actually, one thing i'm getting a sense of from historians is that the USA sort of set itself up for massive future problems, post WWII. that doesn't mean there wasn't a boom and prosperity period, and nice things to fondly remember, but evidently it came at the expense of future sustainability, so to speak. sort of what we're witnessing right now in china, which has enjoyed some tremendous prosperity for decades, but now is sliding towards ruin, even as they're getting more and more aggressive
anyway, for the USA, my understanding is that we built too much infrastructure too quickly, embraced madison avenue too quickly, got too easily hooked on gadgets and products (most produced elsewhere), and found too many ways to exploit fossil fuels.
things such as these are hard to sustain and the price seems to keep ramping up... just as other parts of the world are also experiencing, of course.