WWII Homefront Quiz Flashcards
Name ten things needed when a country goes to war.
- weapons
- Navy
- ammo
- soldiers
- nukes
- food and water
- leadership
- defenses
- manpower
- money
How did the US meet the requirement of a supply of soldiers in WWII?
They were acquired through drafting and volunteers.
How were food and water handled by the US during the war?
There were canteens for water and the food meals were canned.
What were some of the forms of shelter used in WWII by the US?
barracks and tents
What healthcare resources needed to be filled for the war?
nurses, first aid medics, medicine
What forms of transportation were used in the war by the US?
planes, ships, portable weapons
What was the US’s debt after WWII?
$560 billion
What happened to the US national debt money after time passed?
Most of the money was paid back off by the 1950s. The money from WWII is not part of today’s big debt.
What kind of man was Roosevelt?
A committee man
What are characteristics of Roosevelt as a committee men?
- He likes to say we should form a committee because this isn’t our first big issue,
- We already had the Depression, and made the new Deal, created all the agencies in committees.
- Turns the war issue into small, solvable, manageable problems.
- Makes agencies to meet needs and solve some problems
Who was head of Office of War Mobilization?
James Byrnes
What was the objective of the Office of War mobilization?
to help businesses transition from making consumer goods to war goods.
What is the local connection to the Office of War mobilization?
Bethlehem Steel was making steel girders to make high risers in NYC in 1920s and 1930s. Once war got on, they used steel to make ships, tanks and thin plate metal in big sheets for these wartime goods.
How did the economic manufacturing procedures change after the Office of War mobilization was created?
This requires a change of how they go about things-fixing assembly lines, retooling equipment.
Even with the changes of manufacturing industrial goods to wartime goods, what was still the main goal of the workers?
Making money
What was the cost-plus system?
government would pay cost that you would need to transition your business because they could lose money doing that for war, the system also had a percentage they gave extra for a profit to reward businesses for making transitions, takes any negative incentive away for a business to change.
What was the issue of the cost-plus system?
that the government doesn’t do anything after the war, and doesn’t help them transition back after the war to normal manufacturing.
Why was the Office of Civilian Defense created?
- civilian defense was a big worry
- What would you do to prepare for a civilian attack?
What was created with the Office of Civilian Defense?
- anti-aircraft guns were set up
- bomb shelters for people to go
- sirens, blackout drills
- they blacked out everything so the bombers couldn’t find any landmarks
- Naval observations
What were other methods of safety used to protect US civilians by the government?
- need people to be in charge of cleaning and clearing to get troops into the area
- schools would turn into houses and hospitals if homes and hospitals were bombed
- beaches have towers near the cities, so they can see if bombers/planes are coming
Why did they have towers near the east coast beaches near big cities?
So they can see if bombers/planes are coming because it would be good spots for Germans to bomb Washington, Philly, and Baltimore.
What precautions were used to protect US civilians near the Pacific coast?
A gun was out at San Diego to protect that area, on Diamond Head crater there would be guns up top to get the Japanese if they were coming through Waikiki beach into Pearl Harbor
What was the goal of the office of war?
to maintain a certain level of war fever, war demands sacrifice, keep a good level of interest into going to war.
What was war propaganda in US terms?
war fever
What was the Selective Service Act?
A military draft was put in place to recruit more soldiers. Some soliders were drafted, some were volunteers.
What law was passed to help pay for the US war?
Revenue Act
When was the Revenue Act?
1942
What did the Revenue Act ask financially from the people?
established a 5% flat tax. 40% taxes are for war money, 60% were from war bond campaigns
How did war bonds work?
buying $25 for $20, and you get your $25 back after the war, make a bit interest, act of patriotism, like a bare bond.
How were people of all ages involved in raising money for wartime goods?
Kids could buy sticker books back then for a dime, and getting all the stamps gave you $25 in war bonds after buying all the stickers for $18, this contributed to the war
What were used to limit supplies consumed by civilians in the US?
Ration Stamps
What were the rules for Ration Stamps?
- each family gets ration book based on # of family members, stamps are inside
- In order to buy something, they must redeem stamps and pay for it
What kind of economy was created with the Ration Stamps?
a false economy from a real economy. It was a black market economy
Why were the Ration Stamps created?
- limits inflation, doesn’t matter how much money you have, no stamps, no goods
- important for government to keep inflation down, so war costs doesn’t go up