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Document Type:Essay

Subject Area:History

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For 4 years, he slowly learned the skills and managed to secure a better paying job in the local Chrysler plant that was boosting its work force to meet demand for military equipment (Poremba, 1999). At 21, Michael married his childhood sweetheart and his first child was born within the same year. At this time, everything seemed to be good for the young mechanic who could afford a three-bedroom house, comfortably raise a young family and still afford a personal car. Michael’s life was a true illustration of Detroit’s automobile factory workers who seemed to be the only ones benefitting from the chaos in the world at that time. Frequently dressed in boots, a pair of oil-stained khakis and a short-sleeved shirt, Michael would join fellow workers every day after work in a bar just some few meters from where he worked for some beer and burgers while discussing politics and the automobile business.

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While he supported the Nazi party, he was against most of their philosophies. On one end, he was making money out of building military equipment that was meant to kill his fellow Germans. On the other end, the Nazi party was attacking innocent civilians in sections of Europe and conducting massacres. At the same time, there was also the option of either enlisting for the US army or the Nazi’s army which was the trend for most young Americans then. The Chrysler Tank Arsenal (Palmer, 1942) photo highlights the situation on Chrysler’s factory which was previously used for manufacturing civilian vehicles. As aforementioned, Michael had a strong German heritage. At this time in the country, the number of German immigrants was rapidly increasing (Holian, 1998).

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Unlike immigrants from other continents, immigrants from Europe had more advantages in the country especially on getting educational and business opportunities. In Detroit, for instance, the demand for automobile workers was high in the 1940s forcing businesses to seek labor from minorities. However, this was not welcomed by the local Whites who even protested in the streets. S for more than three decades and the plant workers were some of the highly paid employees in the city. Therefore, it was common for most young people to aspire to work in the automobile industry and Michael was no exception. During the Second World War, most of these manufacturers had switched to manufacturing military equipment such as tanks and military vehicles that were highly on demand.

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The high demand for skill in automobile manufacturing meant that those who possessed these skills like Michael enjoyed relatively higher pay than workers in other industries (Poremba, 1999). Thus, Michael could afford to raise a family in a decent home and still have enough cash to spend on decent clothing and social life like drinking beer. On the other hand, he had established a family and ensured that his kids received good education and were now part of another vibrant industry. Therefore, by societal standards, he had lived a meaningful life. Having noted the role of a period on an individual’s life, I can find some connections with the World War. My grandfather had served in the military at this time and he used his compensation to build a life that I am a proud beneficiary.

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