1945 prosperity?

• role of women demonstrates that it was domestically stable and prosperous

  - 36% workforce during war was women

  - highest figure America has seen to date

  - now contributing to the booming economy

  - clear development in contributing towards the domestically stable USA
• no unemployment in 1945

  - full employment compared to the 8 million before

  - war allowed for USA to benefit and become domestically stable and prosperous

  - WW2 incredibly helpful, not impacted as badly on home soil = able to utilise WW2 and tackle unemployment

  - contributed entering a period of stability
• USA became prosperous due to payments coming in by allies

  - USA gave out war time loans to Britain and France

  - when war was over the allies were required to pay back the loans, meaning they had a constant stream of revenue that stimulated their economy

  - economy better off = maintaining their superpower status
• focus on individual rights and campaigns took place

  - created 'American federation of labour' (AFL) and the Congress of Industrial Organisations (CIO)

  - 2 organisations defended workers rights and campaigned for pay rises

  - government investing in workers rights, resulting in USA being domestically stable
• natural resource industry was booming in 1945

  - coal, iron ore, timber (natural resources that USA produces) were doing incredibly well

  - they were working full speed during the war and continued to be efficient in 1945

  - benefit USA saw domestically, when war is over = stable
• increased standard of living in 1945

  - USA now has 42% of worlds income and disposable income becomes available for people

  - people are able to spend additional money on luxury items (fridges, hoovers) and leisure

  - USA in cycle of prosperity and money spent on consumer goods

  - stimulate economy
• not everybody was in a period of prosperity and stability

  - 10% of population in USA were AA's (14 billion), denied basic constitutional rights

  - USA in 1945 following on from the Jim Crow Laws 'separate but equal' = deep south

  - employment offers low paid jobs

  - therefore, not everyone in USA was in a period of prosperity and stability
• domestically in the USA a change in president shows instability

  - Truman lacked popularity of FDR = democrats suffered a heavy defeat

  - loss of congress to the republicans would create instability for the country as he may find it difficult to get legislations passed

  - government unstable/ in a gridlock = economy will suffer
• despite CIO + AFL, to improve workers rights it led to divisions between workers and owners

  - owners did not like these organisations demanding to pay their workers more, felt government was interfering

  - going against 'rugged individualism' and 'laissez faire' that companies liked

  - creates instability
• massive wealth disparateness between different races

  - WASPS looked unfavourably on the multicultural side of the USA

  - non whites = suffered discrimination in this period

  - large proportion of non whites, 14 million AA's, 1.2 million hispanics did not benefit
• prosperous?


  yes = war