How long could the United States keep up WW2 level spending?

Not very long.

A WW2 lasting into 1948 would leave the USA, and the entire world, in a very poor economic shape. I could imagine inflation spiraling out of control, or draconian measures like rationing, a Maximum Wage Act for industrial workers or a Workforce Registration Act being implemented to maximize the short-term use of resources for the war effort. (At the cost of the long term economic wellbeing of the country)

The US citizenship would experience real hardship much like OTL Britain or France, except there would be no Marshall Plan to rescue them out of the pit once the war is over.
 
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missouribob

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Not very long.

A WW2 lasting into 1948 would leave the USA, and the entire world, in a very poor economic shape. I could imagine inflation spiraling out of control, or draconian measures like rationing, a Maximum Wage Act for industrial workers or a Workforce Registration Act being implemented to maximize the short-term use of resources for the war effort. (At the cost of the long term economic wellbeing of the country)

The US citizenship would experience real hardship much like OTL Britain or France, except there would be no Marshall Plan to rescue them out of the pit once the war is over.
So basically the United States would be cannibalizing their long term economic assets for the short term?

Edit: Also why do you say 1948?
 
I suppose it depends on the will of the people.

If the Americans were willing to submit to UK level of sacrifice, it is plausible. However, given how many labor disputes there were despite the very good terms, I don't expect the US to keep up such spending.
 
Unknown. Unlike the other WW2 powers, the United States mobilization never "naturally" peaked so it's rather hard to know where the peak actually is.
 
... never "naturally" peaked so it's rather hard to know where the peak actually is.


Indeed. As early as the autumn of 1944 the US was starting to terminate contracts that were to run through 1945 & beyond. One economic historian remarked on how the industrial capacity of New England was never brought back to its 1920s level during the war. Total mobilization goals for the US Army were never reached. The 120 ground combat division goal for the Army was terminated in mid 1943, with 90 Army & six USMC divisions filled out. Aircraft production peaked out in 1944 at 105,000 airframes built & accepted. Projections for 1945 had been somewhere north of 120,000. It does not appear African American Labor nor immigrant Labor from Latin America were efficiently mobilized. I can't say I've ever seen a serious effort to project the US wealth of industrial capacity into 1946 or 47. I'd think there must have been estimated made in 1942-43, but not yet seen any reference to them.
 
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