The idea that the war ended the depression is simply the “broken window fallacy” expanded to absurd dimensions. Anyone who lived all alone would never imagine that having a window broken is anything but a loss but those who live in cities can somehow imagine that the broken window is good for the “economy”.
I used to believe that line about the war ending the depression but as I grew older I came to realize that war only destroys, if you could end a depression by destroying lives and property it would be a very strange depression. It is amazing that some still believe it but then some people seem to be able to believe almost anything as long as it makes no sense whatsoever. Two and two makes four they cannot accept but have some charlatan tell them that three plus one makes thirteen and they are okay with that.
The reason the Depression ended here, was that pretty much at the end of WWII we were the only industrialized country that still had their infrastructure pretty much intact.
Yes. I truly fear that, since Obama has tried to emulate FDR's actions to such a degree, he will -- as a last-ditch effort to redeem himself on the economy -- find himself a war to start.