Dixie Entrenched: The Transformational Nature Of The First World War On The South

The First World War's impact on the American South is often downplayed in favor of changes brought about by the New Deal and the Second World War. This thesis analyzes the changes the war made to the South culturally, socially, and economically and the impact of those changes in the 21st century. Literature, music, and other forms of popular culture demonstrate how the image of the South in popular culture shifted as a result of increased contact with the North and as federal investment brought economic boom to the region. Newspaper accounts show how social movements such as civil rights, unionization, and prohibition gained and lost momentum in the face of the war's democratic rhetoric and the long-standing biases and views of Southerners. Finally, economic data shows how the war turned cigarettes into a national addiction to the economic benefit of the South and how textiles migrated from New England to the South and became a key component of the Southern economy for the next century. Even as these industries have declined, the military bases built for the war continue to support Southern communities, as evidenced by state employment and economic impact data.