5th Grade Social Studies

Great Depression to World War II

Unit 3

Great Depression (1929-1933)

  • The Roaring Twenties ended in 1929 with the Stock Market Crash which began a long period of unemployment and economic downturns (known as the Great Depression)

  • Started because of laissez-faire government policies that left the economy without needed regulations and bad foreign policy decisions with Germany after WWI

  • The most significant effect of the Great Depression was its high levels of unemployment which left many families without breadwinners and income-earners

Governmental Intervention

  • The Great Depression started under President Herbert Hoover and he was unprepared to have the government help unemployed American citizens (a shanty town was named Hooverville to criticize his inaction)

  • Soup kitchens led by charity organizations and business owners provided needed food to those who couldn't afford it because of unemployment

  • President Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected and began a government program known as the New Deal to aid and relieve American poverty

New Deal

  • FDR's program used government power and tax money to create agencies that increased employment and gave welfare to citizens

  • Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC): a New Deal agency that gave thousands of young men jobs and living wages to work on environmental conservation projects

  • Works Progress Administration (WPA): another New Deal agency that created millions of jobs to build public works projects like infrastructure and art

  • Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA): a New Deal agency that gave jobs to men to work on electrical and energy projects in the Tennessee Valley

President Franklin D. Roosevelt during his "fireside" chats to connect with people during the Great Depression
Dams built under the TVA gave jobs to men and provided electricity

Watch this video to learn more about the Great Depression!

The Dust Bowl

  • During the 1930s, the Great Plains experienced a drought that devastated crop prices. Low prices from the Dust Bowl and the bad economic conditions worsened the Depression

  • As a result, farmers from areas impacted by the Dust Bowl migrated to big cities which increased the already heavy strain on resources

Cultural Elements of the 1930s

  • Despite the economic downturn of the Great Depression, social life continued to highlight the achievements of disadvantaged groups like women and African Americans

  • Musicians like Duke Ellington continued to promote jazz music and during the 1936 Olympics, Jesse Owens showed the world African American excellence by winning gold medals

  • Women also used their role in society to achieve great things like author Margaret Mitchell who wrote the famous novel "Gone with the Wind"

Play this Great Depression Quizizz to test your knowledge of history!

Economic Lessons from Great Depression

  • Households provide resources to the economy by working jobs and in turn, using wages from the jobs to buy (consume) goods and services of the economy

  • Private businesses create jobs and the people who have these jobs create products and services that others consume

  • Banks have many functions: they can hold our money for us in a safe place (checking accounts can be used at any time while saving accounts earn interest by being left alone) and offer loans

  • The government taxes citizens and use these tax dollars to provide public services like welfare and public transportation

Play this game to learn about the Great Depression!

World War II

Causes of World War II

Nazi Germany

When Germany lost in WWI, the winning side with Britain and the U.S. severely punished Germany economically. As a result of this, unhappy Germans created the Nazi party and wanted to take revenge by creating a great German empire in Europe (the Third Reich) and kill the Jewish people (the Holocaust).

Imperial Japan

At the same time, Japan was becoming a powerful country and wanted to expand their control in Asia. Japan attacked China in Manchuria and allied with Nazi Germany to form the Axis Powers. Japan attacked the U.S. at Pearl Harbor and led to the U.S entry into World War II.

Important People of WWII

  • Roosevelt: leader of the United States

  • Stalin: leader of the Soviet Union (Russia)

  • Churchill: leader of Great Britain

  • Hirohito: emperor of Japan

  • Truman: leader of the United States after FDR dies

  • Mussolini: leader of Fascist Italy

  • Hitler: leader of Nazi Germany

"The Big Three" consisted of Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin

Watch this video to learn more about WWII!

Events during WWII

  • The two sides were the Allied Powers (Britain, America and Russia) and the Axis Powers (Nazi Germany, Italy and Japan)

  • Because of the Great Depression, the U.S. supported the Allied powers but wanted to remain out of fighting --> Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor led to U.S entering into the war in 1941

  • D-day: the largest seaborne invasion in history by the Allied powers and began the collapse of Nazi Germany

  • Battle of Iwo Jima: major battle in Asia where the U.S. captured an important Japanese island and marked the end of Imperial Japan

  • V-E Day: Victory in Europe day was the end of the war in Europe

  • V-J Day: Victory over Japan day was the end of the war against Japan

  • The Holocaust: during the war, Nazi Germany created the evil plan to kill all European Jews, Gypsies and "unclean" people by putting them in concentration camps and gas chambers. More than 11 million people died as a result.

  • President Truman wanted to end the war quickly and with less deaths by dropping atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945

America during WWII

  • World War II provided the U.S. with an increased demand for weapons and equipment which created jobs that ended the Great Depression

  • At home, Americans supported the war effort by taking war productions jobs, planting Victory Gardens and rationing food (Meatless Tuesdays)

  • Women were able to take more jobs with men gone to fight in Europe and Asia which increased female power --> Rosie Riveter posters were used to bring women into factory jobs

  • African Americans were also provided with greater opportunities during the war with men fighting for freedom in Europe (Tuskegee Airmen) and women working at home

  • WWII increased the rights of African Americans and women but did not entirely end discrimination and sexism

Play this game to test your WWII knowledge!