Book Review on OVER HERE the first world war and American society
A good and nearly complete account of the happenings during the firstnineteen months of the participation of United States in the First WorldWar has been documented in "Over Here" by David Kennedy. The details inthis book are between the period between April 2, 1917 when the war messagewas first given to Congress by Wilson and November 11, 1918 when theArmistice was signed, the book gives details of the political innovations,social disruptions and the cultural heritage of the experience of America There is a brief prologue which sets the stage, and then Kennedyplunges into the description of the war for the Americans, and the thoughtsthat accompanied the entry of US into the War. At the same time, one has toremember that Wilson had won the re-election in 1916 as he had promised tokeep America out of the War, and this required him to make someexplanations when the country got involved. In this case also Wilsonapplied the master strategy that he had used from the beginning to the endof his career - appealing directly to the people. This united theirconvictions, awakened their emotional energy and unle
This was designed mainly by theSecretary of the Treasury, William Gibbs McAdoo (99). This is a great defenseby Kennedy of his fellow ex-student from Stanford, but cannot convincemany. This wasclearly seen when the progressives started to cast doubts on the anti-laborand anti-immigrant slant of his policies. The social upheavals of whatis now called "Red Summer" of 1919 are also described - steel and policestrikes, race riots, Palmer raids, and the slow destruction of thecoalition of the progressives. Among the people he covers are those involved in the war effort,both within America and abroad. The role of Woodrow Wilsonin these acts of repression during the War was contradictory with supportof free speech in theory, but opposition to it in practice (87). This turned the home front into a war zone for the socialists, theIWW, pacifists and the other left leaning groups. The various issues concerning the Wilsonadministration, its effectiveness, and its quality are all discussed. That book begins with theactivities of Adolph Hitler, Winston Churchill, Joseph Stalin and Roosevelton the day of Armistice, November 11, 1918. In the last chapter by Kennedy, there is astudy of international political economy, and this describes the use of theprofits from the war by the Americans to speed up an expansion of theeconomy within the country. After the force wasformed, it became the group for conducting many social experiments like sexeducation and testing of intelligence. Theauthor's great strength is in the coverage of the war, as also the Wilsonadministration. This is a short period from 1917 to 1919, but its effects havehad great influence on the balance of the hundred years of the lastcentury. He has not demonstrated any bias in the book, and that alsois a plus point.
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Acceptance Essays
