The Impact of World War II on the Economy and Government
The War proved to be a very good thing for the American economy:
 | 17 million new jobs were created - the war finished what the New Deal had started. Unemployment virtually disappeared. |
| Wages increased by 30%. |
| By Christmas 1942, US industrial output was more than Japan, Germany and Italy's combined. |
| By 1945 the USA was producing more iron and steel than the entire world combined in 1939. |
| Industrial production trebled. |
| The number of jobs rose by 52% |
The war caused American companies to grow, and with it the wealth of their employees. Unemployment was now just a memory of the depression. Every American who wanted a job could have one.
The
Government
| The job of the US President was originally to look after the interests of the states in the union. This meant that presidents only became important during times of war. |
| However, following World War I (1914-18) and the Great Depression (1930's) the US people accepted that the country would benefit from laws and regulations that were common for all the states. They were called Federal Laws. |
| During the Second World War there was a move towards Federal, rather than State laws. Regulations also increased. |
| By the end of the Second World War, many Americans believed they would benefit from an increase in Federal Laws at the expense of the power of State Laws. |
| This vast increase in Presidential and Federal power became very important and can be linked to the Civil Rights era and the Vietnam War. |