The People and the State (J410/06) - The impact of the Second World War on…

The idea

This topic examines how the Second World War changed the relationship between the US people and the federal state. Learn the mobilisation of people through propaganda campaigns and war production, and how this ended the Depression by creating jobs. Study the growth of government and Presidential powers, including control of wages and prices, and how the population responded to US involvement. Cover the social impact: rationing, tax on luxuries, housing shortages and rising divorce. Then learn women's role in the war effort, Japanese internment, the war as a foundation for the Civil Rights movement, the Detroit Race Riots of 1943, segregation within the military, Executive Order 8802 and the desegregation of US troops in 1948. For multiple-choice questions, match each fact to its precise cause or consequence.

What earns the marks

• Identifies propaganda campaigns as a method of mobilising the US people for the war effort.
• Explains that war production created jobs and helped end the Depression.
• Describes increased government and Presidential powers, including control of wages and prices.
• States that rationing, tax on luxuries, housing shortages and rising divorce formed part of the social impact of war.
• Recognises women's contribution to the war effort as a distinct theme.
• Identifies Japanese internment as a wartime policy affecting civil liberties.
• Links the war to the foundation of the Civil Rights movement.
• Places the Detroit Race Riots in 1943.
• Identifies segregation within the military as a wartime feature.
• Matches Executive Order 8802 to its role in fair employment.
• Dates the desegregation of US troops to 1948.

Common mistakes and how to put them right

• Confuses the end of the Depression with the start of the war.

  Put it right: War production created jobs that ended the Depression.

• Places the Detroit Race Riots in the wrong year.

  Put it right: Keep 1943 firmly attached to them.

• Mixes up Executive Order 8802 with the 1948 desegregation of troops.

  Put it right: Treat them as separate events.

• Assumes all social impacts were positive.

  Put it right: Include rationing, housing shortages and rising divorce.

Exam tips

• Read the whole question before choosing, because options often differ by one date or one policy name.
• Attach each key term to its exact year or order, such as 1943 for Detroit and 1948 for desegregation.
• Eliminate options that describe a different clause of the topic, such as propaganda instead of internment.
• Check whether the question asks for a cause, a consequence or a feature before selecting.