What significant global event coincided with the end of the Great Depression?

The end of the Great Depression, which was a severe worldwide economic downturn that lasted from the late 1920s until the late 1930s, coincided significantly with the onset of World War II. As countries around the globe were drawn into the conflict, there was a substantial mobilization of economies for war efforts, which created jobs and spurred industrial production. This shift from peacetime to wartime economies helped to catalyze recovery from the Great Depression.

In contrast, other events listed do not align with this specific timeframe. The Cold War began after World War II as ideological tensions escalated between the United States and the Soviet Union. The Korean War occurred in the early 1950s, well after the Great Depression had ended. The Great Recession, which began in late 2007, is a much more recent financial crisis and does not pertain to the historical context of the 1930s and 1940s. Thus, the beginning of World War II represents a critical turning point that directly aligns with the conclusion of the Great Depression.