Fascist Germany and Italy defeated in pursuit of global dominance.
Japan’s quest to build an Asian empire was ended.
Decline of European colonial empires was accelerated.
Decades long Cold War a result of the positioning of Allied powers at the end of the war.
In 1945, economic competitors to the United States in Europe and Asia were destroyed or heavily damaged. The U.S. economy (particularly the manufacturing sector) flourished during the war and afterwards, the U.S. enjoyed several decades of prosperity.
The U.S. was instrumental in the formation of the United Nations, sponsored the Marshall Plan for the reconstruction of Europe, and the rebuilding of the Japanese economy.
The 1944 Service Man’s Readjustment Act (G.I. Bill) led to a large increase in the percentage of Americans with an education beyond high school and in home ownership.
Between 1946 and 1964 seventy-eight million births were recorded in the United States. The “Baby Boom” generation would foster significant social, cultural and economic change as it aged through life’s phases.
The experiences of women and African, Hispanic and Asian Americans in contributing to the war effort is cited as being a primary catalyst in their no longer accepting the prewar status quo and accelerated both the Civil Rights and Women’s movements of the post-war era.
More than sixteen million American men and women directly served in the Armed Forces, with millions more who contributed on the home front. This established a legacy of service to country that has earned them the title of The Greatest Generation.
