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The US Post WWI

The First World War devastated the worlds economy, very few countries that were involved in the war actually came out of it with some form of a stable economy due to the fact that their factories weren’t destroyed and their farms burned. The few exceptions to this were non-European countries like Brazil and the US and the neutral European countries like Switzerland. The United States, with its practice of isolationism was partially self-sufficient. The explosion of factories that made ships and tanks for the war were being converted for commercial use. The United States had the biggest army post WWI and greatest production capacity due to its large area, population, and huge resource supply, this made it the most powerful country post WWI.             The entire workforce of Europe was either dead, wounded, or dying from the influenza. With no one to make their food or other supplies they turned to outside nations for help. One of these nations was the United States. With the introduction of total war1 the United States needed enough factories to keep up with the military budget and the growing number of military personnel. The amount of factories during this period boomed, as well as the number of workers in them. The unemployment rate during the war went as low as 3%. Adding in the fact that women started working in the factories; the commercial capacity of the United States compared to the rest of the world was huge. Many major automotive and aerospace manufacturing companies that are prominent today started out by contributing to the war effort. Vought Corporation, a little known company that got its start in the midst of the First World War, was literally launched into business by the need for airplanes; as of 2010 the company was sold for $1.44 billion to Triumph Group2. Similar to Vought but more known, is the Boeing Company, again launched into production by the need for pilots and airplanes to fight the war. Despite America still being an isolationist country before the war, companies were expanding during that time at an unprecedented rate; the American government was collaborating with Britain and France before America had technically joined the war to help speed up vehicle production. The massive juggernauts that we have today might not be so large if America had not entered the war. The vehicle production of America was almost nonexistent pre-WWI, as many as 31 American aircraft manufacturers3 were in America during the peak of fighting in Europe.             The amount of land that the United States had was also a large factor in their rise to power. More land means more spaces to grow crops and more spaces for factories. What was great about America's land was the amount of natural resources it contained. The US is famous for having large reserves (at that time) in oil and steel. Pittsburg used to be the largest steel-producing town in the United States. The Gulf of Mexico, Alaska, and many other states had numerous oil reserves that could be sold to European countries. Also California had a perfect climate for growing native and other non-native crops, which thrive (and they still do today) in the central valley. All these factors gave the United States a considerable advantage over a country that had a less variety in climate and natural resources.             Let us not forget about America's army. Even though considerably fewer forces were mobilized by the US compared to other countries, by the time the US joined the war both sides had hardly any forces left. The main reason why the League of Nations was a failure is there were no major powers enforcing its laws, if a country with a large army such as the United States would have joined; there would be many different outcomes throughout the next 50 years. I would get into the debate of weather or not the US should have joined the League of Nations. But that is for a different essay.             The ego of Americans after WWI was enlarged to fit the size of their country; they took a commanding role in world affairs and participated in trading with other countries. The war was a sort-of stepping stone that shot the US out of the gilded age and into the age of modernism. The United States fit the definition of a world power now and after WWI. It had the army, the production, and most of all it had the nationalism of a country that was on top of the food chain.