A good read on postwar economies is The Reckoning by David Halberstam. Making long story short, after WW2, the world's manufacturing was in ruins. We had it all to ourselves. In order to rebuild our enemies economies we paid for almost 100% of their defense needs and our best and brightest worked in those industries. Meanwhile, Japan, Germany and others who we defended after the war employed their best and brightest in consumer goods like autos, electronics and other manufactured goods. It's still the same today. (I worked with some engineers for a Big 3 that couldn't find their asses with both hands).
Having said that, these countries are back on their feet and still offloading their defense costs on the U.S. taxpayer and at the same time sticking it up OUR ass with TARIFFS on just about every manufactured goods TO PROTECT THEIR INDUSTRIES! Meanwhile, they have BETTER health care (among high income nations, we have the worst!) and that nice imported Mercedes, Volvo, BMW, Honda, Acura, ad nauseum we buy is subsidizing these countries defense, health care and other social "benefits".
Don't even start on NAFTA, the biggest scam ever perpetrated on the American worker. Read the Heritage's Foundation paper on it's "benefits" before it passed. They were reduced illegal immigration, a reduction in drug smuggling and a crimp on American workers' salaries and unions. They got one right and here we are with a big deficit and no tax base to support it.
I'm done.