The Legacy of World War II in American Society and Politics

Eighty years after the end of World War II, this public panel will explore the lasting impact of the war’s conclusion on the development of American society and politics. By connecting international developments with local transformations, the discussion highlights how the war’s aftermath fundamentally reshaped the United States.

Topics will include the creation of the postwar world order and its geopolitical and domestic implications, the rise of the national security state, and the resulting effects on American politics, the economy, and the labor market. The panel will also examine the war’s role in catalyzing the Civil Rights Movement and trace major socio-cultural shifts such as migration patterns, gender role transformations, labor shortages, and the suburbanization of American life.

Bringing together perspectives from history, political science, and cultural studies, this conversation offers a reflection on how World War II continues to shape American life—at a moment when some of the war’s outcomes are increasingly being questioned.

Paneliststs:

Katherine Benton-Cohen is Professor of History at Georgetown University, specializing in modern U.S. history with a focus on immigration, race, gender, and the American West. She is the author of Inventing the Immigration Problem and served as historical advisor to the PBS documentary The Italian Americans. Her work connects national policy with social and cultural transformations across the 20th century.

Thomas A. Guglielmo is Associate Professor of American Studies at George Washington University. His research explores race, ethnicity, and civil rights in U.S. history, particularly in the context of war and military service. He is the author of Divisions: A New History of Racism and Resistance in America’s World War II Military, a landmark study of segregation and resistance within the U.S. Armed Forces.

Jeremi Suri is the Mack Brown Distinguished Chair for Leadership in Global Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. A historian of American politics and foreign policy, he has written extensively on presidential leadership, democracy, and global conflict. His books include Power and Protest and The Impossible Presidency, and he is a frequent commentator on contemporary American political issues.

Moderator:

Axel Jansen, Deputy Director of the GHI Washington. He has published widely on the history of the United States. His monographs include a study of US-American volunteers who joined World War I during the time their country remained neutral, and the first analytical biography of Alexander Dallas Bache, the key leader of American scientists in mid-nineteenth century America.

Please note : Doors will open at 11.30 am and will close promptly at 12:00 pm with the beginning of the event. Access to the lecture after doors close will be at discretion of the GHI. Registration does not guarantee access once event capacity is reached.

Please be aware that this event will be live-streamed to registered participants watching remotely via ZOOM and will be videorecorded for publication. By participating in-person, you understand that it is possible that you could be seen by registered participants watching the stream, that your comments may be seen/heard by participants watching the stream, and that a recording of the live stream could be made available on a video sharing service such Vimeo.

This event is jointly organized with the American Historical Association (AHA), the Heidelberg Center for American Studies (HCA), and the Goethe-Institute Washington. It is part of the Max Weber Stiftung Series “Ends of War” commemorating the 80 Year Anniversary of the End of World War II around the World and the GHI event series The Bigger Picture: American Politics and Culture in Historical Context.