Greatest Generation

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G.I. Generation
)
For other uses, see Greatest Generation (disambiguation).
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Social generations of the Western world

The Greatest Generation, also known as the G.I. Generation and the World War II Generation, is the demographic cohort following the

Baby Boomers, and, in turn, are the children of the Lost Generation
.

Terminology

An early usage of the term The Greatest Generation was in 1953 by U.S. Army General

Eighth Army in the Korean War. He spoke to Congress, saying, "The men of the Eighth Army are a magnificent lot, and I have always said the greatest generation of Americans we have ever produced."[2] The term was further popularized by the title of a 1998 book by American journalist Tom Brokaw. In the book, Brokaw profiled American members of this generation who came of age during the Great Depression and went on to fight in World War II, as well as those who contributed to the war effort on the home front. Brokaw wrote that these men and women fought not for fame or recognition, but because it was the "right thing to do".[3] This cohort is also referred to as the World War II generation.[4]

The term "G.I. Generation" was first used in 1971 by Alberto M. Camarillo in an article for the academic journal Aztlán: A Journal of Chicano Studies, titled "Research note on Chicano community leaders: the GI generation."[5] The initials G.I. refer to American soldiers in World War II. Authors William Strauss and Neil Howe later popularized the G.I. Generation term in their 1991 book Generations: The History of America's Future.[6]

Date and age range definitions

Pew Research Center defines this cohort as being born from 1901 to 1927.[7] Strauss and Howe use the birth years 1901–1924.[8] The first half of this generation, born between 1901 and 1912, are sometimes referred to as the Interbellum Generation. The majority of veterans who served in World War II were born during the second half of this generation, from 1913 to 1924. While the oldest members of the Interbellum Generation came of age at the close of the 1910s in 1919, the majority reached maturity in the 1920s and the minority had grown up in the initial years of the Great Depression from 1929 to 1932. The "WW II Generation Proper" became of age in either the second half of the 1930s or the early years of the 1940s.

Characteristics

United States

Adolescence

Main articles: Belle Époque, Progressive Era, World War I, and Great Depression in the United States
Buckler family, 1914
Portrait of Australian female children, circa between 1910 and 1920

In the

Stock Market crashed
, when many had matured in the 1930s, this generation experienced profound economic and social turmoil.

Despite the hardships, historians note that the literature, arts, music, and cinema of the period flourished. This generation experienced what is commonly referred to as the "

swing jazz became immensely popular with members of this generation. The term "Swing Generation" has also been used to describe the cohort due to the popularity of the era's music.[16] The popularity of the radio also became a major influence in the lives of this generation, as millions tuned in to listen to President Franklin D. Roosevelt's "fireside chats" and absorbed the news in a way like never before.[17]

Great Depression and World War II

Main article: Military history of the United States during World War II
American G.I.s land on Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944
A woman working in a military aircraft factory in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1942. Millions of American women found work in the defense industry during the war.

Over 16 million Americans served in World War II, the majority being members of this generation. 38.8% were volunteers, 61.2% were draftees, the average length of their service was 33 months, and total approximate casualties were 671,278 (

wounded).[18]
Tom Brokaw and others extol this generation for supporting and fighting World War II.

Post-war

Main article: Post–World War II economic expansion

Following the war, this generation produced children at an unprecedented level. Over 76 million

Second Red Scare, while some were again called to service in the Korean War alongside the Silent Generation. The first member of their generation and the first person born in the 20th century to be elected U.S. president, John F. Kennedy, began a Space Race against the Soviet Union, and his successor, Lyndon B. Johnson, further promoted a controversial "Great Society" policy. Research professor of sociology Glen Holl Elder, Jr., a prominent figure in the development of life course theory, wrote Children of the Great Depression (1974), "the first longitudinal study of a Great Depression cohort." Elder followed 167 individuals born in California between 1920 and 1921 and "traced the impact of Depression and wartime experiences from the early years to middle age. Most of these 'children of the Great Depression' fared unusually well in their adult years".[20][21] They came out of the hardships of the Great Depression "with an ability to know how to survive and make do and solve problems.”[22]

Relationship to later generations

This generation faced turmoil with their older

anti-war protests. The same applied to a lesser extent in the 1950s between the Interbellum Generation and their Silent Generation children.[24]

Later years and legacy

U.S. Navy veteran Ruth Harden sings as "Anchors Aweigh" is played during the dedication ceremony of the World War II memorial at Legislative Hall in Dover, Delaware, November 9, 2013.

