What is a revolution?

The Webster Dictionary defines revolution as, A forcible overthrow of a government or social order for a new system (Webster Dictionary). However, a battle does not always need to be fought for a revolution to occur. Many historians argue that the most important aspect of a revolution is the exchange of ideas that change the way a culture operates and interacts. Thus, events such as the invention of the television, the enactment of the military draft, and even recent events such as Occupy Wall Street serve as social revolutions. For example, Occupy Wall Street has called attention to the role financial services firms played in the housing market collapse and the economic downturn of 2008. Because essentially every American over the age of twelve knows what Occupy Wall Street is, the group has turned their movement from a large group of people protesting on the street to a very influential social revolution. The introduction of the commercialized automobile after the end of World War II was not only a revolution for the automobile, but also for the American people. My grandmother, Ilene Elizabeth Schmidt (of Aberdeen South, Dakota), was one of the millions of individuals who were directly impacted by this revolution. In this essay, I will explore how the introduction of the commercialized automobile post World War II impacted the lives of millions, more specifically the lives of those in Aberdeen, South Dakota (including my grandmother). Prior to the introduction of the automobile in the Aberdeen community, the city was composed of two primary groups city dwellers and farmers. The city was composed of large neighborhoods, which featured many houses in close vicinity. The city limits were also comprised of the entirety of Aberdeens schools, hospitals, restaurants, and small businesses. Directly outside of the city limits, a three-mile buffer zone separated

the city from the farming community (which encircled the Aberdeen city limits and buffer zone). Because of the close distance of everything in the city, a family could go easily get to a place they wanted by walking. For the farmers, because of their location, they were very isolated from a social life. The distance was to great for someone to walk just to go into town to see a friend. They only made the trip when they needed to. Pre World War II era, the automobile was not necessarily a huge part of the peoples lives who owned one. Yes they were popular, but not everyone wanted or needed one. Around the time of the war, the automobile was almost non-existent. World War II was in high demand for two products: rubber and gasoline. Both of these needed for the automobile: the tires and the gasoline that allowed the car to run. The owners of the automobile during this time simply but their car in storage and did not bother to worry about it during World War II. When the war ended, a new generation of the automobile was about to arise. After World War II ended and the troops were starting to come home, gasoline and rubber were no longer needed for the war. Tires and gas were now available to any car owner and very easy to get. With cars up and running, new advancements of and in the car started to be invented. Heat became new technology for the car and made the average citizen more appealed to the automobile. When my grandma got ahold of a more advanced car, this changed her life forever and in so many different ways. Since my grandma grew on a farm, her social life was very deprived, but the automobile allowed her to gain new horizons, travel to, and meet new people from different communities that she would not have been able to know without the automobile. More importantly it gave my grandma and her family a sense of freedom. With gas about

ten cents, and gas stations on every corner, traveling with the automobile was quite easy. Parents could take their families out for a picnic in the park, and with the automobile this became very popular. Also, my grandma and her family would often make trips to a drive-in-movie- or just settle for a nice cold ice-cream cone. The automobile also allowed my grandma and other woman to make runs to the grocery store more often. This made woman look better in a way that they could supply more food for their family and also more frequently. This lasted for a year or two until companies took the automobile to its full advantage by allowing delivery. Although most of the social events outside the house that used the automobile occurred on Saturdays and Sundays, not many social events went on during the weekdays. Monday through Friday the automobile was used for the man of the house to go to work. When he would get home at around 5:30, the automobile could not be used for much because all stores closed at five o clock so the family could not do much.