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The Best War Ever

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The Best War Ever
Michael C.C. Adams

History has a way of being distorted and viewed unrealistically at times. Because every event and emotion cannot be perfectly recorded, myths and false perspectives are created. In his book, “The Best War Ever,” Adams explains how Americans believed World War II was a clean, glorious and courageous victory, when in reality it was not. The era became viewed as “America's golden age, a peak in the life of society when every thing worked out and the good guys definitely got a happy ending" (Adams, 2). Besides the general population's idea that the United States was saving the day by going to war, the main tool of distorting the reality of war was propaganda. The “greatness” of this war spread so quickly, “the censors hardly needed to tell the film producers that war movies should showcase American heroism and patriotism and that the enemy must be cruel, devious, and unprincipled” (Adams, 11). The impact of the media's spinning the war lead to a positive demeanor in the nation, eventually proving the propaganda to be a necessary evil. World War II, for America, was a testament to the work and reward of the American dream. The media portrayed society during the war as succesful, hard working, and finally coming out of the slumps brought on by the Great Depression. In line with the “melting pot” stereotype of America, people from all ethnicities were fighting for our country (Adams, 11). After the recession, Americans needed a common enemy to bring them together as a nation. The war provided an enemy that was portrayed as barbaric, leaving Americans with little hesitation in fighting them. Later in the war, the Holocaust and its inhumane nature only strengthened the resolve of America's determination in the war. Citizens saw their country as saving millions of persecuted people from unjust and horrific deaths, a view perpetuated

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