In America in the Twentieth Century, George Donelson Moss describes the change in American society as a result of World War II. He argues that during the Second World War the United States went from a nation suffering the effects of a Great Depression while dealing with a world occupied by war and controversy regarding President Roosevelt's foreign policy, to a "unified, proud, and powerful nation".
             Moss claims "[The United States'] armed forces and industrial might had played decisive roles in destroying Fascism, militarism, and imperialism around the globe." The rise of Nazism in Germany and Fascism in Italy were two main factors contributing to the outbreak of the war. Many feared Fascism, a political ideology condoning the recreation of a populist ultranationalist state, along with Communism . A common belief in many modern societies including the United States was that radical ideas such as Fascism and Communism were too extreme. Militarism existed mainly in Japan and Germany, as both nations were trying to build an empire. Through aggression and appeasement, Hitler gained Austria, Sudetenland, a section of Czechoslovakia, and other European territories. Meanwhile, in Japan, Emperor Hirohito seized Manchuria, an area of Northern China, with hopes to gain control of Southeast Asia. While the United States attempted to stay out of the conflict, the last straw came on December 7, 1941. Japan's surprise attack on Pearl Harbor left almost 2,400 Americans dead and an overwhelming sense of patriotism. The United States then entered the War, with hopes of destroying fascism, militarism and imperialism.
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