World War II remains the seismic event in modern political history. The war established the United State as the premier economic and military power in the world, and it created open trade between nations.

Foreign relations were reshaped by the war, but the legacy of the Second World War extends past world politics. The lives of nearly every American were touched by the war, and modern society was created by its affect effects. After the war, the United States completely emerged from the shackles of the Great Depression and entered into a golden age of prosperity. The G.I. Bill helped spread the prosperity to all classes.

President Franklin Roosevelt signed the G.I. bill in 1944. By the time the original bill expired in 1956 more than 7.8 million veterans had taken advantage of education and training funding providing by the bill. The original bill also provided mortgage loans for more than two million veterans. The American middle class emerged after World War Two.

After the success of the first G.I. Bill, congress saw it fit to continue the program. Servicemen and women would enjoy the benefits of education for their service ever since the first bill. Access to education on this scale caused American society to change. The American economy began to shift from a manufacturing base to a service based economy.

In today’s American society degreed individuals typically earn far more over the lifetime of a career. As the importance of education has increased so to has the importance of the G.I. Bill. The draft of the Cold War era has been eliminated. Volunteers have to be lured with promises of careers and funding for education. Many soldiers choose to use their G.I. Bill benefits to attend online degree programs while they complete their service. They emerge from military careers ready for service in the private or non-military public sectors.