Benchmark 4 Study Guide
Great Depression, New Deal, WWII, Post War Era
Great Depression
Causes- Buying Stocks on margin, speculation, buying on credit, overproduction of crops, rich
1%, stock market crash, bank runs
Effects- loss of jobs/unemployment, banks close, bankruptcy, repossession, malnutrition,
sickness, Mexican Americans- pushed off land, African Americans- racism and unemployment,
increase in suicide rates, no volunteerism, men left families.
Herbert Hoover- President during the start of the Great Depression. Dislike because of his lack
of involvement to help the common person during depression and because of his treatment of
the Bonus Army.
Black Tuesday- day of the Stock market crash. October 29, 1929
Dust Bowl- TX, NM, OK, CO, KS: Causes of Dust Bowl- Overproduction of Land, Land
unsuitable for farming, drought, windstorms. Caused many to move west.
Oakies- People that moved west from Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl and Great Depression in
search for a better life.
The Grapes of Wrath- Written by John Steinbeck,
Volunteerism- Hoover called for the public to do the following things to help each other out
during the depression. 1. Businesses keep workers, wages and hours 2. Government reduce
taxes, lower interest rates, create public works programs 3. Requested wealthy individuals to give
to charities 4. Give clothing, food and money to those who need it. Volunteerism FAILED!
Reconstruction Finance Company (RFC)- Loaned money to banks, insurance companies,
and railroads. RFC FAILED! Bc of the trickle down economy. People who really need the
benefits did not get them.
Hoovervilles- Shanty towns homeless lived in. Named after Pres. Hoover to show their dislike of
him.
Public Works Programs- Government hired people to construct schools, dams, and highways.
This gives people who are unemployed a chance to work. Ex. Hoover Dam.
Bonus Army- Group of WWI veterans who protested in Washington D.C. to get their bonus
early after Hoover vetoed the bill. Hoover used the military to get the Bonus Army out of
Washington. He used armed weapons, fire, tear gas, and cavalry units to get army out. This
caused many to dislike Hoover even more.
New DealElection of 1932- Hoover Vs. Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) Roosevelt wins bc of public dislike of
Hoover.
Franklin D. Roosevelt- President during last half of depression. His plan for recovery was
called the New Deal. He led us into WWII.
New Deal- Relief, Recovery, Reform. FDR’s plan to get America out of depression. Civilian
Conservation Corps, TVA, Agricultural Adjustment Act
First Hundred Days- The first 100 days of FDR’s Presidency where he passes numerous
legislation to help out Americans.
TVA- Tennessee Valley Authority- Created dams on TN River. Produced cheap electricity and
provided many jobs.
Second New Deal- Continuation of New Deal: Social Security Act, Federal Housing Authority,
Works Progress Administration, Wagner Act.
Fireside Chats- Speeches given my FDR to the American people over the radio.
Court Packing- FDR was trying to add new Supreme Court Justices to support his new laws.
The old judges were starting to find some of his New Deal legislation unconstitutional. Supreme
Court thought that some New Deal legislation increased the role of the federal government too
much.
Changes from the New Deal- The government took more control of the economic and social
well being of American citizens.
WWII
Causes of WWII- Treaty of Versailles (Germany paid war reparations, said they were guilty of
causing WWI and had to give back territory), World wide depression, fascist leaders, failure of
the League of Nations
Totalitarian Government- Government has total control over country. One party with a
dictator. Ex: Communism, Fascism
WWII Dictators- Hitler- Germany : Mussolini- Italy : Stalin- Russia
Anti-Semitism- Extreme hatred of Jews
Genocide- Mass extermination of a group of people
Axis Powers- Germany, Italy, Japan
Allies- U.S., Great Britain, France, USSR
Start of WWII- Germany invades Poland 1939
2 Theaters of War during WWII- Europe (Germany, France, Germany, Poland.) and Pacific
(Japan, Asia)
Blitzkrieg- Lightening War- tactic used by the Germans (bombing, then bring in the troops and
tanks)
France- Falls to the Nazis in 6 weeks in 1940.
Neutrality Acts- U.S. tries to maintain neutrality in the war.
Lend Lease Act- Allowed Great Britain to lease/borrow weapons from U.S. as long as they gave
them back at the end of the war.
Reason for U.S. entering WWII- Japan attacking Pearl Harbor: Dec. 7, 1941
Dec. 8, 1941- U.S. Declares War on Japan.
Dec. 11, 1941- Japan and Italy declare war on U.S.
Rationing- Was used to get more resources to the military. Limits on how much of something
one can have.
Women and Minorities- Greater job opportunities because of the shift from peace time
economy to war time economy.
Rosie the Riveter- Posters were used of her to try to get women involved in wartime
industries.
African Americans- fought for and end to racial discrimination after WWII because of the
experiences of many who served in the military during the war.
Manhattan Project- Oak Ridge, TN. Project to build the atomic bombs.
Decision to drop atomic bombs- Truman makes this decision because he thought if the war
was ended earlier, then it would save more lives in the long run than dragging it out.
Hiroshima and Nagasaki- Atomic bombs were dropped on them resulting in the end of WWII.
Decision was made by President Harry Truman.
VE Day- Victory in Europe (August 1945)
VJ Day- Victory in Japan (May 1945)
Aftermath- 1. The U.S. was able to adjust better from war time economy to peace time
economy because there was not widespread destruction in the U.S. as in Europe or Asia. 2. The
U.S. becomes a SUPERPOWER along with the Soviet Union. This leads to the Cold War.
Baby Boomers- Time period immediately after WWII when the population increased
dramatically.
Memphis Sun Studio- Produced Elvis Pressley and made rock and roll famous.