During the Second World War, the Federal Capital of the United States experiences an unprecedented growth and acquires an uncontested international status as the Allied Forces' Headquarters. The Washington of 1945 is a changed city, nothing like the populated but sleepy urban landscape of 1939. In the wake of the war, however, the fate of the city 1 is in question: what will become of the District of Columbia (DC) ? Many different players in the urban, political and social game want to have a say in the future of the capital. Most of them, on a local as well as a national level expect using the city to promote a personal agenda. In the Postwar years, many symbolic battles are fought within the District's boundaries, pitting against each other the country's multiple players. The stakes are local, national or international; concern local policy, voting rights, racial segregation, housing conditions, etc.; reflect on DC as a symbol and as a real lived-in city. These battles and their different outcomes at once embody the city and shape its future. We study why and how this happens. The fight for racial equality, for instance, makes tremendous legal and actual headway in the city between 1945 and 1955, paving the way for progress on a national scale. The fight against the city's slums and substandard housing, however, can't seem to find a solution, which will lead infamous urban renewal programs to often be associated with bleak inner-city future. The fight for home rule and the efforts made to enhance Washington's national and international role are other examples of the significant dynamics at works in the Postwar era.
