<P> Using these cost - plus contracts in 1941--1943, factories hired hundreds of thousands of unskilled workers and trained them, at government expense . The military's own training programs concentrated on teaching technical skills involving machinery, engines, electronics and radio, preparing soldiers and sailors for the post-war economy . </P> <P> Structural walls were lowered dramatically during the war, especially informal policies against hiring women, minorities, and workers over 45 or under 18 . (See FEPC) Strikes (except in coal mining) were sharply reduced as unions pushed their members to work harder . Tens of thousands of new factories and shipyards were built, with new bus services and nursery care for children making them more accessible . Wages soared for workers, making it quite expensive to sit at home . Employers retooled so that unskilled new workers could handle jobs that previously required skills that were now in short supply . The combination of all these factors drove unemployment below 2% in 1943 . </P> <P> Roosevelt's declining popularity in 1938 was evident throughout the US in the business community, the press, and the Senate and House . Many were labeling the recession the "Roosevelt Recession". In late December 1938, Roosevelt looked to gain popularity with the American people, and try to regain the nation's confidence in the economy . His decision that December to name Harry Hopkins as Secretary of Commerce was an attempt to achieve the confidence he so badly needed . The appointment came as a surprise to most because of Hopkins' lack of business experience, but proved to be vastly important in shaping the years following the recession . </P> <P> Hopkins made it his mission to strengthen ties between the Roosevelt administration and the business community . While Roosevelt believed in complete reform (The New Deal), Hopkins took a more administrative position; he felt that recovery was imperative and that The New Deal would continue to hinder recovery . With support from Secretary of Agriculture Henry Wallace and Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau, Jr, popular support for recovery, rather than reform, swept the nation . By the end of 1938 reform had been struck down, as no new reform laws were passed . </P>

Which of these dates marked the beginning of the great depression