Second World War Impact

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Impacts of the Second World War on the Economy of Michigan
The United States is a big country. While it boasts of a relatively fused national culture, it is quite rare to find a local experience that can embody the lives of all the US citizens. Therefore, when these moments surface, they are definitely worth the attention of any US citizen or any person interested in knowing more about the country. Michigan State is situated beside the Great Lakes. It served as one of the most important economic and industrial centers for America for nearly the whole of the twentieth century. The state literally drove the economy of America; the productions of Michigan were productions of America. This paper discusses some of the changes to the economy of Michigan following the entry of the US into the Second World War in 1941.
During World War II (WWII)
The modern American economy arguably starts with WWII; therefore, this is where the article will begin its analysis. The US was just coming out of the Great Depression when Pearl Harbor was bombed. When many states in the US were still struggling during this time, Michigan was leading the country’s economic rejuvenation. “The state had access to major shipping routes and” had some of the most successful industries in the nation (Lewis 837). Detroit, for instance, was the center for nearly all of the country’s automobile companies.
When the United States got into the Second World War, there was a need for the government to increase the country’s military production rapidly.

Following this need, the government saw a chance to restore the country’s economy. Therefore, the leaders of that time decided that instead of constructing new factories, they should only commission the companies that were already in operation to start manufacturing the needed military machinery. For instance, Ford stopped producing the cars it was used to making and began making tanks, B-24 Bombers, and jeeps. The process of recovering the nation’s economy was attained via this process, with Michigan firmly at its core. With the several industrial centers, Michigan State became the center of production during the war times. By the time the war was coming to an end in 1945, the state’s industries had already manufactured more than 4 million war engines, 8,500 bombers, and 25,000 tanks (Lewis 849).
After the War
When the war came to an end, the American industrial economy boomed. Many states across the nation experienced economic growth. However, not a single state experienced one as dramatic or as sustained as the one that was experienced in Michigan. The law made it possible for firms in Michigan to grow in production scales and size. During the war, the companies got used to regularly producing machines in bulk. Therefore, when the state moved back to manufacturing the conventional commercial products they were used to before the war, they were making more commercial products than they had ever done before. This increased production meant that the state, particularly “Detroit, was flush with new jobs” (Surgue n.pag.). Masses of Americans from other states migrated into the city. Scholars estimate the number of jobs that were available in Detroit alone after the Second World War to be one-sixth of the nation’s total jobs. By 1950, the city of Detroit had become the fifth biggest city in the US (Surgue n.pag.). It was home to approximately 2 million people. However, the car industry underwent operational restructuring in the midst of this prosperity. The city lost over 130,000 jobs from 1948 to 1967 when the automobile industry was at its peak (Surgue n.pag.). The industry began building industries in other suburbs and other regions of the country to get cheap labor and other resources and to tap other markets. By the early 1970s, the image of Detroit had “completely transformed from the mighty engine of American capitalism to the embodiment of America’s urban woes” (Lewis 861).
Conclusion
Evidently, the state of Michigan had been an economic force to reckon with before the Second World War erupted. The state was the center of automobile giants like Ford and many other companies in the auto industry. During the war, the companies were forced to expand their operations to produce more machinery for the war. This expansion set the stage for massive economic growth in the period following the war. Therefore, the war seemed to have an immediate positive impact on the economy of Michigan. However, years later, the state’s capital, Detroit, began to deindustrialize and many jobs were lost. But all in all, the war had a positive impact on the economy of the state.
Works Cited
Lewis, Robert. “World War II Manufacturing and the Postwar Southern Economy.” The Journal
of Southern History 73.4 (2007): 837-866.
Surgue, Thomas. “Motor City: The Story of Detroit.” (2012).