USA topic 2-ECONOMIC IMPACT OF WW2 + POST WAR DEVELOPEMENTS

Question 1

When did the USA join WW2?

Answer 1

1941

Question 2

In which 2 ways did America economically benefit from WW2?

Answer 2

by 1944, they produced half the world’s weapons
Conscription caused unemployment to fall from almost 10 million in 1939 to 700,000 by 1944

Question 3

Why did US industry boom after WW2?

Answer 3

. Millions of people cashed in war bonds
. Americans were tired of rationing so wanted to buy consumer goods
. The automobile industry increased sales again
. Surge in Houdini building due to low interest loans

Question 4

What percentage of the world’s goods did the USA produce by the end of the 1940s?

Answer 4

50%

Question 5

What percentage of the world’s cars did the USA produce by the end of the 1940’s?

Answer 5

80%

Question 6

Why was post war America so affluent?

Answer 6

. They could spend money saved during war
. Hire purchase was introduced
. Consumer goods could be produced more cheaply due to better working practices
. Population growth led to more demand for goods
. Cold War ensured constant manufacture of weapons, boosting related industries

Question 7

What was the standard of living in America compared to in Britain?

Answer 7

3 times better

Question 8

How did people not prosper in 1960?

Answer 8

30% of people still lived below the poverty line

Black people often lived in ghettos in the north

Poor Americans struggled to pay for healthcare