America and Georgia
In World War II
What started WWII?
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Germany- WWI treaty punished the
country, economic problems
Hitler- came to power, promised a
return to German greatness
Rebuilding a German Empire
Japan- wanted an empire, land in
southeast Asia and coast of China
Where the war was fought:
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European Theater: Eastern Europe
and then throughout Europe
-GERMANY and Italy invade the
entire European continent
Pacific Theater: Asia, Pacific,
Islands, China- JAPAN
Axis Powers
Allied Powers
FDR, Josef Stalin, and Winston Churchill
Harry Truman, Stalin and Churchill
US Involvement
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Isolationism: US belief/strategy to
keep to itself- not involve itself in
world issues and affairs.
Stayed out of WWII for quite awhile(until the bombing at Pearl Harbor)
Lend Lease Act
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FDR and Congress passed act to be able
to lend war materials to countries that
were important to our interests.
German u-boats began sinking American
merchant ships.- (several off GA- SSI
and Cumberland)
FDR ordered to “shoot on sight”
Attack on Pearl Harbor
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December 7, 1941
Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor,
Hawaii
Brought US into the war- became
part of the ALLIES
Over 2,300 killed and 19 ships
destroyed
“A date which will live in infamy”
The end of the
depression
Men in the Military
Women were in the workforce
Factories making war products
The European Theater
The Holocaust and Liberating the
Concentration Camps
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Hitler’s plan was to “purify” the German
race by removing undesirables.
concentration camps and then
• killed them in gas chambers
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Over 6 million Jews died
An estimated 11 million people died in
the camps
This was the Holocaust
Allied forces liberated a number of the
camps
Georgia and World War II
1940-still in depression, most still
work on farms
War Effort:
 1- Servicemen
 2-Manufacturing/War Supplies
 3-Military Training
 4-Crops and Supplies
Economy Improves!
Georgia’s Military
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Over 300,000 Georgia men and women served
in the military during the war.
Almost 7,000 of them died.
Liberty Ships
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Brunswick and Savannah
Between 1943-44 99 built in Bwk
Employed 16,000 people
Quickly built, assembly line
“throwaways”, “ugly ducklings”
Cargo ships- supplies, men, weapons
Famous people:
• Henry Grady
• Howard Coffin
Glynco Naval Air Station
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This area is now known as FLETC.
Only Naval station to house every type of
aircraft
Largest blimp base in the world
Blimps looked for German U-boats and
escorted Allied ships
Bell Bomber Aircraft Company
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Marietta, GA 1943
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Largest aircraft assembly plant in world
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Built B-29 bombers (665 of them)
Employed: from 1,179 to over
17,000 by the end of the war
Women- Rosie the Riveter
Major defense plant in US
Now Lockheed Martin
Training Allied Troops in GA
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GA and Texas had the most training facilities
Camp Stewart
Camp Gordon
Fort Benning
Warner Robbins
Southern Fields
How GA got so many military
camps:
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Lots of open unused land, good climate
Active and powerful leaders:
Carl Vinson- US Congressman from
Georgia for over 50 yrs, helped create US
AIR FORCE and Navy in the Pacific, helped
bring military to GA
Richard Russell- US Senator from GA:
over 40 yrs, past governor of GA,
supported strong military, supported
federal farm relief, rural electrification,
National School Lunch Act
Leaders saw this as a way to help Ga.
economically
Camp Stewart
Now called Fort Stewart
Near Savannah
Anti-aircraft training
Lots of land- live ammunition
50,000 troops
280,000 acres- 5 counties
Camp Gordon
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Augusta
Largest communication center in the
world
Fort Benning
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Columbus, GA
Largest infantry training post in the
world
Warner Robins
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Air Force Base
15,000 civilian employees
Southern Fields
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Western GA- near Americus
German Prisoner of War Camp
Propaganda
Georgia’s Wartime Economy
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Economy is still rooted in agriculturediversified a little- dairy, food crops
Largest form of manufacturing is textiles
Coca-Cola won a government contract to
supply Coke to the soldiers in Europe
• Bottling plants were built in Europe and the
Pacific
Social and Economic Impact of the War
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Two oil tankers were sunk off the coast of
SSI by German u-boats
People collected and donated items like
scrap metal and rubber to help make
weapons and other equipment.
Victory gardens were planted to help
families at home and troops overseas
Ration cards were issued by the
government on such items as gas, rubber
tires, and meat & sugar.
