by Justin Manucci

Created on: March 11, 2009

The Great Depression was one of the worst economic deficits in United States history. It was one of the hardest times America had to live through. At the time it seemed that it would be impossible to get out of this financial crisis. However the start of World War II in 1939 and the United States entry into the war by the end of 1941 changed everything. This information leads to the question "How vital was World War II in the process of ending the great depression in the United States."

The Great Depression began when the stock market crashed in October 1929, setting of pandemonium. This caused many people to lose their jobs and homes throughout the country. By 1940 seventeen percent of the country was unemployed. At the time half of the men and one third of the women in the country made less than one thousand dollars a year. In addition only forty-eight thousand people of a population of one hundred thirty-eight million made more than twenty-five hundred dollars a year.

These problems made it very hard for people to make a living. It was also a difficult time for people to be qualified for many different employment positions. Of the United States Residents over the age of twenty-five only forty percent graduated from the eighth grade. Just twenty-five percent of the population completed high school as well as only five percent ever even received a college degree.

In response to this period of economic disaster president Franklin D. Roosevelt had congress pass the New Deal program. This plan enacted an unprecedented series of laws, which regulated the securities market, established minimal wage, originated a new system of social security, guaranteed labor's right to collective bargaining, and established control over the nation's money problem. However governmental programs were not enough for a significant amount of improvement during this heavy crash.

When World War II began with the German invasion of Poland, President Roosevelt faced increasing threats from Germany and Japan. In response to the growing tensions in Europe and Asia, Roosevelt ordered mass production of war ships, tanks, planes, and weaponry. This required a substantial amount of labor, which gave many of the unemployed population jobs as workers in the manufacturing facilities. Another aid to the unemployment situation was the need for people to work on the transports bringing supplies to the United States' allies throughout the world. Now there was a large amount of governmental spending for

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