ACE Class Report #71: US History 1933 -1945.
Begin: 8/23/2024
Finish: 9/28/2024
Title: US History 1933 – 1945
Instructor: Rodrigo Santos
Why I choose to take this class:
History of the US from 1933 – 1945, during the great depression to the end of World War II. History of this tumultuous era enable us to learn from the past and to avoid future political conflicts.
What I learned from this class:
Facts in Brief (1930-1945)
Presidents:
Herbert Hoover Republican 1929-1933
Franklin D. Roosevelt Democrat 1933-1945
Harry S. Truman Democrat 1945-1953
Dwight D. Eisenhower Republican 1953-1961
Important Dates:
1930’s – The United States suffered through the great depression.
1933 – President Franklin D. Roosevelt began the New Deal to end the depression.
1941-1945 – The US fought in World War II.
1945 – US Dropped the first Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima, Japan.
Depression and World Conflicts:
The stock market crash of 1929 combined with the weakness of the nations economy to bring on the Great Depression of the 1930’s, the worst and longest depression in US History. The Great Depression struck every country in the world. The hard times helped bring to power dictators who promised to restore the economy. The dictators included Adolf Hitler in Germany and a group of military leaders in Japan. Once in power, both Hitler and the Japanese rulers began seizing neighboring lands. Their actions lead to World War II, the most destructive conflict in history.
United States in the Great Depression:
The United States suffered through the Great Depression for more than 10 years. During the depression, million of workers lost their jobs, and large numbers of farmers were forced to abandon their farms. At the height of the depression in 1933, about 13 million Americans were out of work, many others had only part time jobs. Farms income declined so sharply that more 750,000 farmers lost their lands. The dust bowl, the result of a terrible drought on the Western plains, wiped out many farmers. Hundreds of thousands of people lost their life savings as a result of bank failure. Throughout the depression, many American went hungry. People stood in ‘Bread Lines’ and went to ‘soup kitchen’ to get food provided by charities.
Recovery and Reform:
Early in the Great Depression Hoover promised that ‘Prosperity was just around the corner’, but the depression deepened. As the election of 1932, democrats choose Franklin D. Roosevelt. In his campaign, Roosevelt promised government action to end the Great Depression and reforms to avoid future depression, He won by a landslide.
Roosevelt’s program for recovery was called the New Deal, Its provisions included: Public Work Projects to provide jobs, Relief for farmers, aid to manufacturing firms and regulation for banks. Roosevelt proposed new Governmental Agencies to fight the depression that included: Civilian Conservation Corps, Work Progress Administration, the Farm Credit Administration which extended credit to farmers, and the Social Security Board which developed the Social Security system of payment to retired workers and workers with disabilities. The New Deal offered direct aid to the American people. It provided subsidies for farmers, tuition grant for needy students, public work jobs for the unemployed, pension for elderly, electric power for rural homes, and for the desperate and hungry. The New Deal helped relieve the hardship of many Americans. However, hard times dragged on until World War II military spending stimulated the economy.
World War II:
Began on Sept 1, 1939, when German troops invaded Poland. Th United Kingdom, France and other countries (called The Allies) went to war against Germany. At first the United States stayed out of the war. But on Dec 7, 1941, Japanese planes bombed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. US declared war on Japan on December 8. The American people backed the war effort with fierce dedication. 15 million men served in the armed forces, about 338,000 women served in the armed forces too. At home, automobile plants and other factories were converted into defense plant where airplanes, ships, weapons, and war supplies were made. The country had a shortage of civilians, so thousands of women worked in the defense plants. Boy and girls collected used tin cans, old tires and other junk that could be recycled and used for war supplies.
On May 7, 1945 Germany surrendered. Vice President Harry S. Truman had became president after Roosevelt death a month earlier. The Allies demanded Japan’s surrender but Japan continued to fight. Truman then made one of the major decision in history. He ordered the use of the Atomic Bomb. The first Atomic Bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945. A second Atomic Bomb was dropped on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. Japan formally surrendered on Sept. 2, 1945 and the war ended.
How will this class contribute to my success upon my release:
This history class taught us valuable lessons about the depression and World War II. Hopefully history will not be repeated. This class broadened my horizon, improved my analytical and critical thinking skills. This information will be taught to other communities when I volunteer my teaching, tutoring and mentoring services.
