War in history, The United States did reap benefits from the shambles of the war. The federal government grew exponentially (specifically the
Department of Defense) due to the high visibility and demands of WWI. Not only did the Department of Defense grow but also other branches of the federal government like the Department of Transportation to meet logistical demands of the war but also the Department of Agriculture to meet demands of feeding millions of United States troops. In my opinion one of more significant growths the US federal government was the enlargement of the tactical/political footprint on a global scale. During WWII the United States stood up military infrastructures in Japan and all over Europe(Mainly Germany). this allowed the federal government to have strategic placement on that side of the planet in case of future conflicts. The residual effect of having a constant military presence in those countries gave the US further reinforcement behind its already overbearing reputation as a global super power. After the dust settled The United States had successfully planted seeds that will one day blossom into trees of military dominance. No other country on the planet has the even half of the military presence as the United States. You see any German bases in the continental US? No; because during this point in our history the globe had become a Monopoly board for the Department of Defense. Another Factor that led into the growth of the federal government was the amount of capitol the United States was able to receive due to aftermath of WWII. The federal government was able to actually make a profit after WWII in comparison to the other countries involved who either had to rebuild or were in massive amounts of debt. America land was untouched during WWII unlike France, Germany, Italy, Japan, etc. With that in perspective America did not have to cut into its own budget or borrow money in order to rebuild. Other countries were devastated after the war, lost of military and civilians ( collateral damage) hurt their workforce which in turned hurt their economy. Countries had no choice but to purchase raw materials and goods from the United States. after the Japan bombings The United States provided both monetary and military support as a way to show concern for the nations citizens, currently the US has pre-positioned stock on that side of the world in exchange.
WWII gave birth to the Military Industrial Complex which reshaped our country as a whole. In order to meet the demand of troops and supplies the United States developed formal relationships with several private companies. Institutions such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and General Dynamics make most (if not all) of their profits from government