DTW GED PREP

World War II played a pivotal role in pulling the United States out of the Great Depression and propelling it into an era of economic prosperity. The war effort led to massive changes in the American economy, with millions of men and women being drafted into military service and the nation’s industries shifting to war production. Factories that had once produced consumer goods now churned out weapons, ammunition, and military equipment, providing jobs for the unemployed and stimulating the economy.

The United States officially entered the war in December 1941 after Japan’s surprise attack on the naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. This event propelled the U.S. into a two-front war: one against Nazi Germany in Europe and the other against Japan in the Pacific. In Europe, the U.S. joined forces with Britain and other Allied nations to combat the growing threat of Hitler’s regime. On the Pacific front, American forces fought the Japanese, who had been expanding their empire throughout the region. The United States’ military power, bolstered by its vast manpower and the ability to produce war materials on an unprecedented scale, made it a formidable ally.

The war in Europe ended in the spring of 1945, and Japan continued to fight until the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. The devastation from the bombings forced Japan to surrender, effectively ending World War II. The war’s conclusion also marked the emergence of the United States and the Soviet Union as the two remaining superpowers. The U.S. economy, driven by wartime production, had recovered fully from the Depression. Unlike the war-torn European nations, the United States was largely untouched by combat, and its industrial capacity remained intact.

In contrast, many European nations, including Britain and France, faced severe economic challenges and had to rebuild after the war. While these nations would eventually recover, they would never regain the global dominance they once held, and the U.S. emerged as the undisputed economic and military leader of the world.

However, World War II also revealed some dark chapters in U.S. history. During the war, more than 110,000 Americans of Japanese descent, living on the West Coast, were forcibly relocated to internment camps. The U.S. government, fearing espionage and sabotage after the Pearl Harbor attack, viewed these citizens as a potential threat. These individuals were stripped of their homes, businesses, and personal freedoms and placed in camps under harsh conditions. Decades later, the U.S. government recognized this internment as a grave violation of civil rights, and in 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed the Civil Liberties Act, offering an official apology and compensation to the surviving Japanese-Americans who had been interned.

Thus, while World War II helped the U.S. emerge as a global power and recover from the Depression, it also exposed significant injustices that would require years of reflection and redress.

WORLD WAR II

 Directions: Read the following passage, and then answer the question.

 Armed defense of democratic existence is now being gallantly

 waged in four continents. If that defense fails, all the population

 and all the resources of Europe and Asia, and Africa and Austral

Asia will be dominated by conquerors. And let us remember that

 the total of those populations in those four continents, the total of

 those populations and their resources greatly exceed the sum total

 of the population and the resources of the whole of the Western

 Hemisphere—yes, many times over.

In times like these it is immature—and, incidentally, untrue—

 for anybody to brag that an unprepared America, single-handed

 and with one hand tied behind its back, can hold off the whole

 world.

 —Excerpt from a speech to Congress by President

 Franklin Roosevelt, January 6, 1941

 1.  What message is President Roosevelt giving to Congress and the

 American people?

 A.   The United States can easily beat any enemy in the world.

 B.   Other countries will defend democracy, so Americans need not worry.

 C.   The defense of democracy is already a lost cause.

 D.   Americans need to begin preparing seriously for possible war.

Correct Answer: ✅ D. Americans need to begin preparing seriously for possible war.

Explanation:
In his 1941 speech, President Franklin Roosevelt is emphasizing that America cannot afford to be unprepared in the face of growing threats abroad. He warns that if the defense of democracy fails in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australasia, the consequences for the Western Hemisphere—including the U.S.—could be dire. His message is a call to action for increased military and economic preparation, not overconfidence or complacency.