America WW2 & 1950s Flashcards
when did the lend lease programme begin?
1941
what was the lend lease programme?
america sent food, arms, medicine and other supplies to britain during the war which would then be given back after the war.
by the end of WW2, how many dollars worth of supplies had been shipped abroad from the USA?
$50.1 billion
why did lend lease stimulate the economy?
the goods required american firms to make them so certain businesses were back in business
by 1944, how many of the weapons being produced world wide originated in america?
nearly 50%
did leading industrialists support or oppose FDR’s economic policies during the war?
support
what did FDR set up to meet war production needs? and when?
The War Production Board 1942
why did wartime production help stimulate the economy?
making supplies required workers so it created jobs. workers used their wages to buy goods which stimulated other companies.
how many extra workers did General Motors take in 1914-45?
0.75 million/750,000
how many new businesses were set up during WW2?
500,000
name two businesses that became rich as a result of WW2
coca cola
wrigleys
what were war bonds?
american people paid war bonds to the government to fund the war. these were paid back at the end of the war with interest.
how much did americans spend on war bonds during the war?
$129 billion
what did the war do that FDR’s new deal failed to do?
end unemployment
how many african americans were conscripted or joined the armed forces during the war?
1 million
what impact did the lack of segregation in britain have on african americans who were stationed there during the war?
they realised the fault in jim crow laws
they began to question their country’s policies
how many african americans were employed in factories producing war materials by 1944?
2 million
what significant difference did africans americans notice when moving from the south to the north?
they saw segregation was not as enforced in northern states
what impact did the lack of segregation in the north have on african americans?
their expectations for rights changed - they no longer wanted to be treated as second class citizens and wanted the same rights as white americans.
which agency was set up in the 40s for coloured people?
National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP) - campaigned for equal rights
by the end of the war, from which number to which number had NAACP membership grown from?
from 50,000 to 500,000 members
what proportion of workers in munitions factories were women after 1941?
1/2
how many women joined the Women’s Army Corps during the war?
200,000
during the war, the percentage of married women working went up by how much?
35% to 50% between 1941 and 1945