Quote Originally Posted by TIGERJC View Post
We wouldn't be the richest nation if it wasn't for the fact that we stayed on the sidelines and sold weapons and goods to the rest of the world that was at war.
WW2 had very little to do with the wealth that US citizens have amassed since the 1929 crash. That wealth came from the flood of innovation that took place. It came from a rise in standard of living the world has never seen before. Most importantly though, it came from a strong work ethic among the middle class. Yes, there were some major contractors that made out huge during the war, but that was a small group.

In the 20 years after the end of WW2 you had 3 major sectors of the economy come into their own. First you had commercial avaition, which was limited to only the wealthy before the war. Second, you had the massive growth in private vehicles. This created huge employment gains in manufacturing and all of the associated fields. Third was the interstate program started after the Korean War under Eisenhower.

The ripple effect of growth in those sectors combined with the shortage of manpower caused by casualties during the wars lead to high wages and low unemployment. The men coming back into the work force were very skilled and very resourceful, which only added to the profits of their employers and in turn, increased growth.


What were we talking about again?