Good War
Read excerpts from The “Good War” by Studs Terkel on Blackboard and answer the following question: Should World War II be considered a “Good War?” The stories presented by Terkel are first person accounts of the Second World War by Americans who lived through it at home as civilians or as soldiers. In Elizabeth D. Samet’s recent book Looking for the Good War, she suggests six myths that continue to surround the war as follows:
1. The United States went to war to liberate the world from fascism and tyranny.
2. All Americans were absolutely united in their commitment to the war effort.
3. Everyone on the home front made tremendous sacrifices.
4. Americans are liberators who fight decently, reluctantly, only when they must.
5. World War II was a foreign tragedy with a happy American ending.
6. Everyone has always agreed on points 1-5.