V-E Day
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Victory in Europe Day
Germany surrenders
May 8, 1945
The Atomic Bomb
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The B-29 bomber known as the Enola
Gay dropped an atomic bomb on
Hiroshima in Japan
Three days later, a second a-bomb was
dropped on Nagasaki, also in Japan
Over 110,000 people were killed
immediately and more than 100,000
others died within a few months from
radiation exposure
Hiroshima
Nagasaki
V-J Day
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Victory over Japan Day
Japan surrenders
August 14, 1945
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After Hiroshima and Nagasaki
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Postwar Georgia
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Baby Boom – A period in time of major
increases in the number of births. Usually
happens after wars. (1946-1964)
Men coming home from war looking for jobs.
Moved to cities for more opportunities.
Population Trends in GA
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Between the 1930s and 1960s the
population in the rural areas dropped
significantly as more people moved into
the cities looking for good paying jobs.
Folks that came from other states to GA,
moved into the urban areas due to the
industries that were springing up.
Changes in Business & Industry
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The average GA yearly income tripled
from 1940-1950
The number of white collar workers grew
from 20% in 1940 to 33% in 1960
The 3 major counties of metropolitan
Atlanta grew as did Savannah (due to the
port)
The automobile industry grew as did the
textile industry
Labor unions began to form after WWII to
make sure people had good working
conditions
Changes in Agriculture
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Mechanization
• Tractors replaced sharecroppers
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Dairy & Livestock
• Increase in meat and dairy products during WWII
• Poultry is the largest industry in GA
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Poultry accounts for half of the state's $4 billion farm
income. Its economic impact in Georgia is $13.5 billion. On
an average day, the state produces 24.7 million pounds of
chicken meat and 8.2 million table eggs.
Improved Farming Methods
• New crops that produced better
• New chemicals to control weeds & pests
• Better organization of farms
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Crop Diversity
• Peanuts, soybeans, & tobacco = 27%
• Cotton = 2.5%
• Poultry farming and livestock = 50%
Growth of Atlanta
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Transportation
• Atlanta
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Hub for railroads
I-75, I-20, & I-85 all intersected here
• Interstate highway system
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Hartsfield Airport
• Home of Delta Airlines
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MARTA (Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit
Authority)
Lake Sidney Lanier
• New source of water for Atlanta area
Major League Sports
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Falcons, Hawks, Braves
Huge VENUE- brings in people
Shows that city is large enough to
support sports and therefore large
enough to support industry, visitors,
economy
Atlanta’s Political Leadership
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William Hartsfield
• Atlanta’s longest serving mayor
• Developed the Atlanta airport
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Serves more than 78 million passengers
annually
• Supported the Atlanta zoo
• Reformed the city’s police and fire
departments
Politics in WWII Georgia
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Board of Regents Controversy- “Cocking Affair”
• Involved Governor Eugene Talmadge
• He tried to get rid of educators that
promoted integrating the state’s schools
• The Board of Regents would not fire people
just because Talmadge said so
• Talmadge then forced two members of the
board to resign and replaced them with
people who did what he said
• Due to Talmadge’s involvement and the firing
of two college professors, the Southern
Association of Colleges and Secondary
Schools took away GA’s accreditation in the
public school system
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Governor Ellis Arnall
• Replaced Talmadge
• Promised to reform state
government
• Established the Dept. of Corrections
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Abolished chain gangs and severe
punishment
• Formed the Board of Pardons and
Paroles
• Changed the voting age from 21 to
18
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GA was the first state to let 18-yearolds vote
Three Governor’s Controversy
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Eugene Talmadge ran for governor again
in 1946
• Campaigned on a white supremacy platform
• Talmadge won the election but died before
taking office
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Herman Talmadge, Eugene’s son,
received a number of write-in votes and
declared himself the new governor
M.E. Thompson, the Lieutenant Governor
declared himself the governor
Ellis Arnall said he was still the governor
since no one had been sworn in yet
Controversy Continued
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Herman’s supporters broke into the governor’s
office and changed the locks
• Ellis couldn’t get into his office
• Herman’s supporters said he was the new governor
and gave him the keys to the office
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Ellis set up a temporary office at the
information booth of the Capitol building
Lt. Governor Thompson set up a governor’s
office in a nearby building
The GA Supreme Court ruled Thompson the
official governor
Upon a new election, Herman Talmadge beat
Thompson and became the governor
Politics
The county unit system, that favored the
small rural counties, was ruled
unconstitutional in the early 60s.
• This changed the face of GA politics