Average wages increased by 30%, this was mainly due to the high levels of industrial output. American prosperity was beyond the reach of many poor and nonwhite americans. But instead, pentup consumer demand fueled exceptionally strong economic growth in the postwar period. The politically incorrect guide to american history. Certainly american literature attained a new maturity and a rich diversity in the 1920s and 30s, and significant works by several major figures from those decades were published after 1945.
World war ii was the deadliest military conflict in history. After the war, money was in surplus and people spent money. English literature english literature the literature of world war ii 193945. The real story of how america became an economic superpower. The best books on the aftermath of world war ii five books expert. America had won the war and defeated the forces of evil in the world. For the united states, world war ii and the great depression constituted the most. After world war ii, the american economy hummed along. The economics of world war ii edited by mark harrison. He has written two works of fiction and two critically acclaimed books about world war two and its aftermath. It was informative, loaded with information, and mindnumbingly boring. How did world war ii transform american society and. Six great powers in international comparison studies in.
Postworld war ii economic expansion project gutenberg self. Women and work after world war ii american experience. A fter world war ii the german economy lay in shambles. After world war i, the global economy affected africa more than ever, as demands for its agricultural and mineral resources emerged from all corners of the world. Wwii is an economic anomaly that changed the trajectory of the united states for years to come in terms of growth, jobs, income, demographics and wealth inequality.
Inferno is about the firebombing of hamburg by british and us air forces in 1943, which destroyed most of the city and resulted in some 40,000 civilian deaths. Certainly american literature attained a new maturity and a rich diversity in the 1920s and 30s, and significant works by several major figures from those decades were published after. The best books on the aftermath of world war ii five. This paper uses information from two retrospective surveys, one in 1944 and another in 1951, to resolve the role of world war ii in the rise of womens paid work. Roosevelt, churchill and stalin met at yalta, ukraine to make final war plans, arrange post war fate of germany, and discuss proposal for creation of united nations as a successor to league of nations. One of the greatest transformations to american society was the mass. The political economy of american warfare, 19401945. This book, the result of an international collaborative project, provides a new quantitative view of the wartime economic experiences of six great powers. The country demobilized quickly, and americans were determined to enjoy the fruits of peace after years of depression and wartime sacrifice.
It is also known as the long boom, though this term is generic and can refer to other periods. Economic growth post world war ii the standard thinking of the day was that the united states would sink into a deep depression at the war s end. The aftermath of world war ii was the beginning of a new era, defined by the decline of all european colonial empires and simultaneous rise of two superpowers. The more countries that get rich and the larger the world economy, the more people there are producing, consuming, investing, saving, loaning. The decade following world war ii is fondly remembered as a period of economic growth and cultural stability. Americas involvement in world war ii had a significant impact on the economy and workforce of the united states. Instead there were a number of separate agreements or ad hoc decisions. The impact of world war ii on america udl book builder.
Post%war economic growth, reconstruction, world war ii. After the end of world war ii, the united states went through many changes. The postworld war ii economic expansion, also known as the postwar economic boom, the long boom, and the golden age of capitalism, was a period of economic prosperity in the mid20th century which occurred, following the end of world war ii in 1945, and lasted until the early 1970s. The post world war ii economic expansion, also known as the golden age of capitalism and the postwar economic boom or simply the long boom, was a broad period of worldwide economic expansion beginning after world war ii and ending with the 19731975 recession. The united states after world war ii this chapter surveys the last fifty years of united states economic history. Its very convenient to think of wars as having neat beginnings and endings but thats rarely the case, especially world war ii. World war ii and the industrialization of the american south. With the international expansion of the american economy after the war, mens wages were higher than ever before, making it. During the war 17 million new civilian jobs were created, industrial productivity increased by 96 percent, and corporate profits after taxes doubled. But its tenets are being challenged by several member nations.
There were plenty of jobs for returning servicemen. Post world war i recession a general deterioration of economic conditions in the united states was evident by the spring of 1920. Cambridge core macroeconomics the economics of world war ii edited by mark harrison. Many programs, agencies and policies were created to transform american society and government. Duke university rare book, manuscript, and special collections, 1999. In the long term, world war i was a net positive for the american economy. Consumerism in post world war ii essay 1479 words bartleby. By the end of 1916, american investors had wagered two billion. Although war is a time of hardships and usually poverty, world war 2 had many positive effects for america.
The war brought the return of prosperity, and in the postwar period the united states consolidated its position as the worlds richest country. Aug 19, 2019 in the long term, world war i was a net positive for the american economy. It lasted from 1939 to 1945 and involved 30 countries from every part of the globe. World war ii killed around 70 million people, or 4 percent of the worlds population. Historians argue over the exact numbers, so most of the following figures are from the fallen of world war ii. World war ii killed around 70 million people, or 4% of the world s population. The american dollar was powerful throughout the world. The two books narrate the arc of american economic supremacy from its. Public policy, like the socalled gi bill of rights passed in 1944, provided money for veterans to attend college, to purchase homes, and to buy farms. No longer was the united states a nation on the periphery of the world stage.
