CLEP US History II

Answer: A - The post-World War II Baby Boom did not contribute to the United States’ advanced position in the world; it was a phenomenon that occurred in numerous countries during that period. The United States benefitted from a confluence of fortuitous factors at the end of war. Due to its geographic position, the physical United States was hardly attacked during the war, leaving it with virtually no rebuilding efforts at home. Numerous industries thrived during the war as they worked to meet war demands, and the country quickly refocused its industries on general consumer needs as soon as the war was over. The war-time production needs put many Americans back to work for the first time since the Great Depression, and the general atmosphere of sacrifice for the war effort (in addition to hard lessons learned during the Depression) compelled the workforce to save much of their pay. As a result, American consumers had substantial savings to spend during the post-war boom. All of those factors created a general sense of optimism in the country.