the baby boom occurred in countries that experienced tremendous damage from the war and were going through dramatic economic hardships. these countries include germany and poland. in the united states the baby boom was attributed to the number of veterans returning home after the war ended in 1945. it also was due to the strong post-war american economy. the u.s. congress passed the g.i. bill of rights to encourage home ownership and higher levels of education by charging very low or no interest at all on loans for veterans. getting settled in with a more comfortable economic position allowed families to have a place to live, be educated, and start having babies. "now thriving on the american dream, life was simple, jobs were plentiful, and a record number of babies were born."