Review form Part I...
Message? Meaning? Symbolism?
Review form Part I...
Message? Meaning? Symbolism?
Review form Part I...
Message? Meaning? Symbolism?
ARSENAL
OF
DEMOCRACY
“We must be the great arsenal of
democracy” -FDR
Objective…
Describe how President Roosevelt’s
initiatives mobilized the U.S. for war.
Following Pearl Harbor the single greatest challenge
facing FDR is meeting the challenge of all out war
production.
17) The War Powers Act…
• Gives FDR the power to…
– Reorganizes federal government
– Creates new agencies
– Censors information
– Abridges civil liberties
– Seizes foreign property
– Awards government contracts
1942: U.S. production = Italy, Germany & Japan
1944: 2 X greater
Financing the War:
• U.S. cost: $341 billion
• More than all U.S. budgets from 1789-1941
• 15 X cost of WW I
How do we raise the money?...
Bugs Bunny War Bond Cartoon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KI8jKZ9HH3U&NR=1
• Price Control Act of 1942 or
“cost plus system”...
The Pentagon (1942)
HQ: U.S. Dept. of Defense
World’s largest office building
17.5 miles of corridors
26, 000 employees
Most efficient office building… 7 min between two points
Mobilizing:
18) Explain how the federal wartime
agencies focused the war effort…
- Supply Priorities Allocation Board
- Office of Price Administration (OPA)…
- National War Labor Board
- Office of War Information
- Office of Strategic Services
Mobilizing:
Supply Priorities & Allocation Board…
– Allocates & controls the resources
needed for war
– Limits consumer products
Office of Price Administration (OPA)…
- Prevent inflation & ration consumer goods.
- Rationing: Tires, autos, sugar, gas, fuel oil,
coffee, meats & other foods
Rationing…
Ride Sharing...
Mobilizing:
• National War Labor Board…
– Worked for cooperation between labor & management
– Limited wages & strikes
– Supported: 8 hr day, unionism, gender equity pay for
& employee grievance procedures
Mobilizing: Domestic Propaganda
Propaganda Messages: Get a job; Work hard;
Recycle; Sacrifice; Buy Bonds; Remain Silent
• Office of War Information…
- Words, posters & films to win the hearts &
minds of Americans
Daffy Duck propaganda film
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ngETXxI5pg
• Office of Strategic Services (OSS)…
-Collects & analyzes information about
countries at war with the U.S.
- Organized sabotage & espionage in other
countries
1) The size of the federal
government during the war…
- The size of government
compared with the New Deal Era...
2) The effect of the war on the
national budget & defense
spending….
3) What was the fate of the
New Deal?...
Objectives…
• Describe how FDR’s call to make
America the “arsenal of democracy”
affected the economy.
• Describe how FDR’s call to make
America the “arsenal of democracy”
affected the economy, female workers,
minority workers and organized labor.
4) What advantages gave the US the
potential to out produce the enemy?...
The War Production Board…
How effective was it?...
The War Production Board…
“Responsibility for the economy”
•
•
•
•
Created 17M jobs
Factories operate 24 / 7
50% of GNP = war goods
GNP:
1939: $88.6B
1944: $198.7B
Arsenal of Democracy
Military Production Totals for 1940-1945
•
•
•
•
250,000 planes
80,000 landing craft
650,000 artillery pieces
15M rifles
•
•
•
•
100,000 armored cars
75,000 tanks
3m. tons bombs
41M rounds ammo
Ship building:
1941: 355 days………..1945: 14 days
Willow Run Bomber Plant
1 mile assembly line - 42,000 employees
Hiding the Lockheed Plant…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgFJKtznKMo
A. Supply Priorities & Allocation Board
B. Office of War Information
C. Price Control Act of 1942
D. OSS
E. The War Production Board
F. National War Labor Board
1. Organized sabotage & espionage in other countries
2. Allocates & controls the resources needed for war
3. Responsibility for the war economy
4. Collects & analyzes information about countries at war with the U.S.
5. Worked for cooperation between labor & management Limited wages & strikes
6. Waged a constant battle for the hearts and minds of Americans
Describe how economic
conversion affected the US
economy…
•The Great Depression is over
•1942- 45 the GNP doubles
•Unemployment becomes under employment:
1941: 9.9%
1945: 1.2%... 17millon new jobs
•Man power shortages in industry
5) Describe how defense
production affected the various
geographic regions of the
country…
• CA 40B in defense funds - 10% of total
• S to N or W…. Detroit & CA
• Southern textiles boom
• Sharecroppers to factories
• Rural pop. Down 20%
• U.S. middle class doubles
7) Groups experiencing
new employment
opportunities…
Objectives…
• Describe how FDR’s call to
make America the “arsenal of
democracy” affected female
workers.
8) Employment opportunities for
females…
- Changing & challenging
stereotypes…
9) The dual message being
communicated to women by the
government…
Female Workers
• Female labor + 50%
• White women 35+ & married become
the majority employed
• AA women: From domestic work to
manufacturing jobs
• National War Labor Board promotes:
= work = pay… Reality is that
women are paid less
10) Rosie the Riveter
Objective…
Describe how FDR’s call to make
America the “arsenal of democracy”
affected minority workers.
Minority Workers….
• Mexicans: – Agriculture & ship building
• African Americans: Up 33% in industrial work
• Native Americans
Objective…
Describe how FDR’s call to make
America the “arsenal of democracy”
affected organized labor.
11) What economic factors compromised
the prosperity of workers?...
13) How did unionism benefit from the
policies of the NWLB?...
14) What was a “hate strike”...
How effective?...
15) How did the size, gender & racial makeup of labor unions change during the war
years?
Recruiting women workers…