Social Class in America

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the fabric of American society before and after the Second World War. It explains that American society is made up of several different classes, but that these classes are not defined by wealth alone, but rather by power. It compares how these definitions changed after the Second World War and how these changes continued until present day.

From the Paper:

"Before the Second World War, the middle class was largely confined to professionals, i.e., doctors, lawyers, teachers, etc., whose status was dependent on the services they could offer as a result of their college educations, and small and medium-sized businessmen, who might not be college educated. A defining characteristic of the middle class was that they were primarily self-employed, or employers of others, and the success of their enterprise largely depended on their own efforts. As far as the material definition of status was concerned, these people generally owned their own homes and perhaps some other income-generating property, such as real estate, buildings, etc., and bought new cars rather than used cars. The working class was generally considered those people who worked for a paycheck, whose success largely depended on their performing work dictated by the owner of the business for whom they worked. The working class did not generally own property, and lived in either apartments or small rented houses, and generally did not make enough income to be able to afford the products they created as new items."

More papers on Social Class in America:

• Essay # 71573 : "Social Class in America"
• Analytical Essay # 9431 : "The Ethnic Myth: Race, Ethnicity, and Class in America"
• Analytical Essay # 149251 : "Wealth in America"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: