Transition to Peacetime and Home Front Legacies
The transition to peacetime was under way on the home front by 1944, though World War II (1939–45) was still raging abroad. In 1943 full industrial and agricultural war production had been achieved; that is, the capability to meet the ongoing Allied needs for war materials and food had been reached. While war production did not slow down or cease, special emphasis on war mobilization was no longer needed. It was up to the armed forces on the battlefield to achieve victory, and the chances of victory looked better as time went by. Although some of the largest and bloodiest battles were yet to come, planners in government and industry began to prepare for peacetime. When the war finally ended, the United States was poised to become one of the world's superpowers: The economy was strong, the population was growing, and U.S. military strength was greater than ever before. Having given their all for the war effort, Americans were ready to enjoy prosperity and peace. The legacies of the home front events of World War II would propel the nation as a world power through the remainder of the twentieth century.
A Reconversion Debate
The beginning of America's peacetime transition was no less controversial than the beginning of its war mobilization.