According to a 2004 study done by AARP, "There are 26 million people aged 77 or older in the United States. These people are largely conservative on economic (59%) and social (49%) issues, and about one-third of them say they have become more conservative on economic, social, foreign policy, moral, and legal issues as they have aged. Over 9 in 10 (91%) of this age group are registered to vote and 90% voted in the 2000 presidential election.[25] The last member of this generation to be elected president was George H. W. Bush (1989–1993), and as of 2024 the last surviving president from this generation is Jimmy Carter (1977–1981). In its latter years, this generation was introduced to continued technological advancements such as mobile phones and the Internet.

As of 2023, approximately 119,550 (under 1%) of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II remain alive.

centenarians
.

The lives of this generation are a common element of popular culture in the western world,[27] and media related to this generation's experiences continues to be produced.[28] The romanticizing of this generation has faced criticism by some.[29][30] However, some also praise the traits and actions of this generation and cite their sacrifices as a lesson for current generations.[31]

During the

coronavirus and recovered just prior to his 104th birthday in 2020; he passed away aged 105.[32][33]

Britain

Main article:
Britain in World War II

In

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson compared this generation to current generations and indicated his desire for them to show the "same spirit of national endeavour", in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.[35]

Germany

Main article:
Germany in World War II

Members of the World War II generation in

demilitarization of a post-war Germany. Returning German veterans found their country carved up into four zones of occupation; later becoming West Germany and East Germany. In the west, the Marshall Plan resulted in the "Wirtschaftswunder", an economic boom that caused 185% growth between 1950 and 1963.[37] Surviving members of the German World War II generation would go on to experience the fall of the Berlin Wall and the creation of the European Union. Unlike the Western allies and the Soviet Union, Germany did not honor its veterans, as the association with Nazism continues in contemporary Germany today.[38]

Soviet Union

Main article: Soviet Union in World War II

As children, members of this generation came of age during

Great Patriotic War" veterans, such as poet Yuri Levitansky who wrote about the horrors of the war and Vasily Zaitsev, a war hero who would later be detained for two years as a victim of the post-war atmosphere of paranoia. Today, former Soviet states celebrate an annual Victory Day. The latest survey conducted by Russia's Levada Center suggests Victory Day is still one of the most important public holidays for Russian citizens, with 65% of those surveyed planning to celebrate it. But for nearly one third of people (31%) it is a "state public event" while for another 31% it is a "memorial day for all former Soviet people". Only 16% of those asked recognize it in its original context as a "veterans' memorial day". The predominant emotion the holiday provokes among Russians (59% of respondents) is national pride, while 18% said "sorrow" and 21% said "both". For modern Russians, the conflict continues to provide the population with a nationalistic rallying call.[39]

Japan

Main article: Japan during World War II

The World War II generation of

occupied and received little support or respect. Surviving members of this generation would see Japan emerge as the world's second-largest economy by 1989.[41] Surviving veterans visit the Yasukuni Shrine to pay tribute to their fallen comrades.[42]

Even after defeat, Japan would achieve unprecedented prosperity through businesses such as Sony Corporation (founded by Akio Morita) and cultural influence, as in cinema by Akira Kurosawa.