The six essays are all very well done, and all conclude with sections outlining the impact of the war on post war growth. Programs and procedures put in place during world war i had in many instances been removed or modified after the armistice, which resulted in a certain amount of economic dislocation. The war, especially the effort of the allies to win it, was the subject of songs, movies, comic books, novels, artwork, comedy routinesevery conceivable form of entertainment and. The 1950s were a decade marked by the post world war ii boom, the dawn of the cold war and the civil rights movement in the united states. This paper will expand on how world war ii changed the contours of the nations economy. The automobile industry successfully converted back to producing cars, and new industries such as aviation and electronics grew by leaps and bounds. America had proved it could fight the war of production and finance and field a modern volunteer military force. Harlem would become the most prominent african american community in new york after the war. They found that africans responded in a wide variety of ways to these demands and thereby determined the continents integration into the world economy. In academic literature, the period is frequently and narrowly referred to as the post world war ii economic boom, though this term can refer to much shorter booms in particular markets.
This is the story of why that time was different and how world war ii radically altered the economic landscape for years to come. Soldiers began to come home and find peacetime jobs. This book has been cited by the following publications. The great resurgence of evangelical religion in 1950s america was most evident in the dramatic rise in popularity of. After wwii many economists predicted a recession in the american economy. Life in the united states began to return to normal. The postworld war ii economic expansion, also known as the golden age of capitalism and. In many nations, especially in north america, economic growth continued and even accelerated during world war i as nations mobilized their economies to fight the war in europe.
The post world war ii order is under assault from the powers that built it the european union was forged to promote democratic ideals. For many americans, at the time and since, world war ii actually seemed to be a fine thing, mainly because, as the hackneyed expression has it, the war got the economy out of the depression in which it had wallowed for more than a decade. The european economy since 1945 the new york times. The books has since been broken up, expanded, and rebranded as the second world war. With the international expansion of the american economy after the war. Tony judt, author of postwar, characterizes an arms race of unprecedented scale in the subsequent decade, writing. Rather, these years were a turning point in the sense that this was when the institutions and policies that conditioned economic performance after the second world war were put in place, or at least when their seeds were sown. The end of the postwar boom and the return of the ordinary. For the united states, world war ii and the great depression constituted the most important economic event of the twentieth century. World war ii and popular culture the national wwii museum.
American literature american literature after world war ii. Harrison has put together an extremely useful book on comparative economic history. Economic liberalization in the postworld war ii era. The purpose is to place the economic integration project of the us, canada and mexico within an historical perspective. Some said that the second world war put an end to the. Because of the cold war, there was no comprehensive peace settlement after the second world war as there had been in 1919. Prolific munitions production keyed americas triumph in world war ii but so did the complex economic controls needed to sustain that production. This significant military advantage lasted for only a few brief years, however, until the soviet union successfully tested their first atomic bomb in august 1949.
Adam toozes study of the two world wars traces a new history of the 20th century. It embodies the latest in economic analysis and historical research. Consumerism in post world war ii after wwii why did the economy prosper and what role did consumerism play in the 1950s. The postworld war i recession was an economic recession that hit much of the world in the aftermath of world war i.
Jan 27, 2020 the united states also recognized during the postwar period the need to restructure international monetary arrangements, spearheading the creation of the international monetary fund and the world bank institutions designed to ensure an open, capitalist international economy. The depression had rubbed out many of the countrys machine and tool industries, the military was woefully undersupplied, and many soldiers found themselves drilling with toy guns and. It faced war damage to its economy and the problems of mass migration due to the expulsion of ethnic germans from areas east of the oderneisse line. Dec 19, 2001 a mericas response to world war ii was the most extraordinary mobilization of an idle economy in the history of the world. The post world war ii economic expansion, also known as the postwar economic boom, the long boom, and the golden age of capitalism, was a period of economic prosperity in the mid20th century which occurred, following the end of world war ii in 1945, and lasted until the early 1970s. Based on the overall trends, we divide the post world war ii into three eras of growththe booming post war period to the early 1970s the fourth quarter of 1948 to the fourth quarter of 1973, the transition period to the early1980s characterized by a series of economic shocks and high inflation the fourth quarter of 1973 to the third. Mar 26, 2018 the post world war ii order is under assault from the powers that built it the european union was forged to promote democratic ideals. Paul samuelson, a future nobel prize winner, wrote in 1943 that upon cessation of hostilities and demobilization some ten million men will be thrown on the labor market. Sep 10, 2012 the decade following world war ii is fondly remembered as a period of economic growth and cultural stability. The end of world war ii was not just the end of a war, but also the beginning of a tense and dynamic period that affected society on all levels. Postworld war ii economic expansion project gutenberg. Economy in world war ii columbia studies in business.
