The Second World War exists in the American historical imagination as a time of unity and optimism. In 1942, however, after a series of defeats in the Pacific and the struggle to establish a beachhead on the European front, America seemed to be on the brink of defeat and was beginning to splinter from within. Exploring this precarious moment, Tracy Campbell paints a portrait of the deep social, economic, and political fault lines that pitted factions of citizens against each other in the post-Pearl Harbor era, even as the nation mobilized, government-aided industrial infrastructure blossomed, and parents sent their sons off to war. This captivating look at how American society responded to the greatest stress experienced since the Civil War reveals the various ways, both good and bad, that the trauma of 1942 forced Americans to redefine their relationship with democracy in ways that continue to affect us today

December 1941--"The most tremendous undertaking" -- January--State of the Union -- February--"The worst week of the century" -- March--Total war -- April--"General Max" -- May--"These fascist economic measures" -- June--Rumors of war -- July--"The principles of democracy" -- August--"Insuperable difficulties" -- September--"Threat of economic chaos" -- October--"Pay as you go" -- November--Second fronts -- December--A new democratic capitalism