Unit 7: Topic 12 - World War II: Mobilization Flashcards
How was WWII a “total war” and what was its effect on the American economy?
WWII was a total war because the US leveraged all of its military and domestic resources to obtain a complete victory. Due to the mass mobilization of American society, federal spending massively increased, industry boomed, and GDP increased by 15%, ultimately pulling America out of the Great Depression.
What is the Office of War Mobilization?
The Office of War Mobilization (1943) was formed during WWII by FDR to supervise government agencies involved with the war and to coordinate the economic production and distribution of civilian and military goods. The result of this planned mobilization was a massive increase in goods produced for the war.
What is the War Production Board?
The War Production Board (1942) was an agency created during WWII by FDR to regulate the production of materials and to ensure that factories received the materials needed to operate. The result of this was the transition from civilian industry to large-scale war production. However, the War Production Board lacked authority so the Office of War Mobilization (1943) was later created to maximize industrial and economic resources for war.
What is the Office of War Information?
As men left to fight in WWII, the morale back home was addressed by the Office of War Information (1942), which promoted the conservation of resources by creating posters and radio shows to increase support for the war. The propaganda they created encouraged Americans to participate in the war effort and controlled the information Americans received on the war.
How did American women respond to morale and labor shortages at home as men left to go fight in WWII?
Labor shortages in factories during WWII were resolved by expanding the labor force in factories to women. The famous Rosie the Riveter poster showed how women were strong and necessary for the war effort, encouraging women to join the workforce.
How did the United States expand its military with African-American soldiers during WWII?
During WWII, about one million soldiers were African-Americans. As Black Americans participated in the war, they brought race issues to the national level and raised the status of Black Americans back home. Although black regiments were segregated from white regiments, they still brought respect and honor. For example, the Tuskegee Airmen was a fully black regiment but earned recognition for flying in for almost 1600 combat missions.
What is the NAACP and the Double V Campaign?
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) made efforts to end discrimination in the military and strived to achieve equity, political rights, and social inclusion for people of color. The NAACP encouraged black Americans to participate in the Double V Campaign which was a slogan encouraging African Americans to win the fight against fascism abroad while also gaining the victory of equality at home.
What is the Selective Service Act of 1940?
The Selective Service Act of 1940 was the first peacetime military draft in the U.S. and it required all men between the age of 21-45 to register for the draft. This effectively expanded the military and increased enlistment that was needed to fight in WWII.
What was the Japanese relocation that occurred during WWII?
The large population of Japanese Americans on the west coast combined with WWII led to an increased fear of Japanese spies and sabotage. This resulted in President FDR passing Executive Order 9066 which authorized the government to relocate over 100,000 Japanese Americans into internment camps, even if they held American citizenship.
This forcibly removed families from their homes and caused massive losses to personal property under the excuse that Japanese Americans were a threat.
What is Korematsu v. U.S. (1944)?
Fred Korematsu was a Japanese American who refused to relocate during WWII, stating that the wartime internment of Japanese Americans was a violation of civil liberties. He was arrested and his case made it to the Supreme Court in Korematsu v. U.S. (1944). The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) represented Korematsu, stating that the relocation was unconstitutional and violated the Fifth Amendment. However, the Supreme Court upheld Japanese relocation, ruling that it was constitutional and was a necessity to prevent danger.
In 1988, the U.S. government formally apologized, offering $20,000 in reparation payments to Japanese-Americans who were sent to the WWII internment camps.
How did Mexican Americans help in fighting WWII?
During WWII, Mexican Americans joined the war with 300,000 deployed for duty. Many soldiers were agricultural workers, and because they were leaving their farms, the Bracero Program (1942) was passed to permit millions of Mexican men to migrate to the U.S. and legally work with short-term labor contracts.
