World War II lasted from 1939 until 1945. The vast majority of the world’s nations participated in this global war, eventually forming two opposing alliance’s, the Allies and the Axis. As the most widespread war in history, more than 100 million people from 30 different countries were directly involved. The major participants threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities into the war effort, which blurred the lines between civilian and military resources. The war resulted in an estimated 50 million to 85 million fatalities, making World War II the deadliest conflict in history (Sommerville 5). The United States entered World War II on December 7, 1941 following the attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii by the Japanese. Prior to their …show more content…
After the entrance of the United States into World War II following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States was thrust into a state of total war; a state in which, according to Merriam Webster’s Dictionary, all participants in the mobilize all civilian and military resources to win the war. During the War, the government increased taxes and borrowed a lot of money. Congress lower the minimum income to pay taxes, which meant that more people were paying taxes and tax revenue was increasing; by 1944 almost every employed person in the Unites States was paying federal taxes, whereas 10% were paying taxes in 1940 (Perrett 300). Roosevelt, the president at this time, imposed a cap on executive salaries to companies who had government contracts. The government also took to rationing. The government started the rationing program in 1942 in order to guarantee a minimum about of necessities was given to everyone and to avoid inflation. The first item to be rationed was tires in January of 1942 due to a decrease of rubber supply, which was the effect of Japan’s annexation of the many South Pacific islands. By