Post War Prosperity

Question 1

What was the GNP increase since 1941 and what was the per capita income at that time?

Answer 1

The GNP rose 35% since 1941 and the per capita income was $1450, which was double that of Great Britain.

Question 2

How did peoples tastes change after the war

Answer 2

People had greater love for processed food, leading to a spike in processed food production

Question 3

How many calories were people eating after the war

Answer 3

3000 calories/day

Question 4

Was the South as prosperous as other regions during post-war prosperity?

Answer 4

No, the South was not as prosperous. 33% of US homes lacked running water and 40% lacked flushing toilets.

Question 5

What did the GI Bill of Rights offer to veterans

Answer 5

The GI Bill of Rights offered grants to veterans to improve education, learn new skills, or set up a business.

Question 6

What idustries had a growth of employment after WW2

Answer 6

Aircraft production and chemicals

Question 7

What did the GI Bill of Rights offer to veterans?

Answer 7

The GI Bill of Rights offered grants to veterans to improve education, learn new skills, or set up a business.

Question 8

How many veterans used the grants offered by the GI Bill of Rights?

Answer 8

8 million veterans used the grants offered by the GI Bill of Rights.

Question 9

Why was less than 20% of the money set aside for veterans used?

Answer 9

Less than 20% of the money set aside for veterans was used due to the amount of jobs available for veterans at that time.

Question 10

What expanded due to the GI Bill of Rights

Answer 10

Unis expanded as servicemen fees were paid by the government, the University of Syracuse trebeled it’s number of students

Question 11

What was the impact of the growth of the car industry on mobility?

Answer 11

The growth of the car industry led to greater mobility and the development of suburbs.

Question 12

How many new cars were sold in 1950?

Answer 12

6.7 million new cars were sold in 1950.

Question 13

What was the increase in the number of two-car families between 1951-58?

Answer 13

The number of two car families doubled between 1951-58, there were more cars in LA than the whole of Asia

Question 14

How many McDonald’s restaurants were there by 1960?

Answer 14

By 1960, there were 228 McDonald’s restaurants with annual sales of $37 million.

Question 15

How many new family homes were built in 1950?

Answer 15

1.7 million new family homes were built in 1950.

Question 16

What was the percentage increase in Americans owning their homes from 1945 to 1960?

Answer 16

The percentage increase in Americans owning their homes rose from 50% in 1945 to 60% by 1960.

Question 17

What was the percentage increase of people living in suburbs from 1920 to 1960?

Answer 17

The percentage increase of people living in suburbs grew from 17% in 1920 to 33% by 1960.

Question 18

What was the argument against suburbs in terms of variety?

Answer 18

There was a lack of variety and cinema and restaurant managers in urban entres complained of lack of business as people stayed home

Question 19

How did the “flight of the middle-class” affect inner-city areas?

Answer 19

The “flight of the middle-class” meant deteriorating conditions in inner-city areas as the middle-class would have paid taxes.

Question 20

What was the impact of shopping mall developments in suburbs?

Answer 20

The development of shopping malls in suburbs, with 4000 by the late 50’s, was a disaster for small businesses.

Question 21

How did advertising fuel the consumer boom?

Answer 21

The Consumer Boom was fueled by advertising, with the industry being worth over $6 billion in 1950.

Question 22

What was the demand for nappies and babies’ clothes during the Consumer Boom?

Answer 22

During the Consumer Boom, there was a high demand for nappies and babies’ clothes, with nappies becoming a $50 million industry by 1957.

Question 23

Why was there increased demand for baby products during the consumer boom

Answer 23

Because of the baby boom

Question 24

How many babies were born each year from 1954-1964?

Answer 24

There were approximately 4 million babies born each year from 1954-1964.

Question 25

How did the divorce rate and average age of females getting married change during the Consumer Boom?

Answer 25

During the Consumer Boom, the divorce rate fell to 9.6 per 1000 by 1953 and the average age of females getting married fell to 20.1 by 1956.

Question 26

What types of labor-saving devices and white goods were filling homes during the Consumer Boom?

Answer 26

During the Consumer Boom, homes were being filled with labor-saving devices such as fridges, washing machines, and telephones. In fact, by 1951, 90% of families had fridges and 75% had washing machines and telephones.

Question 27

How were most consumer good paid for in the consumer boom?

Answer 27

Most goods were paid for with credit, with the amount of debt increasing to $6.7 billion in 1945 to 56.1 billion in 1960