching home,” the morale of the public ran high. Nobody wanted to run the risk of lapsing into another de­ pression, so people worked hard to keep the economy going. After the rate of production for war materials dropped, the rate of production for consumer items rose. People bought the comodies they had been denied and thus helped maintain the econo­ my.
With the war over the people began to enjoy entertainment. Box offices sold more tickets to more shows and movies than ever before. Such produc­ tions as Oklahoma and Annie Get Your Gun exemplify the light-hearted atti­ tude of the people during this time. By the end of the decade, everyone had an awakened, new interest in sports, music, and shows; temporarily, politi­ cal issues were disregarded.