US 2 - WW2 Economic Impact Flashcards
Main idea?
ECONOMY BOOMED 💥
Helped America recovered
War production board
Roosevelt converted peacetime industries to make wartime goods
Eg. Leading companies like General Motors made machine guns
By 1945, US economy was…
Most powerful in the world
US banks were controlling world trade
How much did people save during the war and what was this called?
$100 billion
War bonds
How many aircraft workers were women?
1 in 3
How many in Conscription?
16 million
Compulsory Military Service
Main idea of the social impact?
The American Dream
Consumerism 🆙 - things were more affordable
The standard of living was…
3x Britain in 1960
Consumerism trends?
Shopping became a trendy activity
Most families owned at least 1 car
Swimming pools and record players were a sign of wealth/status
Suburbanisation
Many middle class families moved away from city centres and into new homes in the suburbs
Levittown = first new suburb
BABY-BOOM 👶
Population 🆙 by 40million
When does Roosevelt die?
1945 - Truman is sworn in
In what way did women not benefit?
Many couldn’t work because of family
They became isolated and bored
- set up Tupperware parties (women created communities with socialising and food)
Proof it was mainly the white middle class that benefitted?
Not one suburb home owned by a black person
People in the south earned a-lot less
USA lagged behind Europe providing good healthcare/pension/welfare state
