How did the nation experience economic recovery and prosperity after World War II? Factories shifted from producing wartime supplies such as ships, planes, tanks, and weapons to peacetime necessities. The government made sure to help returning soldiers by passing the GI Bill of Rights which offers a number of benefits. Benefits such as a year of unemployment compensation or providing financial aid to those who have attended college. Americans experienced a baby boom immediately after the war which made people believe that an economic recession was approaching. “In 1957, at the height of the baby boom, one American baby was born every 7 seconds, for a total of 4.3 million per year.” (Section 1, page 546) After the war the government ended its policy of rationing and price controls. This caused Americans to rush to buy large quantities of things after the war ended. But companies have managed to keep up with this demand by hiring more people to produce their goods. This meant more people had money to pour into the economy. It became an endless cycle. New technologies, such as the computer or atomic energy, have allowed companies to be more efficient and produce more goods. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay What social and economic factors changed American life in the 1950s? After World War II people moved to the suburbs and the Sun Belt. One of the reasons people were attracted to the suburbs was that the average American wanted to get married and have children after the war. William Levitt and other people discovered how to quickly make affordable homes. This method was also faster than the usual method because they could build houses in weeks instead of the usual waiting time of months. “With the installment plan, buyers could pay $58 a month toward the cost of a home.” (Section 2, page 553) Another benefit of the GI Bill mentioned earlier was that low-interest loans were given to soldiers to finance the purchase or construction of a new home. A separate factor that changed American life was the birth of car culture. Almost everyone had a car in the 1960s. It worked hand in hand with the suburbs. If you moved to the suburbs you would need a car to be able to get to work or wherever you wanted to go. The converse is also true: if you had a car you would feel safer moving away from the city. New businesses, such as fast-food restaurants and drive-in movie theaters, sprang up to appeal to this new car culture. In 1953, President Eisenhower approved the first round of funding for an interstate system. The Interstate Highway Act used 41,000 miles of highway to connect the nation's largest cities together. New highways have made it easier for families to take road trips to places like Las Vegas or Disneyland in Southern California. The information industry gained prominence during the 1950s. It contained the people who worked on the first computers. Computers were huge compared to today's computers. But despite this sizing problem, computers were used in hotels to make reservations and in banks to manage account information. Women began to become increasingly involved in the workforce between 1940 and 1960. The AFL and the CIO came together to form the AFL-CIO. The AFL-CIO worked to convince people to join unions. How the culture has changed.