Mobilization Section 18.1

Mobilizing the Armed Forces FDR realizes (before U.S. entry) that we must strengthen the armed forces Selective Service Act (1940): required all males aged 21-36 to register for military service Increased Defense spending from $2 billion to $10 billion “Four Freedoms speech”: prepared Americans for the possibility of war and what we should be fighting for

Freedom of Speech Freedom to Worship

Freedom from want Freedom from fear

Who is the army? GI: “Government Issue” – +16 million serve in military 300,000 Mexican Americans 25,000 Native Americans (“Code Talkers”) 1 million African Americans – most had “supporting roles” End of the war (1944) AA’s are placed in combat positions Tuskegee Airmen – 1st African American flying unit

Tuskegee Airmen

U.S. Economy FDR had to coordinate the businesses to meet Allied demands War Production Board (WPB): directed the conversion of peacetime industries to wartime industries Office of War Mobilization: served as a “super agency”; coordinated all production of wartime resources

Examples Ford made B-24 Liberator bombers (used assembly line to mass produce) Henry Kaiser used mass production techniques in shipbuilding – cut time down from 200 days to 40 days – “Liberty Ships”

How do you motivate a business to change? “Cost-Plus” system (military contract): Military paid development and production costs and added a percentage of costs as profit for the manufacturer Pride and patriotism also motivated many businesses

Production By the end of 1945: 300,000 airplanes 80,000 landing craft 100,000 tanks and armored cars 5,600 merchant ships 6 million rifles, carbines and machine guns 41 billion rounds of ammunition

Financing the War U.S. gov’t. vowed to spend whatever was necessary Federal spending increased from $8.9 billion/yr. (1939) to $95.2 billion/yr. (1945) Overall, 1941-1945, gov’t. spent $321 billion – 10x as much as WWI

How do you pay for a costly war? 41% of the war paid by higher taxes Borrowed money from banks, private investors, and war bonds ($186 billion) Deficit spending help pull U.S. out of depression Also, boosted national debt from $43 billion to $259 billion

Daily Life on the Home Front Nearly everyone had a relative/ friend in the war Population grew by 7.5 million (nearly double the rate of the 1930’s) Baby Boomers

Shortages & Controls Shortages and rationing limited the goods that people could buy Metal from zippers could make guns Rubber from bike tires made army truck tires Nylon stockings could make parachutes

Food Shortages Food was needed for the military Also, enemy occupied territories cut off shipping to the U.S. (ex. Sugar, fruit, coffee…) Office of Price Controls (OPC): controlled inflation by limiting price and rents

Rationing Rationing: a fair distribution of scarce items OPA assigned point values to items such as sugar, coffee, meat, butter, canned fruit, and shoes Issued ration books of coupons – once you used up the points, you couldn’t receive anymore

Ration Coupons

Pop Culture What do you spend your money on since you can’t buy “scarce” items? Books and magazines Recordings of popular songs Go to a baseball game Go to the movies 60% of the population (growth of movie stars)

Enlisting Public Support FDR creates the Office of War Information to boost public morale Created posters and ads that stirred patriotic feelings Victory gardens: home vegetable garden planted to add to the home food supply – instead of buying farm produce that went to the military Recycled scrap metal, paper, etc.