<P> High productivity growth from before the war continued after the war and until the early 1970s . Manufacturing was aided by automation technologies such as feedback controllers, which appeared in the late 1930s were a fast - growing area of investment following the war . Wholesale and retail trade benefited from new highway systems, distribution warehouses, and material handling equipment such as forklifts and intermodal containers . Oil displaced coal in many applications, particularly in locomotives and ships . In agriculture, the post WW II period saw the widespread introduction of the following: </P> <Ul> <Li> Chemical fertilizers </Li> <Li> Tractors </Li> <Li> Combine harvesters </Li> <Li> High - yielding variety </Li> <Li> Pesticides </Li> </Ul> <Li> High - yielding variety </Li> <P> Industries that were created or expanded during the post war period included television, commercial aviation and particularly in the US, computer technology . </P>

What factors led to the economic prosperity of the united states after wwii