二战期间美国西部经济地位的转变

The Economic Transition of the American West during World War Ⅱ

第二次世界大战之前,美国西部的经济发展相对落后,主要依赖东部经济的扶持。第二次世界大战对美国西部经济发展产生了重大影响,联邦政府的战争动员,推动了战时经济在西部全面展开。在短短的战时四年中,在高科技军事工业迅猛发展的推动下,西部的经济面貌发生了翻天覆地的变化,其经济地位也从战前依附东部转变到战后引领全国。这种转变的主要原因是战争为西部发展提供了契机,政府利用战争的外力促进了西部自身内力与外力加速作用的结果。

Compared with the East of the country,the economic development of the American West was relatively slow and 'colonial' prior to World War Ⅱ.The Second World War had a significant impact on its economy.The Federal government's mobilization activities promoted the War Economy to spread out to the West.During the four years that the United States was at war,great transformation took place in the Western economy,driven by the high-tech and military industries.By the end of the war,the economic situation of the American West had transitioned from an erstwhile 'colony' of the East of the country to an economic pace-setter for the United States.This transition arose due to both the external factor of the War and the internal factor of the economic foundations already laid in the West.Today,though another world war seems impossible,local wars and natural disasters are sadly inevitable.We must therefore explore the relationship between war and the economy in search of new lessons for the future.