The Greatest Generation, born between 1900 and the early 1920s, includes those who served in World War II and those who worked at home. Tom Brokaw popularized the term in a book, but some object to characterizing the generation as pro-war. The generation faced adversity and problems, including sexism and racism, and had vivid memories of the hardships of the Depression and World War I. Their contributions to American history and society were remarkable.
The term “The Greatest Generation” is often used to describe Americans who participated in the war effort in World War II. Many members of this generation became the parents of the BaBoomers, the generation of people born in the years following the war. Chronologically, this group follows the Lost Generation of the 1930s and predates the Silent Generation of the 1950s.
The Greatest Generation includes those born roughly between 1900 and the early 1920s. Many members actively served in World War II, leading some people to call this group the GI Generation. Others worked at home to keep the United States productive during the war years. These individuals also helped rebuild the United States and the world after the ravages of war.
Some people object to characterizing this generation as people who supported the war. People who opposed World War II, for example, argue that they contributed positively to society through their political dissent and that people may have refrained from participating in the war effort for a variety of reasons. As members of the generation aged, many of these concerns became less critical, as all people of a certain age were referred to by this label, regardless of their role or views on the war.
The Greatest Generation concept was popularized in a book by Tom Brokaw, which included a number of profiles of the group’s members. The book was designed to capture these stories for history’s benefit before most of the members died. Many people characterize this generation’s America as an America of innocence and simplicity, and some people idealize 1940s America. Certainly, World War II created an economic boom, and is sometimes considered the last just war, because the reasons for going to war were so clear to most people.
This generation has also faced its share of adversity and problems, however, and not just on the battlefield. Sexism and racism were still serious problems in the United States, and many states had laws on the books to ban miscegenation and ethnic minority ownership. Women may have joined the workforce in greater numbers during the war, but later found themselves pushed back into the kitchen, while Black Service members excelled on the battlefield only to be met with prejudice at home.
Many of the Greatest Generation also had vivid memories of the hardships of the Depression, and older members also remembered World War I. Life for people of this generation was anything but simple and idealistic, making their contributions to American history and society all the more remarkable.
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