Factors behind the boom: The First World War Flashcards
What did the USA try and do during WWI?
Stay out of it
When did the USA finally join the war effort?
In 1917
What did Americans do throughout the war?
- Lent money to the Allies
- Sold arms and munitions to Britain and France
- Sold massive amounts of food to Britain and France
What did this one-way trade give the USA?
A real economic boost (because it was selling/exporting a LOT of goods)
What did America do whilst the war was raging in Europe?
Took over Europe’s trade around the world (America’s exports to European colonies increased during the war)
How did the war help America’s chemical industry?
America’s main rival in chemical industries before WWI. was Germany.
The war stopped Germany’s chemical industry in its tracks.
What else was produced during wartime?
Plastics and other new materials
Give an example of an early plastic
Bakelite
Why was Bakelite useful?
- It did not conduct electricity
- It was resistant to heat
Therefore useful in sauce-pan handles, electrical plugs and switches
Which technology developed rapidly during WWI?
Aircraft
After the war, what happen to aircraft technology?
It was applied to civilian air travel
How many civilian airlines existed after WWI?
Almost none
How many civilian flights were being flown by 1930?
162,000
What have some historians called the growth at this time?
America’s second industrial revolution
Did the war hurt or help the American economy?
Helped it
