the G.I. Bill both then and now provided money for the education of soldiers.
This higher level of education provided soldiers who were re-entering civilian life with better skills and thus higher paying jobs. Higher paying jobs, more money to spend etc...
The GI BIll of Rights was one of the United States Government's most important and impacting programs of the 20th Century. It was basically the Country's investment in its own future. Before World War Two only the sons and daughters of wealthy families could afford to go to college. The rest had to do with a high school education. After the war millions of young men and women got free educations, partly as a reward for serving in and putting their live's on the line fighting for their country. This group constituted the country's next generation. And what an educated generation it was -- millions of them. They and their educations helped enormously in making this country, today, the greatest country in the world. If you don't believe this check back on what the country was like BEFORE World War Two -- and what it is like today!!!!!
The GI Bill also included provisions for low-cost mortgages to veterans so they could purchase houses. This created a housing boom. This, and the increased earning capacity, coupled with pent-up demand for consumer goods, resulted in the prosperity of the 1950 and 1960s.