WWII Americans at War

1
WWIIAmericans at War

• 1941 - 1945

2
Enlisting Public Support

• Office of War Information
• - like Comm. Public Information in WWI
• Writers and artists created posters and ads that
  stirred Americans patriotic feelings.

3
How do you gear up for a war?

• Boost defense spending from 2 to 10 billion
• Encouraged enlistment
• Selective Service and Training Act
• First Peacetime Draft

4
Preparing an Economy for War

• Because of the New Deal the government had huge
  power over the economy.
• War Production Board
• Convert peacetime industries to produce war
  materials.
• Like W.I.B. in WWI.

5
Arsenal of Democracy

• American economic power was AWESOME!
• By 1944 American production levels doubled those
  of all the Axis powers combined.
• 1945
• 300,000 planes
• 80,000 landing craft
• 100,000 armored cars and tanks
• 6 million rifles
• 41 BILLION rounds of ammunition!

6
Wartime Work Force

• War production ended all Depression
  unemployment.
• Wages rose by 50 between 1940 1945.
• Many women workers
• Rosie the Riveter
• Theres a war on, you know!

7
How did we pay for the war?

• 41 paid for by higher taxes
• War bonds.
• Loan your money to government.
• Pay back date with interest for the loan.
• Like WWI

8
How did we pay for the war?

• Went further into debt!
• 1940 deficit spending made the US debt 43
  billion.
• 1945 - 259 billion in debt!

9
Food Shortages

• Between troop needs and enemy stopping supply
  lines.
• Sugar
• Tropical fruits
• Coffee
• Chocolate

10
OPA! Office of Price Administration

• When demand is greater than supply prices go UP!
• INFLATION!
• OPA set price limits.
• Sugar
• Coffee
• Meat
• Canned food
• Shoes
• Gas

11
Ration Books

• Coupons with certain values allowed consumers to
  buy a limited amount of goods for the month.
• Based on family size

12
What civilians were encouraged to do

• Older men join the Civilian Defense effort
• Kids Scrap metal drives
• Women
• Grow Victory Gardens
• Knit scarves and socks for the war
• Roll bandages for the Red Cross

13
Motto

• Play YOUR Part
• Conserve and Collect
• Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without