How did the end of World War II affect American Workers?
Contracts were cancelled with industry prior to the end of the war, the soldiers coming home from the war also dumped more labor on the market, 1946 was a year of unemployment while industry geared up for peacetime. The GI bill eased the transistion as GI’s were given both benefits for education and unemployment compensation. The tremendous transistion was accomplished in very short order as factories which had turned out M-l carbines returned to production of typewritters. The savings of WW2 workers (they couldn’t spend the money during the war, nothing to spend it on) fueled the post war boom. Inflaton was a problem, leading to demands from unions for wage increases, strikes, and general labor unrest during the Truman administration. Generally speaking the end of the war was a large bump in the economic road which was weathered and continued on to the longest economic boom in American history due to our steel exports and the terrible conditions of Europe in particular.
We were gleeful Mexicans in our own country- there was tons of highly paid work (as opposed to the big depression) and with nary another economy left intact and all of that manufacturing capability at our disposal, we were the studs of the global economy. We pumped out huge quantities of babies, refrigerators, bulky vehicles with enormous bumpers and fins, powerful engines and ridiculous claims of newly found freedom alongside sleek female figures. Gradually this vision became more sophisticated, women wore their hair in curlers and men wore tee shirts when they mowed their lawns. We were in a ‘Leave it to Beaver” Universe and all was well. I liked Ike. He warned of the Military industrial Complex, but no one really took him seriously.
Millions of American women were forced out of the labor force as the 11 million men in uniform came home. Pent up demand for civilian products in the US, which were nearly unobtainable during the war, and the demands for material to rebuild Europe, created a massive expansion of the US’ industrial base. And if I might add an additional comment. If that’s your picture then you are smoking hot.
