Did the GI Generation face the greatest challenges?

Question

Use facts from your own observations to support your answer

Answer 1

No.

At the time of WWII the U.S. was a giant nation with one of the world's largest economies, protected by one of the largest navies, with no real threat of invasion (the Japanese could land on inconsequential Aleutian islands). The U.S. was allied with the Soviet Union and Britain, two of the most powerful countries in the world.


Whereas at the time of the American Revolution, the U.S. was a group of separate colonies with no standing army facing the most powerful nation in the world whose fleets controlled the seas. The U.S. had no allies at the start of the war.


Any comparison between WWII and the American Revolution clearly shows that WWII was far, far easier than the American Revolution.

Answer 2

I would say our greatest challenge was by far the civil war. It split this USA in half and one out of every ten people fought in the war. The war ruined every major city in the south and damaged the economy for generations. The south is only now emerging from the ruin of that war.
The Civil War witnessed the first assassination of an American president and for nearly a decade the USA was ruled by one party; the republican.
Despite the opinion of Tom Brokaw no event since the civil war has come close to challenging the very fabric of the USA as the Civil War.

Answer 3

In modern history, yes. That's not to say it was the most signifigant period of history - but they WERE a special generation. My Grandparents came from that generation. They saw labor strikes and violence, grew up during the depression, only to reach young adulthood and see the world (and themselves) go to war.

In the case of my Grandfather and Grandmother, they were young children when the depression started. As a children of immigrants, their parents were limited in vocation, and both of their fathers (my g-grandfathers) made a living in the mines. Just as the economy was starting to rebound, there was a mine collapse that killed one of my g-grandfathers. My g-grandmother was widowed at 32 with 10 chioldren and a house full of boarders. My grandfather helped to step in, going into the mines at 15 yrs. old. Soon after, the miners went on strike and the strikers and their families had to move to crudely built barracks for two years. And that was before my grandfather joined the navy to serve in WWII...

My other grandfather's parents lost everything in the depression, and then he was drafted into the war. He served for the Air Transport Command in Egypt, was attacked and discharged for his injuries after a local national stabbed him in the neck. He then went back to college to earn a degree to teach - due to his disabilities, he was limited in what he did for the rest of his life, and he felt teaching was the best way to share his experiences and lessons learned..

Both of my grandmothers helped out in the war effort at home, one working for a fabric manufacturer, the other doing odd jobs in the mines, taking in boarders, etc.

They saw all of this before they turned 25.

That was before they saw the peak in communism, the cold war, and had to send their sons to Vietnam...

I think they had huge challenges - but it also built huge character. Its amazing, because after all they went through, I never heard ANY of my grandparents complain how bad they had it, that life was rough, or that anyone owed them anything. They took it in stride.

Hope this helps you as far as "personal observations"...

Answer 4

yes