WWII and the Home Front: The Intersection of History and Biography

The Second World War was cataclysmic. Worldwide, there were 62 million military and civilian deaths. The United States lost 405,000 service men and women, and 671,000 more were wounded. However, World War II was also a transformative event in American society, and many benefited during the war and in its aftermath. Our nation's victory changed our relations with other nations. It set the stage for huge changes within our country: changes in housing patterns, education, social structure, and in our perceptions of the world. C. Wright Mills defined sociology as the intersection of history and biography. This article focuses on the impact of WWII on our lives, but especially on Addie's. She will relate her personal experiences. I will return to describe the time when our lives joined almost six decades ago. [Copyright American Psychological Association]