Michael Parenti has a very good materialist analysis of the Baby Boom that I can’t find, so I’ll paraphrase it here.

There were three main factors that led to the Baby Boom:

1. During the war, very few consumer goods were being produced, as most factories were turned to manufacturing supplies. Having nothing to purchase allows workers to build a bit of a nest egg.

2. The GI Bill of Rights and the enormous benefits it provided.

3. The US Constitution prevents the State from directly controlling production. What it can do is let everyone know that it’s buying infinite guns and tanks, thus turning the war economy into a semi-permanent jobs program.