1. WWII: The Home front

2. Just like in WWI, the govt
Just like in WWI, the govt. created special agencies to mobilize economic and military resources
War Production Board (WPB) managed war industries
Office of War Mobilization (OWM) set production priorities, controlled raw materials
Office of Price Administration (OPA) regulated almost every aspect of citizens’ lives
Froze prices, wages, rents
Rationed meat, gas, tires, sugar
Mobilization

3. Mobilization Federal spending increased 1000% between 1939-1945
GDP grew by 15% or more each year during that time
WWII proved what the New Deal could not: the govt. could spend its way out of a depression
National debt reached $250 billion
Five times what it was in 1941
Mobilization

4. U.S. industries during the war far exceeded the production and profits of the 1920s
1944: unemployment virtually disappears
War-related industrial output in the U.S. alone was twice that of all the Axis powers combined
The war concentrated production in the largest corporations
100 largest corporations accounted for 70% of wartime manufacturing
Business & Industry

5. Research & Development
Office of Research and Development established to contract scientists and universities to help develop new technologies
Radar and sonar
Medicines
Jet engines
Rockets
The Manhattan Project
Many European scientists who fled Fascist persecution were the same ones who would contribute to its defeat
After the war, many Nazi scientists were recruited by the U.S. government for R&D purposes
Research & Development

6. Financing the War Govt. paid for its huge increase in spending by:
Increasing the income tax
Selling war bonds
For the first time, most Americans were required to pay an income tax
Shortage of consumer goods made it easier for Americans to save
Financing the War

7. Few people opposed the war- propaganda was intended to maintain public morale
Encourage people to conserve resources and industries to increase production
Office of War Information controlled news about troop movements and battle
Movies, radio, popular music all supported/were patriotic of the war
Wartime propaganda

8. The War’s impact on society: African Americans
1.5 million African Americans left the south, over a million went to serve
Still faced discrimination and segregation
Civil rights leaders adopted the “Double V” slogan- victory over fascism abroad and victory for equality at home
Membership of the NAACP increased and the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) was established in 1942
After threats of a protest march on D.C., Roosevelt issued an executive order prohibiting discrimination in government and in businesses receiving federal contracts
The War’s impact on society: African Americans

9. The War’s Impact on Society: Mexican Americans
Many worked in the defense industries, over 300,000 served in the military
1942 agreement allowed Mexican farmworkers to enter the U.S. during the harvest season without going through formal immigration
Sudden influx of Mexican immigrants in Los Angeles led to the so-called Zoot Suit Riots in the summer of 1943
The War’s Impact on Society: Mexican Americans

10. The War’s Impact on Society: Native Americans
Approx. 250,000 served in the military
Thousands more served in defense industries
Many were recruited as code talkers, helping the U.S. communicate sensitive information to the Allies during the war
The War’s Impact on Society: Native Americans

11. The War’s Impact on Society: Japanese Americans
20,000 served loyally in the military
Suffered from their association with a wartime enemy
Suspected of being spies and saboteurs
Many people feared a Japanese invasion of the West Coast
The War’s Impact on Society: Japanese Americans

12. The War’s Impact on Society: Japanese Americans
1942: these irrational fears over the Japanese led the U.S. govt. to order over 100,000 Japanese Americans on the West Coast into internment camps
Nearly all were native-born Americans, and had no political or military ties to the Japanese Empire
In Korematsu v. U.S. (1944), the Supreme Court upheld Japanese internment as justified in wartime
1988: U.S. govt. formally apologizes and agrees the ruling was unjust, awards living citizens and their families financial compensation
The War’s Impact on Society: Japanese Americans

13. The War’s Impact on Society: Women
Over 200,000 served in noncombat roles in the military
A labor shortage created by men leaving for war caused many women to take these vacated jobs
5 million entered the workforce, especially in industrial jobs
Married women in the workforce increased to 24%
Still received pay well below male factory workers
The War’s Impact on Society: Women

14. Many people felt in a war emergency, there should be no change in leadership
Roosevelt receives the Democratic nomination for a fourth time
Roosevelt chose a new vice presidential running mate in Harry S. Truman
Roosevelt’s health problems are becoming more uncertain by this time
Election of 1944

15. Republican candidate Thomas Dewey couldn’t offer any real alternative to FDR’s leadership or popularity
FDR won 53% of the popular vote and an overwhelming majority of the electoral vote (432-99)
FDR was elected to an unprecedented fourth term, but would only live for less than three months after his inauguration
Election of 1944

16. What happened to the economy during the war
What happened to the economy during the war? What was business and industry like?
What was wartime propaganda intended to do?
How did Native Americans contribute to the war effort?
What happened to thousands of native-born Japanese Americans during the war? What did the Supreme Court decide in Korematsu v. U.S. (1944)?
Why was the election of 1944 significant? ?