WWII Impacts on Society & Economy

Question 1

Political evidence that there was great prosperity post-war

Answer 1

FDR elected for unprecedented 4th term in office

Question 2

When did FDR die?

Answer 2

April 1945

Question 3

When was the Smith Act? What did it do?

Answer 3

1940

made it illegal to threaten to overthrow government

Question 4

When was conscription introduced? Under what Act?

Answer 4

1940

Selective Service Act

Question 5

What did war mean for unemployment?

Answer 5

virtually full employment

Question 6

What did prices increase by during war?

Answer 6

28%

Question 7

What did wages increase by during war? Was this more than prices?

Answer 7

40%

yes more than prices

Question 8

What happened to earnings in bottom 20% of society ?

Answer 8

rose 68%

Question 9

What happened to share of N.I for bottom 20% of society? What did this suggest?

Answer 9

only rose from 4% to 5.5%

although progress and much higher wages, still a fundamental problem with unequal distribution of wealth

Question 10

What happened to the N.I of the richest 5%? What was the main reason for this?

Answer 10

dropped from 26% to 16%

taxation

Question 11

Who were the chief gainers economically?

Answer 11

middle classes

Question 12

what % of Americans moved state during war?

Answer 12

10%

Question 13

How many people migrated form the south? who were these majorly?

Answer 13

1million

mainly blacks looking for better paid employment

Question 14

Who controlled rationing? What was it like compared to Britain?

Answer 14

War production Board

not as severe as Britain

Question 15

What happened to life expectancy in USA over course of war?

Answer 15

increased by 5years

Question 16

What happened to the population during war?

Answer 16

number of births offset number of battle deaths

Question 17

How many moved to find work?

Answer 17

1 in 8

Question 18

What did California’s population increase by? why was this?

Answer 18

72%
2million people
high concentration of defence plants

Question 19

Apart from California where were several defence plants built?

Answer 19

in some of the poorest states (mainly Southern)

Question 20

What do historians suggest about the post-war military spending boom?

Answer 20

helped to smooth out former economic inequalities within the USA

Question 21

What did strike action account for in terms of % of working days lost during war?

Answer 21

less than 1%

Question 22

What was notable about what employers introduced?

Answer 22

paid holidays and health insurance

Question 23

What happened to the number of women in work during war?

Answer 23

increase by almost 50%

Question 24

Why were women preferred in employment during war?

Answer 24

not subject to conscription

Question 25

Number of women in work pre-war and what did this rise to during peak?

Answer 25

11milllion rose to 20million

Question 26

What was the percentage increase in women in the automobile industry?

Answer 26

from 5% to 20%

Question 27

What was the government's view of equal pay?

Answer 27

supportive of via the War Labor Board

Question 28

who was hostile to equalisation of pay?

Answer 28

male-dominated unions

Question 29

What was notable about the number of African-Americans working for federal government during war?

Answer 29

increased

Question 30

How many African-Americans working for federal government in 1939?

Answer 30

50,000

Question 31

How many African-Americans working for federal government in 1944?

Answer 31

200,000

Question 32

What was notable about African-Americans in the army?

Answer 32

- many regiments segregated - few black officers - evidence of maltreatment like Axis prisoners

Question 33

Blacks in industrial jobs averaged what % of white wages at beginning of war?

Answer 33

40%

Question 34

Blacks in industrial jobs averaged what % of white wages by the end of war? was this progress?

Answer 34

65% | yes progress, but not equality

Question 35

When was the first regiment which was non-segregated?

Answer 35

only by 1945

Question 36

How did the government condemn racial discrimination?

Answer 36

via Executive Order 8802

Question 37

When was Executive Order 8802 signed?

Answer 37

June 1941

Question 38

What did the Executive Order 8802 mean?

Answer 38

outlawed racial discrimination in defence industries

Question 39

Was the Executive Order 8802 progress?

Answer 39

- yes in that it outlawed racial discrimination - yes in laying the ground for Truman - no in that Congress did not pass it - it was by executive order

Question 40

Who replaced FDR after his death?

Answer 40

Truman

Question 41

Who was Philip Randolph?

Answer 41

key Civil Rights advancer who threatened march on Washington

Question 42

When did Philip Randolph threaten to march on Washington?

Answer 42

1941

Question 43

Who set up the CORE? What does this stand for?

Answer 43

Farmer Congress of Racial Equality

Question 44

Apart from CORE name another group looking to advance Civil Rights during war?

Answer 44

National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People | NAACP

Question 45

What was the significance of 'double V"?

Answer 45

African-Americans wanted double victory - at home and in war

Question 46

Who was Chief of Army West Coast Command?

Answer 46

Dewitt

Question 47

What was set up for Japanese-Americans?

Answer 47

10 relocation centres

Question 48

How many Japanese Americans were forcibly sent to concentration camp 'relocation centres'?

Answer 48

100,000

Question 49

What did the Supreme Court rule in relation to Japanese-Americans? When was this?

Answer 49

1944 forbade imprisonment of loyal Japanese-Americans in relocation centres

Question 50

What was USA's GNP in 1939?

Answer 50

$91.3billion

Question 51

Between 1947-60 what did the USA's population rise by?

Answer 51

40million

Question 52

Number of home owners in 1950?

Answer 52

9million

Question 53

Number of home owners in 1960?

