World War II made prosperous the United States, which had been undergoing a depression for a dozen years, and made very rich those magnates and their managers who govern the republic - with many a wink - in the people's name.
Interpretation
The quote highlights how World War II economically benefited the United States and its elite while masking the struggles of the general populace.
Gore Vidal's quote reflects on the paradox of World War II, where it acted as a catalyst for economic prosperity in the United States, pulling the nation out of a prolonged depression. However, this wealth seemed to primarily enrich the powerful elite and their managers, suggesting a disconnect between the financial gains experienced at the national level and the reality faced by everyday citizens, as those in power continued to operate under the guise of serving the common good.
In practice
During a discussion on the impact of wars on economies, one might refer to Gore Vidal's insight.
We must declare ourselves, become known; allow the world to discover this subterranean life of ours which connects kings and farm boys, artists and clerks. Let them see that the important thing is not the object of love, but the emotion itself.
American writers want to be not good but great; and so are neither.
Writing fiction has become a priestly business in countries that have lost their faith.
The important thing is not the object of love, but the emotion itself.
For the average American, freedom of speech is simply the freedom to repeat what everyone else is saying and no more.
Ayn Rand's 'philosophy' is nearly perfect in its immorality, which makes the size of her audience all the more ominous and symptomatic as we enter a curious new phase in our society.... To justify and extol human greed and egotism is to my mind not only immoral, but evil.
Wars produce many stories of fiction, some of which are told until they are believed to be true.
The Edmund Pettus Bridge - which in 2013 was declared a National Historic Landmark - isn't symbolic of the Civil War in a meaningful way. It is, however, the modern-day battlefield where the voting rights movement was born.
The white men told lies for each other. They drove off a great many of our cattle. Some branded our young cattle so they could claim them.
There are some places where history just grabs you by the jugular. This is one of them.
The deciphering of ancient scripts changed forever the way Europeans were able to imagine the story of humanity, destroying centuries of received authority about the past with repercussions as important for our understanding of time and history as the geological studies of the same period.
The Cold War was over long before it was officially declared dead.
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