Postwar Changes

By: Dakota Watson, Liam Fellman, Josh Daffron, Patrik Gutay,

Nathan Skalla, Gedler Rivera, and Genesis Thomas
 Baby Boom
● The Baby Boom was between 1946 and 1964
● There was a dramatic increase in the U.S. birth rate when the war ended.
● When men returned from the war, they quickly married and had children
● By 1957, 7 babies were being born every second
● In 1957 4.3 million U.S. babies were born
● Between 1940 and 1955, the U.S. experienced its greatest population growth of 27% From 130 million to
165 million
 Government Spending
● Government spending helped boosted the economy
● The outbreak of the Korean War led the United States to commit a significant
piece of its budget for defense spending
● With military spending led to new technologies and new materials …. Ex: Plastic,
and new metal alloys which were used outside of the military too.
● The government also spent money on the Marshall Plan which initiated foreign
demand for goods made in the U.S.
 The GI Bill
● Made in 1944
● Covered tuition and financial aid for veterans
of WWII
● Gave veterans $20 every week for one year or
until they found a job
● More than 10 million soldiers used the
benefits of the GI Bill
● Most African American veterans did not have
the chance to seek higher education
Boost in New Technology
● New technologies like computers
increased productivity so that more
products could be made faster
○ Businesses started to depend on computers
● All the new technologies helped the
economy grow.
● Some of the new technologies came
from war research like atomic energy
○ New technologies also came from the Korean
War
Election of 1948
● Truman and the Democrats were losing popularity
● Strom Thurmond and Henry Wallace broke away and formed their own parties
● Thomas Dewey was projected to win, but Truman thought otherwise
● By a narrow margin, Truman pulled off the upset
U.S. Dominates World Economy
● Untouched by devastation
● Higher demand= More Jobs
● Produced 50% of world’s total output
● Higher standard of living
● More people became middle class
● GNP went up to $300
thousand-million from $200
thousand million
● Corporations grew larger
Dwight D. Eisenhower
● Won the 1952 presidential elections in a landslide.
● Helped create the Interstate Highway System.
● Spoke for using nuclear technology in peaceful ways and not bombs.
● Orchestrated an armistice that brought peace to South korea’s border.
● Signed the bill that created NASA.
● Signed 1957 Civil Rights Act
Sources
● https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/gi-bill
● http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/outlines/history-1994/postwar-america/the-postwar-
economy-1945-1960.php
● https://www.google.com/search?q=government+spending+1950s&rlz=1CADE
AG_enUS825&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjb7PPR6fneAh
XOk1kKHf_bBgsQ_AUIDigB&biw=1366&bih=610&safe=active&ssui=on#img
rc=BAAULQjhWAtBxM:
● http://theconversation.com/how-nuclear-power-generating-reactors-have-evol
ved-since-their-birth-in-the-1950s-36046
● https://www.myajc.com/blog/buzz/what-computers-looked-like-the-1950s-and
-60s/EyIvMJbsvx6BKqX6bKDEiJ/?ref=cbTopWidget