<P> After 1950 Japan's economy recovered from the war damage and began to boom, with the fastest growth rates in the world . Given a boost by the Korean War, in which it acted as a major supplier to the UN force, Japan's economy embarked on a prolonged period of extremely rapid growth, led by the manufacturing sectors . Japan emerged as a significant power in many economic spheres, including steel working, car manufacturing and the manufacturing of electronics . Japan rapidly caught up with the West in foreign trade, GNP, and general quality of life . The high economic growth and political tranquility of the mid to late 1960s were slowed by the quadrupling of oil prices in 1973 . Almost completely dependent on imports for petroleum, Japan experienced its first recession since World War II . Another serious problem was Japan's growing trade surplus, which reached record heights . The United States pressured Japan to remedy the imbalance, demanding that Tokyo raise the value of the yen and open its markets further to facilitate more imports from the United States . </P> <P> In the 1950s the Soviet Union, having reconstructed the ruins left by the war, experienced a decade of prosperous, undisturbed, and rapid economic growth, with significant technological achievements most notably the first earth satellite . The nation ranked in the top 15 most prosperous countries . However, the growth slowed and ended by 1960, as the Khrushchev regime poured resources into large military and space projects, and the civilian sector languished . While every other major nation greatly expanded its service sector, that sector in the Soviet Union (medicine, for example) was given low priority . Following Khrushchev's ouster, and the appointment of a collective leadership led by Leonid Brezhnev and Alexei Kosygin, the economy was revitalised . The economy continued to grow apace during the mid-to - late 1960s, during the Eighth Five - Year Plan . However, economic growth began to falter during the early to mid-1970s, beginning the Era of Stagnation . </P> <P> Sweden emerged almost unharmed from World War II, and experienced tremendous economic growth until the early 1970s, as Social Democratic Prime Minister Tage Erlander held his office from 1946 to 1969 . Sweden used to be a country of emigrants until the 1930s, but the demand for labor spurred immigration to Sweden, especially from Finland and countries like Greece, Italy and Yugoslavia . Urbanization was fast, and housing shortage in urban areas was imminent until the Million Programme was launched in the 1960s . </P> <P> A 1957 speech by UK Prime Minister Harold Macmillan captures what the golden age felt like, even before the brightest years which were to come in the 1960s . </P>

Which trend contributed to post world war i growth in tourism