Mass Production
Learning Objectives
Students will be able to explain how goods became cheaper and buying power increased
Instructional Plan
(10 Minutes) Mass Production after World War II Guessing Game: Hand out the attached worksheet Mass Production After World War II Guessing Game. Students will work with a partner to quickly guess the average cost of products in the late 1940s compared to today. Students will then be given the actual costs listed in the chart below (Note: The 1940s figures include the adjusted for inflation cost for reference). Students should then answer if the product is more or less affordable than in the 1940s with some possible reasons why. Debrief as a class.
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Refrigerator: $200 in 1947 ($2,736.40 in 2023 dollars) |
$1,500 in 2022 |
|
Ballpoint Pen: $12.50 in 1945 ($211.88 in 2023 dollars) |
$0.11–$3.00 in 2022 |
|
Television: $445 in 1947 ($6,088.50 in 2023 dollars) |
$400–500 in 2022 |
|
Electric stove: $34.95 in 1940s ($478.19 in 2023 dollars) |
$650 in 2022 |
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Average cost of cars: $429.73 in 1945 ($7,284.14 in 2023 dollars) |
$46,290 in 2022 |