Why did the economy grow?

Question

Does anyone who why the economy grew after world war 2 instead of having a depression like thought?

Answer 1

Technically, the economy WAS in a recession; real GDP contracted by 11% between 1945 and 1946. But the decline was primarily due to the contraction in government spending. Personal consumption rose 12% in real terms between 1945 and 1946, while private domestic investment tripled. The reasons are many, from removal of war-time price controls and rationing that were substantial negative externalities to the GI bills that provided returning soldiers with access to education and affordable housing finance...

The "devastated Europe" argument proposed by Monc above might have been a minor factor, too. In 1945, the U.S. was a small net importer, with net imports equivalent to 1.5% of GDP. In 1946, the U.S. became a small net exporter, with net exports equivalent to 1.1% of GDP. Increase in net exports added about three percentage points to the U.S. GDP, while increased personal consumption and increased domestic investment together contributed about 13.5 percentage points...

Answer 2

The economy grew because Europe was devastated and they needed American goods and industry to help rebuild it.

I'm assuming you mean the American economy.

Answer 3

Due to unforeseen circumstances and possibly divine intervention, the economy grew steadily.