By christmas 1942 usa output was greater than japan, germany and italy combined. The literary historian malcolm cowley described the years between the two world wars as a second flowering of american writing. Apr 02, 2015 the topic of this term paper is world war ii and the us economy. Europe and the mediterrean atlas and the second world war asia and the pacific atlas. With a monopoly on the atomic bomb and an economy fortified by world war ii, the united states in 1945 was the strongest nation in the world. Building on the economic base left after the war, american society became more affluent in the postwar years than most americans could have imagined in their wildest dreams before or during the war.
Artillery, tanks, planes, ships, trucks, and weaponry of every kind were constantly demanded by the military and readily supplied by american business. In fact, the united states had enjoyed an extended period of economic expansion during the war. Food production per capita in 1947 was only 51 percent of its level in 1938, and the official food ration set by the occupying powers varied between 1,040 and 1,550 calories per day. Apr 04, 20 world war 2 proved to be a stimulise for the american economy. The war brought the return of prosperity, and in the postwar period the united states consolidated its position as the world s richest country. The postworld war ii economic expansion, also known as the golden age of capitalism and the postwar economic boom or simply the long boom, was a broad period of worldwide economic expansion beginning after world war ii and ending with the 19731975 recession. English literature the literature of world war ii 1939. The automobile industry successfully converted back to producing cars, and new. The impact of world war ii on post%war economic growth. Which of the following economic statistics represented the u. As the cold war unfolded in the decade and a half after world war ii, the united states experienced phenomenal economic growth. With the international expansion of the american economy after the war, mens wages were higher than ever before, making it possible for the first time in u. Jun 30, 2011 what does a postamerican world look like. I got a good grade and i posted the final paper on.
Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. They announced the decision to divide germany into three post war zones of occupation, although a fourth zone was later created for france. Between 1947 and 1975, the productivity of americas workers more than doubled. The hardships of the previous fifteen years of war and depression were replaced by rising living standards, increased opportunities, and a newly emerging american. The united states was still recovering from the impact of the great depression and the unemployment rate was hovering around 25%. Rebuilding the world after the second world war world. Industry stopped producing war equipment and began to produce goods that made peacetime life pleasant. The political economy of american warfare, 19401945 koistinen, paul a.
Perhaps you could describe for us continental europe in the months and years immediately after ve day in may 1945, the date when hostilities officially ended. What impact did rationing goods have on the postworld war 2. Which of the following statements is true about the post world war ii u. The two books narrate the arc of american economic supremacy from its beginning to its apogee. Post wwii economic liberalism west germany background. Wwii forced women into the workplace, ended the great depression and bankrupted germany. First is the contribution of economics to victory and defeat of the great powers in world war ii. Most of the changes were for the better, but some had an adverse effect on certain population centers. The role of world war ii in the rise of womens work. Even before the second world war, let alone the post war years, the african population tripled from 1920 to 1930, resulting in a population of nearly two hundred and forty thousand people in harlem alone.
During the second world war, women proved that they could do mens work, and do it well. It is easy to do so when at the peak of post war unemployment in march 1946 2. The postworld war ii order is under assault from the powers. The war, along with hitlers scorchedearth policy, had destroyed 20 percent of all housing.
Economy and industry during world war ii despite all the warnings of war, the united states wasnt completely prepared when world war ii broke out. A mericas response to world war ii was the most extraordinary mobilization of an idle economy in the history of the world. The outbreak of war in 1939, as in 1914, brought to an end an era of great intellectual and creative exuberance. Postwar economies africa international encyclopedia of. This book adds to our understanding of war economics and the shape of the world economy in the second half of the twentieth century. Contrary to early predictions, this high growth also included. The united states, soviet union, western european and east asian countries in particular experienced unusually high and sustained growth, together with full employment. Mar 25, 2007 these are important qualifications, but they do not change the fact that the post world war ii period, and specifically the quarter century from 1948 to 1973, was a period of extraordinarily. A chapter is devoted to each country, while the introductory chapter presents a comparative overview. The british economy between the wars barry eichengreen. The west point atlas of american wars, vol 2 by colonel vincent j. World war ii touched virtually every part of american life, even things so simple as the food people ate, the films they watched, and the music they listened to.
It will begin by evaluating the nations economy prior to the war and how the great depression affected it and the people. The postworld war ii order is under assault from the. History of new york statepostwar new york wikibooks, open. Germany ended the european theatre of world war ii with its unconditional surrender on the 8th of may, 1945. What impact did rationing goods have on the post world war ii economy in america.
1106 660 1498 760 726 1432 1283 856 707 1584 136 575 163 1456 1442 432 1398 609 764 918 576 1383 628 189 1214 1279 627 1242 638 295 721 557 527 1414 540