US 1940s/50s Flashcards
What had car production risen to by 1955?
8 million (compared to two million in 1946)
How many shopping centres were there by 1960?
4000 (compared to 8 in 1945)
In the 1950s how many people moved out of cities?
18 million
Despite prosperity how many people lived below the poverty line? (1950s)
40 million
What was the FHA and how did it help veterans with mortgages?
• Federal Housing Authority
• 90% mortgages to veterans
When was pearl harbour and what happened?
• 1941
• Japanese planes destroyed US naval base in Hawaii
• more than 2400 Americans killed
What was lend lease and when was it passed?
• 1941
• allowed the government to lend war supplies to any nation vital to US defence
How much of the popular vote did FDR win in 1940?
• 54% (gone down since previous elections)
Who opposed US involvement in WW2?
• The American First Committee
formed in 1940
• estimated 800,000 members at its height
• Dissolved four days after Pear Harbour
When did FDR endorse war?
• 1941 after pearl harbour
• only one member of Congress voted against declaring war
What did the War Powers Act do?
• gave president sweeping powers to conduct war
• censorship allowed
• 1941
US resources going into WW2
• 60,000 enlisted immediately after Pearl Harbour
• military training facilities overwhelmed, not enough barracks or materials
• Basic training instilled a strong sense of discipline and was designed to build strength and stamina
What was Executive Order 9066?
• removed more than 400,000 Japanese Americans from society
• About 2/3 were citizens
• 1942
• in comparison, only 11,000 German Americans were interned, racism
How did Japanese Americans respond to Executive Order 9066?
• would put I am American signs on their shop windows
• Nisei (Japanese Americans) forces to sell homes, businesses, property (lost an estimated $2bn
• Interned in camps with horrible conditions (barbed wire enclosures, meagre food budget)
Who were the Tuskegee Airmen?
• All black combat unit 1941
• from may 1943-June 1945 they did not lose a single bomber
• given officer status which many southern congressmen did not like
• given better but still not equal treatment
What was the Double V campaign?
• 1942
• created by the Pittsburgh Courier, biggest selling black newspaper with sales of 20k nationwide
• promoted patriotism by encouraging people to buy war wonds
• called for victory over our enemies at home and victory over our enemies on the battlefields abroad
Randolph and the Fair employment Act
• Randolph - influential African American union leader
• Executive Order 8802 (1941) created the Fair Employment Practices Commission (FDR) which outlawed racial discrimination
• however, black Americans ended up in low paid jobs (40% rise in income compared to 60% for whites)
• Executive Order 9346 strengthened FEPC but it was abandoned by Congress in 1946
Who were the Navajo code talkers?
• 420 people used to transmit messages in the Pacific theatre
• code so complex it was never broken
• involving indigenous people in the war effort, but not many
How did the Detroit race riots occur and when?
• 1943
• Detroit, Michigan (car industry meant it was racially diverse)
• began at an integrated amusement park, fight between a black and white person - white sailors got involved in, then over 5000 whites joined
• lasted 3 days, FDR sent 6000 troops to occupy the city
• occupation lasted 6 months
Where did riots break out after the Detroit riots?
• Harlem, NYC 1943 - riots stopped by troops
• LA 1943 - conflicts between sailors on leave and Mexican Americans
• LA therefore made off limits to servicemen by military
What did the Office of War Information do and when was it established?
• 1942
• Controlled propoganda
• set up the Bureau of Motion Pictures and Bureau of Censorship to oversee Hollywood (1942)
How was radio used for propoganda in WW2
•Programmes like ‘Speaking of Liberty’ and ‘You can’t do business with Hitler’ (1941)
• imperative for up to date news with war correspondents
How was Hollywood important?
• Actors were exempt from combat duty but many joined anyway e.g James Stewert
• Actors sold and promoted war bonds
• Actors entertained servicemen in war zones e.g Marlene Dietrich
How was Disney important?
• during the war Disney were overtaken by the military and 90% of its workers were involved in making training films (Walt happy with this)
• 32 short films made, 68 hours of footage
• used its characters for propaganda, character merchandise with military insignia
How successful was Disney in the war?
• helped Hollywood achieve its highest figures ever
• Donald Duck in Der Fuhrer’s Face won best animation in 1943 Oscars
What other industries promoted patriotism in Hollywood?
• Warner Bros produced 262 films
• Dr Seuss creator produced films and received legion of merit
• other morale boosting films like Casablanca 1942
How was music crucial in boosting morale?
• age of swing and jazz e.g Glenn Miller and his band
• War became a theme - e.g 1941 Remember Pearl Harbour song by Sammy Kaye
• Frank Sinatra became a superstar
• reflected emotions of loss
How did the WPA boost morale during WW2? (Foundations established during new deal)
• employed 6,600 people made up of everyday professional people and famous writers
• launched Federal Writers Project which collected oral histories of African Americans and immigrants
• 1939-43 Federal Music Project and WPA music project have support to unemployed musicians
How did union membership increase by 1943?
• membership was 14.3m people, mostly part of American Federation of Labour
• resulted in wage increase by end of WW2
• United Mine Workers of America wanted higher wages - 500,000 people called out on strike 4 times
• reflects that morale wasn’t all high - hard working at home
What new industries emerged during WW2?
• Manhattan Project developed the atomic bomb, cost $2bn
• Aircraft production the largest single section of the war economy - $45bn
• Millions of jobs in textiles, chemicals, aluminium
What were liberty ships?
• Cargo ships that were prefabricated, by 1943 three entered service daily
• 5777 were built at a cost of $13bn
• led to development of electronics, radio, construction, weapons and close relationship between defence industries and American gov.
What did the War Production board do?
• ensured that the military had the resources it needed
• directed industrial output
• organised scrap drives(collecting cooking fats for glycerin, paper, iron, aluminium)
How did the American economy suffer during the war?
• US spent more than $321bn
• National debt increased by 600%
• Americans had to pay increased income tax
• by 1946 $185bn were sold
Employment figures during WW2
• by 1945 unemployment fell to 1.9%
• federal civilian employment more than tripled
US economic superpower post WW2
by 1947 the US was producing:
• 57% of the world’s steel
• 43% of world’s electricity
• 62% of world’s oil
US govt also helped create IMF (led the way in international finance)
