2. Setting the Scene
As early as 1940, FDR was preparing
citizens for war
He said that Axis nations such as Germany
posed a “direct threat to the security of the
US”
“We must be the great arsenal of
democracy
He asked businesses to support Britain’s
defense efforts or face the possibility of war
being waged on US soil
3. Setting the Scene
FDR knew that the outcome of the war
in Europe depended on the US’s ability
to produce the following:
Planes, tanks, guns, uniforms, and other war
materials for the Allies
4. Mobilizing the Armed
Forces
FDR knew that building up the military
was key
Defense spending went from $2 billion
to $10 billion in less than year
September of 1940, Congress passed
the Selective Training and Service Act
Required all males aged 21 to 36 to register
for military service
A limited number of men would be selected
from this pool to serve a year in the army
5. Four Freedoms
FDR gave this speech, outlining the
following freedoms that US troops would
be fighting for:
Freedom of speech and expression
Freedom of every person to worship God in
his own way
Freedom from want (need)
Freedom from fear
This speech was given January 6, 1941
8. The GI War
16 million Americans served
GI= “Government Issue”
Far from home
“What I’d give for a piece of blueberry
pie”
9. Diversity and Gender in Military
300,000 Mexican Americans served in
WWII
25,000 Native Americans
400 Navajo radio operators=“code talkers”
500,000 African Americans
Until 1942, African Americans were limited in
their role
As casualties increased, they were now
called into more active roles
Mostly segregated units
10. Women
350,000 American women volunteered
for military service
Officials used women in all areas except
combat
Clerks, typists, airfield control tower
operators, mechanics, photographers,
drivers, and ferrying planes around the
country
11. Preparing the Economy for War
US entered war when production levels
of the other Allies had dropped sharply
British and Soviet production was
affected by German bombing
Japanese attacks in Pacific threatened
to shut off rubber, oil, and tin supplies
FDR pushed industries to move quickly
into the production of war equipment
12. War Production
January, 1942: gov’t set up the War
Production Board
Directed the conversion of peacetime industries
into industries that produced war goods
Halted production of civilian goods such as cars,
lawn mowers, and many other products
○ Ford Motor Company built B-24 bombers instead
of cars, for example
Armed forces decided which companies would
receive contracts to manufacture military
hardware
13. Office of War Mobilization
Served as a super-agency in the
centralization of resources
Led by James Byrnes: he was often
called the “assistant president” due to
his decision-making powers
Some said Byrnes ran the country while
FDR ran the war
14. Business Incentives
Government established “cost-plus”
system for military contracts with
businesses
Military paid development and
production costs
Also added a percentage of costs as
profit for the manufacturer
15. Production Levels
By 1945, the US had produced:
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
WOW! That’s a lot of production!
“There’s a war on you know!”
16. Wartime Work Force
Massive unemployment levels dropped due
to need to produce!
Wages greatly increased as well (50%)
Union membership rose again: 1.5 million
workers joined unions in 1941
14.8 million total workers in unions
Workers and employers agreed to no
strikes during war
But as cost of living went up, strikes were
more common due to wages not matching
the COL
17. How does the US pay for the
War?
US Gov’t vowed to “spend
whatever was necessary” to
sustain the war effort
Federal spending went from
$8.9 billion in 1939 to $95.2
billion in 1945
GNP more than doubled in that
time
Overall spending of federal
gov’t between 1941-1945 was
about $321 billion
This was 10X as much as was
spent for WWI
18. How does the US pay for the
War?
Higher taxes paid for 41% of war costs
US Gov’t borrowed the rest of the
money from banks, private investors,
and general public
The US Treasury issued bonds to help
finance war, which brought in $186
billion
National debt went from $43 billion in
1940 to $259 billion in 1945
19. Daily life on the Home Front
30 million moved during war
Population grew by 7.5 million, high birth
rate, start of the “Baby Boom”
Better spirits w/ end of Depression
20. Daily life on the Home Front
Rationing of goods were put in place
Other items were just not available
Metal, nylon, rubber
Food supply was short of the demand
Supplies of sugar, tropical fruits, and
coffee were cut off due to enemy
occupation of foreign countries
21. Office of Price
Administration
Set up in April 1941
It’s job was to control inflation by limiting
prices and rents
Overall, the OPA was successful for the
most part: cost of living rose, but not as
bad as in WWI
Also oversaw rationing of goods such as:
Meat, butter, sugar, coffee, canned fruit, shoes,
gas
Consumers had coupon books with points to
use