Theme 3.4 - The War and the economy 1941-45 Flashcards
Give an example of an agency responsible for the facilitation of economic expansion after the war
Office of War mobilization
What proportion of the population moved to work in war industries?
12%
How many tanks did the USA produce between 1941-45?
86,000
What happened to farmers income as a result of WW2?
Increased by 250%
What happened to production in farms during WW2?
Increased by 25% - More produced as more was needed
What was unemployment like in 1944 compared to that in 1940?
1944 - 1.2% 1940 - 13.9%
What proportion of America was unemployed in 1944?
1.2%
How many women entered the workforce in 1944?
6.5 million
What proportion of women were employed by the end of the war?
Almost 60%
What happened to the employment of Black Americans working for the federal government in 1939 compared to 1944?
1939 - 50,000 1944 - 200,000
How many black people moved to cities between 1940-1944?
5 million - millions finding jobs in the defence plants
What happened to the GNP between 1939-45?
Rose from $91.3 billion in 1939 to $166.6 billion in 1945
What proportion of teenage boys found work in some capacity?
66%
How did the war affect the number of teenagers in the workplace?
Increased by 1.9 million teenagers.
1940 - 900,000 14-18-year-olds employed.
Spring 1944 - 3 million (1/3 of the age group)
How did the war affect teenagers in schools?
Fell from 6.6 million in 1940 to 5.6 million in 1944.
Seen as irrelevant in the uncertain times of the wartime world.
Led to the 1944 - back to school drive
How did the national debt change between 1941 and 1945?
1941 - $41 billion
1945 - $260 billion
Spent twice as much between 1941-1945 as the previous 150 years.
What was tax like on incomes over $200,000?
94% tax.
How did the number of taxpayers change between 1940-1945?
1940 - 7 million
1944 - 42 million.
What proportion of government income was from war bonds?
50%
They were enthusiastically promoted by celebrities on nationwide tours.
What did the Smith Act do?
- 1940
- made illegal to threaten to overthrow the government
What did the Selective Service Act do?
- 1940
- introducing conscription initially men 21-35
- extended to men 18-45 after the outbreak of war
When and why was the Office of War Mobilisation set up?
- May 1943
- control production, food prices and rents.
- Rationed meat, sugar and petrol
- car production stopped
- clothes were simplifies and restricted
How were average incomes effected by WW2?
- wages doubled 24% - 44%
- prices of products increased 28%
- 1945 - nationally people had saved $140 billion
Give 4 examples of agencies the government set up
- Office of War Mobilisation - controlling production from 1943
- War production Board - 1941 - supervising $183 billion worth of weapons and supplies - 40% of world supply
- Office of Price Administration and Civilian Supply - 1941 to control inflation - 1942 set up General Maximum Price regulation - 90% food was subject to price controls
- National War Labor Board - 1942 - settle industrial disputes and determine wages said rises shouldn’t exceed 15% - Furthered by Emergency Stabilisation Act - trying to limit rise offering holidays and other benefits.
How many servicemen and women were called to find work?
- 15 million
- By end of war 1/8 had moved to find work - most south to north.
- Estimated 27 million moved during the war.
- rural populations decreased. - 29%
- Eg. California pop rose 72%
How was the divorce rate affected by the war?
rose 20%
How many dropped out of high school due to the war?
1 million betweem 1940-44
In need of work and a general fear of the loss of deference
Explain the baby boom during WW2
- Population rose by 6.5 million
- Furlough babies - the result of servicemen on leave
How were labour unions effected by WW2?
- Membership rose 10.5 million to 14.75 million
- American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organisation supported the war effector
- Agreeing non-binding pledges would help avoid strikes.
- So any industrial disputes to be taken to the National war Labor Board.
- 400,000 coal miners went on 12-week strike.
- combatted by Smith-Connally War Labour Disputes Act - 1943 - allow gov to control essential industry
Give an example of new industries within America
- Japan had cut off 90% of USA supply to natural rubber
- So 1944 USA converted petrol to synthetic rubber
- By 1945 - 51 plants were in operation
- By the end of the war USA became the largest exporter of synthetic rubber in the world.
How did the Pharmaceutical industry change due to WW2?
- 1942 - government gave 60 companies funding to begin mass production of penicillin
- Became most profitable in the world
- Firm Pfizer - developed fermentation technique using huge tanks
- When factor opened in Brooklyn they produce more penicillin in one month than they had in the previous year.
Give examples of the growth of the military-industrial complex during WW2
- National income from 1.5% in 1937 to 50% in 1945.
- As 2/3 steel mills were idle they had the capacity for growth
- 33% economy devoted to war production
- supply 50% all weaponry to allies
- in 1943 Tehran Conference Jospeh Stalin acknowledge the war would have been lost without US weaponry.
- Car production shift to planes and tanks - Detroit produced 20% aircraft engines.
