Abstract:
The period 1935-45 was a significant one in the economic
affairs of the United States. It saw the economy change from
one of deep depression and uncertainty to one of unparalleled
productivity, with the end of the decade marked by a confidence
of still greater productivity to come. It was a decade of complete alteration in the labor picture—from one where the belief
that there would never be enough work for all found wide acceptance to a condition where a shortage of labor became commonplace.
The decade saw labor unions grow from a membership of less than
three millions to almost fifteen millions. The rapid growth
can be largely attributed to the National Labor Relations Act,
usually referred to as the Wagner Act.