Which of the following caused a recession in the years immediately following World War II? A surge in investment spending. Pent-up demand for consumer goods. Cutbacks in defense production. Technological advances.

The answer is cutbacks in defense production

One of the main reasons of the recession which was immediate after the world war 2 was the government's inability to produce anything as most expense was carried out in the event of the war which decreased the gross domestic product making the economy to fall into recession.

Cutbacks in defense production.

Explanation:

World War II refers to a global war that started in 1939 and ended in 1945.

The end of World War II was immediately followed by a recession known as the Recession of 1945.

The Recession of 1945 occurred as a result of the reduction in government spending especially on defense production like arms and ammunition due to demobilization and movement to peacetime from a wartime economy.

This resulted into an enormous fall in gross domestic product (GDP) and the US economy technically entered a recession.

Therefore, cutbacks in defense production caused a recession in the years immediately following World War II.