Answer 53

33million

Question 54

Increase in home owners 1950-60?

Answer 54

24million

Question 55

What Conference set up the world bank and IMF?

Answer 55

Bretone Woods Conférence of 1944

Question 56

When was the Serviceman's Readjustment Act?

Answer 56

1944

Question 57

What was the other name for the Serviceman's Readjustment Act?

Answer 57

G.I Bill

Question 58

How much of funds put aside for the GI Bill was given out? Why?

Answer 58

Only 20% since employment was so available

Question 59

What was paid for and provided for by the government in the GI bill?

Answer 59

university fees guaranteed home loans for veterans

Question 60

What did the provisions of the GI bill mean in wider terms?

Answer 60

boosted spending power of those returning from war - which stimulated economy further

Question 61

When was the employment act?

Answer 61

1946

Question 62

What did the employment act state?

Answer 62

that federal government would enact policies to promote full employment

Question 63

In 1947 what % of global population lived in the USA?

Answer 63

7%

Question 64

What fraction of world's manufactured goods did USA produce in 1947?

Answer 64

1/2

Question 65

What % of world's electricity did USA produce in 1947?

Answer 65

43%

Question 66

In 1950 what occurred in employment? why?

Answer 66

unemployment rose to 4% very temporary slump

Question 67

what % of families lived below the poverty line post-war?

Answer 67

20%

Question 68

By end of 1940s what was the average American's income in comparison to the average European?

Answer 68

X15 greater

Question 69

Post-war where was much development e.g by Levitt and Sons?

Answer 69

West Coast

Question 70

Car sales in 1945 Car sales in 1949 Car sales in 1955

Answer 70

69,000 - 1945 5. 1million - 1949 7. 9million - 1955

Question 71

In 1946 alone how many babies were born?

Answer 71

3.4million

Question 72

Post-war what did the sale of household appliances increase by?

Answer 72

X5

Question 73

What did Republicans argue the Wagner Act did?

Answer 73

shifted too much power to unions

Question 74

What happened in the 1946 Congressional elections?

Answer 74

massive swing Republicans make gains Republicans now control Congress

Question 75

What did Congress pass in 1947 to do with unions? What did the Taft-Hartley Act do?

Answer 75

Taft-Hartley Act curbed union power outlawed closed shop made unions swear they were not communist

Question 76

When was a deal signed between Wilson and Reuther? Who were Wilson and Reuther?

Answer 76

1948 Wilson (President of GM) and Reuther (United Automobile Workers) who signed a deal together

Question 77

Government spending 1945 1948 :

Answer 77

$95billion $36.5billion by 1948

Question 78

Name of the type of quick build affordable home with 4 rooms Where was construction development concentrated? How many low cost housing units were built in the early 1950s? How many people now lived in the suburbs by 1950s?

Answer 78

Cape Cod Box concentrated on west coast / "sunbelt states" 1million low cost housing units 30% live in suburbs by 1950s

Question 79

Farm income increase over war

Answer 79

250%

Question 80

Example of construction company How much were they selling homes for What did they include? What was the colloquial name for the symbols of suburbia?

Answer 80

Levitt and Sons $6,900 including appliances Levittowns = symbols of suburbia increases in population "fertility valleys"

Question 81

Increase in population caused what in terms of construction and knock on effects

Answer 81

- demand for more houses - new infrastructure e.g schools = employment for teachers

Question 82

How was the 'sprawl' of cities helping to perpetuate prosperity? Evidence for this success

Answer 82

automobile manufacturers market advantages of having 2 cars within a suburban family 1949 : 5.1million cars sold 1955 : 7.9million cars sold

Question 83

What did the advent of tech innovation such as computers / machinery in production due to WWII innovation lead to an increase in production?

Answer 83

35% increase in production 1945-54

Question 84

What did tech innovation do in terms of diversifying the economy?

Answer 84

Significant to prosperity as it created new markets

Question 85

Examples of tech innovation | x4

Answer 85

- synthetic rubber - electronics - fridges - TV

Question 86

When was the transistor invented? By who? What did this lead to an increase in household appliances?

Answer 86

1948 Bell laboratories X5 increase in household appliances

Question 87

Increase in TV's ; 1946 - 1960 - What industry did this stimulate? By 1960 what fraction of families had TVs? Relate this to McCarthy

Answer 87

1946 - 7,000 TVs 1960 - 50million TVs Expansion of entertainment / advertising 3/4 of families had TVs by 1960 so McCarthy trials of 1954 were watched widely

Question 88

What did the advent of fridges lead to the rise of?

Answer 88

frozen foods industry

Question 89

What was the different between the post-war boom and WWII employment?

Answer 89

post-war boom was consumer fuelled and perpetuated WWII employment was government spending dependent

Question 90

Credit card introduction How many credit card holders did Sears have by 1960?

Answer 90

1950 introduced 1960 : sears has 10million credit card customers

Question 91

What did the credit card show about business confidence?

Answer 91

businesses confident that prosperity would continue and that they would be repaid to the extent that by 1960 Sears had 10million credit card customers who it was willing to provide easy credit

Question 92

what was contributing to the decline in labour unions?

Answer 92

white collar workers beginning to outnumber blue for 1st time in US history largely due to modernisation / computers / big agri business