Global conflicts and transformations in 1948

¶ … 1948?" It will inform the reader of important events that occurred in the world in 1948. For America and the world, 1948 was a year in transition. World War II had ended, but there was still war in the world. America was entering into an era of prosperity, and families were engaging in the "baby boom." 1948 was a banner year for many improvements and innovations that would prove to be important in the years ahead.

War and Peace

It would seem that 1948 would be a year of peace, and that the world would be at peace after the horrors of World War II, but that is not the case. The State of Israel became reality in May 1948, and the day after it was created, the neighboring Arab nations of Egypt, Transjordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia declared war on the fledgling nation. First created as Palestine by a British Mandate, Israel declared her independence from Britain on May 15, 1948. Fighting was already routine in the area, and Israel's announcement just prompted more fighting. The outcome of this first Arab-Israeli War was a disaster for the Arabs, who lost even more territory to Israel, who drew their own boundaries at the end of the war, and gained 50% more area than the United Nations treaty had allowed them (when the country was initially created). Tensions in the area have never let up, and there is still fighting and animosity between the Arab nations in the area and Israel. Territories are still disputed, and terrorism continues almost daily in both Israel, Palestine, and beyond (Wikipedia, 2004).

There were many other skirmishes and battles across the globe, and the Soviet Union was beginning its' advance on Europe by taking over Czechoslovakia, and blockading West Berlin. The world was still in turmoil, even though World War II had come to an end in 1945.

Religion

Probably the most enduring and shocking happening in religion in decades happened in 1948. In March, the United States Supreme Court ruled religious instruction in public schools violated the Constitution, and the fight for religious teaching in school took a severe blow. In December of the same year, the UN General Assembly adopted the "Universal Declaration of Human Rights," which, among many other things, guaranteed freedom of religion to member nations throughout the world. Probably the most important religious happening in 1948 was the creation of Israel, which immediately led to fighting with neighboring Arab nations.

Religion continued to play an important part in many American's lives, but young people were just beginning to expand their horizons and look for other avenues for their spirituality. In a 1948 survey, however, 85% of those polled answered "yes" to the question: "Do you feet that you require some form of religious orientation or belief in order to achieve a fully nature philosophy of life?" (Hastings and Hoge, 1981, p. 524).

Politics

Politics were quite volatile at home and abroad, as the Arab-Israeli War shows. At home, Americans faced a Presidential Election, and re-elected President Truman over challenger Thomas E. Dewey. In a famed moment in time, the Chicago Tribune called Dewey the winner prematurely, and a now-famous photo shows President-elect Truman holding the banner headline over his head and grinning ear to ear. Truman signed the Marshall Plan into effect in 1948, which, among other things, began the Berlin Airlift. The Berlin Airlift supplied vital provisions to West Berlin for over a year, after the city was effectively blockaded by the Soviet Union in hopes the Allied forces would abandon the city. The airlift supplied vital food and fuel to city residents, and by the time it ended in the fall of 1949, nearly 277,000 flights had been made to drop supplies over the besieged city (Editors, 2003).

In other political headlines, India's spiritual leader Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated on January 30, 1948, and Russian Communists seized power in Czechoslovakia in February. The Nation of Israel was created in May, and the next day, war broke out between neighboring Arab nations Egypt, Transjordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia and the new nation state (Wikipedia, 2004). The United Nations created the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1948, and in December, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the "Universal Declaration of Human Rights," due largely in part to the tireless efforts of ex-first-lady Eleanor Roosevelt.

Health

Health at home and around the world was obviously a concern, as the UN's creation of WHO during this year clearly shows. Some of the most important health issues facing the world were tuberculosis and other communicable diseases. In addition, during this year, cortisone was first introduced as a treatment for arthritis ("Highlights," 2004).

Technology

Television was at the forefront of technological advances in 1948. Numerous television stations began broadcasting across the country, and the ABC television network was created. For the first time, Americans could be entertained in the comfort of their living rooms, and it changed the way we look at entertainment. However, 1948 also brought many other technological advances that might not have seemed quite so legendary at the time, but would turn out to be some of the major technological advances in the future. One important advance was the origins of space travel. In 1948, the United States first began thinking about manned and unmanned space flight, and the State Department announced they were working on placing objects into Earth orbit. Idlewild (now JFK) Airport opened in New York's City, and a Swiss outdoorsman named George de Mestral invented Velcro ("Highlights," 2004). Some innovations for 1948 were far ahead of their time, like the Tucker automobile. Preston Thomas Tucker, the inventor of the automobile, created a unique car that had numerous innovations Detroit had never attempted. However, he could not compete with the big automakers, and his car ended in failure. In addition, during the year, the massive 200-inch telescope at Mount Palomar in California began operation ("Highlights," 2004).

