Questions & Answers: U. S. History - The Great Depression and World II

Review the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected president in 1932 with his promise of a “New Deal” for Americans. His goals were to provide government work programs to provide jobs, wages and relief to numerous workers throughout the beleaguered US. Congress gave Roosevelt almost free rein to produce relief legislation.
The goals of this legislation were:
· Relief: Accomplished largely by creating jobs
· Recovery: Stimulate the economy through the National Recovery Administration
· Reform: Pass legislation to prevent future similar economic crashes
The Roosevelt Administration also passed legislation regarding ecological issues, including the Soil Conservation Service, aimed at preventing another Dust Bowl.

Explain the Great Depression.
The Great Depression, which began in 1929 with the Stock Market Crash, grew out of several factors that had developed over the previous years including:
· Growing economic disparity between the rich and middle-class, with the rich amassing wealth much more quickly than the lower classes
· Disparity in economic distribution in industries
· Growing use of credit, leading to an inflated demand for some goods
· Government support of new industries rather than providing additional support for agriculture
· Risky stock market investments, leading to the stock market crash
Additional factors contributing to the Depression also included the Labor Day Hurricane in the Florida Keys (1935) and the Great Hurricane of 1938, in Long Island, along with the Dust Bowl in the Great Plains, which destroyed crops and resulted in the displacement of as many as 2.5 million people.

Name some of the alphabet organizations that were established by Roosevelt’s administration.
So-called alphabet organizations set up during Roosevelt’s administration included:
· Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)—provided jobs in the forestry service
· Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA)—increased agricultural income by adjusting both production and prices.
· Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)—organized projects to build dams in the Tennessee River for flood control and production of electricity, resulting in increased productivity for industries in the area, and easier navigation of the Tennessee River
· Public Works Administration (PWA) and Civil Works Administration (CWA)—initiated over 34,000 projects, providing employment
· Works Progress Administration (WPA)—helped unemployed persons to secure employment on government work projects or elsewhere

Review some of the laws and institutions that were part of the New Deal.
The administration passed several laws and established several institutions to initiate the “reform” portion of the New Deal, including:
· Glass-Steagall Act—separated investment from the business of banking
· Securities Exchange Commission (SEC)—helped regulate Wall Street investment practices, making them less dangerous to the overall economy
· Wagner Act—provided worker and union rights to improve relations between employees and employers. This act was later amended by the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 and the Landrum Griffin Act of 1959, which further clarified certain elements.
· Social Security Act of 1935—provided pensions as well as unemployment insurance
· Davis-Bacon Act (1931)—provided fair compensation for contractors and subcontractors.
· Walsh-Healey Act (1936)—established a minimum wage, child labor laws, safety standards, and overtime pay.
Other actions focused on insuring bank deposits and adjusting the value of American currency. Most of these regulatory agencies and government policies and programs still exist today.

Explain the reason for the attack on Pearl Harbor.
In 1937, Japan invaded China, prompting the US to halt all exports to Japan. Roosevelt also did not allow Japanese interests to withdraw money held in US banks. In 1941, General Tojo rose to power as the Japanese Premier. Recognizing America’s ability to bring a halt to Japan’s expansion, he authorized the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, of that year. The US responded by declaring war on Japan. Because of the Tipartite Pact among the Axis Powers, Germany and Italy then declared war on the US, followed by Bulgaria and Hungary.

Review the tension between isolationists and interventionists for staying out of WW II.
When war broke out in Europe in 1939, President Roosevelt stated that the US would remain neutral. However, his overall approach was considered “interventionist,” as he was willing to provide any necessary aid to the Allies short of actually entering the conflict. Thus the US supplied a wide variety of war materials to the Allied nations.
Isolationists believed the US should not provide any aid to the Allies, including supplies. They felt Roosevelt, by assisting the Allies, was leading the US into a war for which it was not prepared. Led by Charles A. Lindbergh, the Isolationists believed any involvement in the European conflict endangered the US by weakening its national defense.

Review the importance of women in World War II.
Women served widely in the military during WWII, working in numerous positions, including the Flight Nurses Corps. Women also moved into the workforce while men were overseas, leading to over 19 million women in the US workforce by 1944. Rosie the Riveter stood as a symbol of these women and a means of recruiting others to take needed positions. Women, as well as their families left behind during wartime, also grew Victory Gardens to help provide food.

Review the importance of minorities in World War II.
The 442nd Regimental Combat Team consisted of Japanese Americans fighting in Europe for the US. The most highly decorated unit per member in US history, they suffered a 93 percent casualty rate during the war.
The Tuskegee Airmen were African American aviators, the first black Americans allowed to fly for the military. In spite of not being eligible to become official navy pilots, they flew over 15,000 missions and were highly decorated.
The Navajo Code Talkers were native Navajo who used their traditional language to transmit information among Allied forces. Because Navajo is a language and not simply a code, the Axis powers were never able to translate it. Use of Navajo Code Talkers to transmit information was instrumental in the taking of Iwo Jima and other major victories of the war.

Explain the use of the atomic bomb and note their impact on modern-day politics.
The atomic bomb, developed during WWII, was the most powerful bomb ever invented. A single bomb, carried by a single plane, held enough power to destroy an entire city. This devastating effect was demonstrated with the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 in what later became a controversial move, but ended the war. The bombings resulted in as many as 200,000 immediate deaths and many more as time passed after the bombings, mostly due to radiation poisoning.
Whatever the arguments against the use of “The Bomb”, the post WWII era saw many countries develop similar weapons to match the newly expanded military power of the US. The impact of those developments and use of nuclear weapons continues to haunt international relations today.

