Yes, I think the near monopoly on manufacturing that the US had after the war was a huge part of the pursuing prosperity. I don't know that much about the history of the US Dollar as the world's reserve currency, but that was probably a large factor as well.
Just to clarify, I'm not trying to make the claim that the US was prosperous during that period solely because I think the war created more conscientious people. But I do think part of the reason you saw that prosperity distributed better and had things like pensions was because people back then had a better sense of what the cost of NOT distributing more fairly is, along with a better sense of the importance of camaraderie. That's an admittedly romantic view of the time, but I think there's truth to it. Widespread adoption of computers has lead to huge increases in prosperity after that period, and I think part of the reason that hasn't be shared is that the generations since then are more child like and have less of a sense of responsibility.
Just to clarify, I'm not trying to make the claim that the US was prosperous during that period solely because I think the war created more conscientious people. But I do think part of the reason you saw that prosperity distributed better and had things like pensions was because people back then had a better sense of what the cost of NOT distributing more fairly is, along with a better sense of the importance of camaraderie. That's an admittedly romantic view of the time, but I think there's truth to it. Widespread adoption of computers has lead to huge increases in prosperity after that period, and I think part of the reason that hasn't be shared is that the generations since then are more child like and have less of a sense of responsibility.