However, probably the most significant and long-lasting advance came from IBM, who created their first "large scale digital calculating machine" ("Archives," 2004) in 1948. Eventually this huge contraption with "12,000 vacuum tubes and 21,000 electromechanical relays" ("Archives," 2004) would evolve into the personal computers we know and love today. IBM's continued study and advancement in computing led to a revolution in how we work, think, and research, and it all had its origins in 1948 in a calculating machine.

Environment

The Clean Water Act took affect in 1948, and 1948 has the dubious honor of seeing the world's largest landfill (at the time) open in New York. Fresh Kills, located in Staten Island, was the largest landfill in decades, and the largest manmade hill on the East Coast. Today it is closed, and the site is being turned back into a natural estuary, as it was before the landfill. Fresh Kills reopened briefly to process much of the debris from the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks (Wikipedia, 2004). The environment was not nearly as important to Americans in 1948 as it is now, and the effects we were having on the environment were not understood as completely as they are now. However, the Clean Water Act shows Americans were becoming more concerned about their interaction with the environment, and the effect adverse environmental conditions could have on health, longevity, and general well being. 1948 was year of change and growth, and the start of a new outlook by many Americans on a variety of issues, from the environment to health and religion.

Sports

Olympic sports were at the forefront of 1948. The Winter Olympic Games took place in St. Moritz, Switzerland, and the Summer Games took place in London. Germany and Japan were not invited to attend the games, but Italy did attend. The games were the first in twelve years, as they did not take place during World War II. In the Winter Olympics, American skater Dick Button won the gold medal for the United States, (he was the first American to win a figure skating title), and he was the first skater to perform a double axel jump (Wikipedia, 2004). (Today, male skaters routinely perform quadruple axels, and females routinely perform triple axels.) At the Summer Games, the United States took 38 Gold, 27 Silver, and 19 Bronze medals, more than any other participating nation. Dutch athlete Fanny Blankers-Koen became the darling of the Games when she won four gold medals on the track, and for the first time, India and Pakistan participated as independent nations in field hockey (Wikipedia, 2004).

Aside from the Olympic Games, there were many other memorable moments in sports in 1948. William HG France established the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) in February, and famed pony "Citation" won the Triple Crown, taking the Preakness, Belmont, and Kentucky Derby in May. Baseball lost one of its all-time greats when Babe Ruth died on August 16, 1948, of throat cancer. In the World Series, the Cleveland Indians bested the Boston Braves, and famed boxer Joe Louis hung up his gloves for the last time during the year.

Family

American families were having some of the best times of their lives in years, but there were some problems, too. Workers faced inflation and labor strife, and President Truman inaugurated the draft in reaction to the Cold War with the Soviet Union, so draft-age men faced another draft just when they thought the war was over. Families were moving to the newly created suburbs in record numbers, and the "good life" was on its way. In fact, there was such a demand for housing, people were increasingly looking to alternatives, and trailers became a viable alternative to traditional homes during this time, as one historian notes. "Indeed, the rush to buy trailers was so great by 1948 that, according to one estimate, trailers supplied housing for 7% of the American population, a remarkable figure even if exaggerated given the fact that only ten years earlier, year-round trailer living was virtually unheard of (Hurley, 2001, p. 212).

As more families moved to the suburbs, more mothers began to work, and they became quite captivated with convenience foods and timesaving devices around the home. A food critic named Duncan Hines recognized this and created a company to make prepackaged cake mixes ("Highlights," 2004). This was the beginning of a trend in the food industry that led to many other innovations, and led to many more meals being eaten outside the home, too. The McDonald brothers recognized this, and created walk-up food service in 1948 at their popular hamburger stand outside Los Angeles. Before, carhops had serviced customers, but the faster-paced lifestyle demanded quicker food service, and the brothers complied (Hurley, 2001, p. 96). Later, their hamburger stand would turn into one of the biggest franchises in the world under the leadership of Ray Kroc, an enterprising shake-machine salesman who bought out the brothers and went on to fame and fortune (Hurley, 2001, p. 96).

In conclusion, 1948 was a year of growth and transition for the world. Americans were living better lives after World War II, but live was not all rosy, there were problems with the economy, labor unrest, a renewed draft, and many other issues facing American families. 1948 brought change, renewed conflict, and marked the end of an era. America was ready to step into the 1950s and beyond.