Review the Alien Registration Act and review the reason for the war relocation camps in America.
In 1940, the US passed the Alien Registration Act, which required all aliens older than fourteen to be fingerprinted and registered. They were also required to report changes of address within five days.
Tension between whites and Japanese immigrants in California, which had been building since the beginning of the century, came to a head with the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. Believing that even those Japanese living in the US were likely to be loyal to their native country, the president ordered numerous Japanese to be arrested on suspicion of subversive action isolated in exclusion zones known as War Relocation Camps. Over 120,000 Japanese Americans, two thirds of them citizens of the US, were sent to these camps during the war.

Review the agreements made at the Potsdam Conference.
In February 1945, Joseph Stalin, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill met in Yalta to discuss the post-war treatment of Europe, particularly Germany. Though Germany had not yet surrendered, its defeat was imminent. After Germany’s official surrender, Clement Attlee, Harry Truman and Joseph Stalin met to formalize those plans. This meeting was called the Potsdam Conference.
Basic provisions of these agreements included:
· Dividing Germany and Berlin into four zones of occupation
· Demilitarization of Germany
· Poland remaining under Soviet control
· Outlawing the Nazi Party
· Trials for Nazi leaders
· Relocation of numerous German citizens
· The USSR joined the United Nations, established in 1945
· Establishment of the United Nations Security Council, consisting of the US, the UK, the USSR, China and France

Review the surrender of Germany and the surrender of Japan in WWII.
In 1941, Hitler violated the non-aggression pact he had signed with Stalin in 1939 by invading the USSR. Stalin then joined the Allies. Stalin, Roosevelt and Winston Churchill planned to defeat Germany first, then Japan, bringing the war to an end. Starting in 1942 through 1943, the Allies drove Axis forces out of Africa. In addition, the Germans were soundly defeated at Stalingrad. Between July 1943 and May 1945, Allied troops liberated Italy. June 6, 1944, known as D-Day, the Allies invaded France at Normandy. Soviet troops moved on the eastern front at the same time, driving German forces back. April 25, 1945, Berlin was surrounded by Soviet troops. On May 7, Germany surrendered.
War continued with Japan after Germany’s surrender. Japanese forces had taken a large portion of Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific, all the way to the Aleutian Islands in Alaska. General Doolittle bombed several Japanese cities while American troops scored a victory at Midway. Additional fighting in the Battle of the Coral Sea further weakened Japan’s position. As a final blow, the US dropped two atomic bombs, one on Hiroshima and the other on Nagasaki, Japan. This was the first time atomic bombs had ever been used in warfare, and the devastation was horrific and demoralizing. Japan surrendered on September 2, 1945.

Review the strength of America after WW II.
Following WWII, the US became the strongest political power in the world, becoming a major player in world affairs and foreign policies. The US determined to stop the spread of Communism, naming itself the “arsenal of democracy.”
In addition, America had emerged with a greater sense of itself as a single, integrated nation, with many regional and economic differences diminished. The government worked for greater equality and the growth of communications increased contact among different areas of the country.
Both the aftermath of the Great Depression and the necessities of WWII had given the government greater control over various institutions as well as the economy. This also meant the American government took on greater responsibility for the well being of its citizens, both in the domestic arena, such as providing basic needs, and in protecting them from foreign threats. This increased role of providing basic necessities for all Americans has been criticized by some as “the welfare state.”

Review the actions taken against Japan after their surrender in WW II.
General Douglas MacArthur directed the American military occupation of Japan after the country surrendered. The goals the US occupation included removing Japan’s military and making the country a democracy. A 1947 constitution removed power from the emperor and gave it to the people, as well as granting voting rights to women. Japan was no longer allowed to declare war, and a group of 25 government officials were tried for war crimes. In 1951, the US finally signed a peace treaty with Japan. This treaty allowed Japan to rearm itself for purposes of self-defense, but stripped the country of the empire it had built overseas.

Review the immigration policy after World War II.
Prior to WW II, the US had been limiting immigration for several decades. After WW II, policy shifted slightly to accommodate political refugees from Europe and elsewhere. So many people were displaced by the war that in 1946, The UN formed the International Refugee Organization to deal with the problem. In 1948, the US Congress passed the Displaced Persons Act, which allowed over 400,000 European refugees to enter the US, most of them concentration camp survivors and refugees from Eastern Europe. In 1952, the President’s Escapee Program allowed refugees from Communist Europe to enter the US, as did the Refugee Relief Act, passed in 1953.
At the same time, however, the Internal Security Act of 1950 allowed deportation of declared Communists, and Asians were subjected to a quota based on race, rather than country of origin. Later changes included:
· 1962—Migration and Refugee Assistance Act—helped assist refugees in need.
· 1965—Immigration Act—ended quotas based on nation of origin.
1986—Immigration Reform and Control Act—prohibited the hiring of illegal immigrants, but also granted amnesty to about three million illegals already in the country.

Review some of the improvements in technology after World War II.
Numerous technological advances after the Second World War led to more effective treatment of diseases, more efficient communication and transportation, and new means of generating power. Advances in medicine increased the lifespan of people in developed countries, and near-instantaneous communication began to make the world a much smaller place.
· Discovery of penicillin (1928)
· Supersonic air travel (1947)
· First commercial airline flight (1948)
· Nuclear power (1951)
· Orbital leading to manned space flight (Sputnik—1957)
· First man on the moon (1969)