Kate Luna

Econ 1740
Due: May 2, 2021

Signature Assignment

The event that I will be addressing in this assignment is World War ll. This war started on

September 1, 1939 and lasted till September 2, 1945 in Europe. This all began when Germany

attacked Poland and two days later, Britain and France declared war on Germany. The US didn’t

enter the war until 9 months before it ended. The US tried to stay away from the war for as long

as they could, but when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, the US joined the war on December

7, 1944. The war ended when Japan, Italy, and Germany surrendered to the Allies.

World War ll is important in American economic history because it boosted the economy

during that time period. The US was still suffering from the Great Depression, even though that

ended in 1939, there were still some lingering issues. The unemployment rate was still high and

only men were working. The war completely changed income tax. The payroll deduction system

was introduced. Also, corporate taxes were increased. The US helped produce and ship weapons,

goods and services to its allies who were fighting the war. Industrial productivity increased and

the unemployment rate dropped significantly after the US joined the war. As men were being

drafted, women were now entering the workforce. This was a huge impact for women because

they were now considered essential workers. They made weapons and bombs and airplanes for

the military. Women were earning a real wage, but it wasn’t much. The downside of the increase

in production was that women were now working more and more hours to produce goods. How

the future was influenced by these ideas is that to this day, it’s normal to have women in the

workforce. They are no longer told to stay home and clean and cook, although there are still

some stereotypes about what women should and shouldn’t do.

What I knew about this topic before this class was very little. I did learn about World

War ll in middle school and in high school, but I’m that person that doesn’t remember much of
Kate Luna
Econ 1740
Due: May 2, 2021

what I learn if I don’t talk about it frequently. The only thing that I remember learning about

World War ll is that the US got involved after the attack on Pearl Harbor and that it happened in

the 1900’s. How my understanding changed about this topic is that I discovered new things that I

don’t recall being taught in school. As a woman, I can’t imagine not being able to work and earn

money like I want to because it’s not how society sees it. Before I took this course, I honestly

thought that it was going to be boring. I thought of it just being a history class about the US. I

wasn’t too excited to take this class, but I did because I need the credit. Now that it’s over, I’m

glad that I took this class. The professor was right when she said that we didn’t have to worry

about remembering specific dates, all we had to do was pay attention and reflect on how the

history of the American economy influences us to this day.