See also

  • List of last surviving veterans of World War II

References

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  2. ^ "Full Committee Hearing on Statement Made by Gen. James A. Van Fleet". 1953. Archived from the original on 2023-01-22. Retrieved 2022-01-19.
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  5. ^ Camarillo, Alberto M. (1 October 1971). "Research note on Chicano community leaders: the GI generation." Aztlán: A Journal of Chicano Studies, Vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 145–150. UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center.
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  7. ^ "Americans Name the 10 Most Significant Historic Events of Their Lifetimes". People Press. 15 December 2016. Archived from the original on 2 January 2017. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
  8. ^ Howe, Neil (30 July 2014). "The G.I. Generation and the "Triumph of the Squares"". Forbes. Archived from the original on 18 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  9. ^ Wright, Erica (2020-10-23). "This 108-year-old woman survived two pandemics: The 1918 Spanish flu and Covid-19". CNBC. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
  10. ^ "Striking it Richer" (PDF). eml.berkeley.edu. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-02-09. Retrieved 2018-04-30.
  11. ^ "U.S. income inequality, on rise for decades, is now highest since 1928". 5 December 2013. Archived from the original on 16 February 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  12. ^ "5 facts about economic inequality". 7 January 2014. Archived from the original on 30 April 2018. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
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  15. ^ George H. Soule, Prosperity Decade: From War to Depression: 1917–1929 (1947)
  16. ^ "Timeline: American Generations since 20th Century". projects.scpr.org. Southern California Public Radio. Archived from the original on 2 February 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  17. ^ "Culture in the Thirties". courses.lumenlearning.com. Lumen Learning. Archived from the original on 29 November 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  18. ^ "Research Starters: US Military by the Numbers". nationalww2museum.org. Archived from the original on 30 May 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  19. ^ Pollard, Kelvin (16 April 2014). "Just How Many Baby Boomers Are There?". prb.org. Archived from the original on 8 January 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  20. ^ "About Glen H. Elder, Jr". University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Archived from the original on 19 June 2019. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  21. ^ "Lives in Changing Times". University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Archived from the original on 25 March 2019. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  22. ^ Zernike, Kate (13 March 2009). "Generation OMG". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 25 March 2019. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
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  24. ^ "The World War II Generation and Vietnam". PBS.org. Archived from the original on 8 January 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  25. ^ Love, Jeffrey (July 2004). "Political Behavior and Values Across the Generations" (PDF). aarp.org. AARP. p. 3. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 October 2020. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  26. ^ "WWII Veteran Statistics".
  27. ^ Kenny, Glenn (30 May 2016). "World War II According To Hollywood's Greatest Generation". decider.com. New York Post. Archived from the original on 16 September 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  28. ^ Ringel-Cater, Eleanor (28 July 2017). "The Movie Biz: The Greatest Generation's war". bizjournals.com. Atlanta Business Chronicle. Archived from the original on 17 December 2022. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
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  30. ^ Klinkenberg, Kevin (4 September 2019). "Dangerous Nostalgia: Why Romanticizing the 1950s and 1960s Won't Get Us Anywhere". strongtowns.org. Archived from the original on 6 November 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  31. ^ Hanson, Victor (1 January 2018). "What Millennials Can Learn From the Greatest Generation". Newsweek. Archived from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  32. ^ Jackson, Amanda (6 December 2020). "A 104-year-old World War II veteran from Alabama has survived Covid-19". CNN. Archived from the original on 8 December 2020. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  33. ^ "Major Wooten Obituary - Huntsville, AL". Dignity Memorial. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
  34. ^ "The Fallen". parliament.uk. Archived from the original on 10 January 2021. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  35. ^ Hall, Macer (8 May 2020). "Boris Johnson hails Britain's 'greatest generation' as he thanks WWII veterans on VE Day". Express. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  36. ^ Simkin, John (September 1997). "The German Army in the Second World War". spartacus-educational.com. Archived from the original on 4 February 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  37. ^ Davis, Mark (5 May 2015). "How World War II shaped modern Germany". euronews. Archived from the original on 19 April 2019. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  38. ^ Barkin, Noah (9 August 2019). "Where Veterans Aren't Thanked for Their Service. Because of Germany's tortured 20th-century history, its struggle to forge policies to support its veterans is in many ways unique". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on 25 February 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  39. ^ Davis, Mark (5 April 2015). "How World War II shaped modern Russia". Euronews. Archived from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  40. ^ Frank, Richard (4 August 2020). "There Are No Civilians in Japan". www.nationalww2museum.org. Archived from the original on 25 January 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  41. ^ Maddison, Angus, Contours of the World Economy, 1–2030 AD. 2007, p. 379, table A.4.
  42. ^ Smyth, Tony (22 October 2014). "Yasukuni Shrine". tokyotales365.com. Archived from the original on 20 January 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
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