World War II was good because moral and because it was an American triumph. This is a sound and legitimate meaning to the war, but it is not the only meaning men and women have ascribed to the war, and the memory of the "Good War" need not, and perhaps should not, be the only memory of it.

The war brought full employment and a fairer distribution of income. Blacks and women entered the workforce for the first time. Wages increased; so did savings. The war brought the consolidation of union strength and far-reaching changes in agricultural life.