3.4 War and the Economy Flashcards
collapse of unemployment 1941-45
- 1933 there was 13 million unemploymed , 25%
- 1940- fallen to 8.1 million
- 1945- fallen to 1 million , 1.9% - conscription of nearly 12 million ,en into the armed forces = FDR brought unrivaled prosperity
- war created 17 million new jobs
- wages rose 30%
- war saw a drop in wealth inequality
- share of national wealth owned by top 5% dropped from 23.7% to 16.8% in war
- pre war- USA ranked 19th military power in the war
women and the war effort
- many joined army forces
- 100,000 served in Womens Army Corps
- others joined the navy and airforce equivilants
- 350,000 served in armed forces
- greatest contribution was women made on the Home Front in wartime industries
- 6 million women entered the workforce for teh first time
- 18 million women had worked to help the USA win the war , most working 6 days a week
- telephonists and secreatries AND involved in tradionally male dominated industries
- welding, machining, building aircraft and reparing ranks
- 200,000 women were disabled permanently and 37,000 died whilsit working in explosive factories
- women were still expected to look after their families
- recived less pay then men for doing the same job - $31>$54
- FEPC- black women were able to get wartime work but recived even less money
- indepednce recived was short live and all expected to give up work once war ended
contribution of young people
- 16-18 year olds who were old enough to work but not to be conscripted began to play an important role
- 20 million became junior members of the American Red Cross- activies such as producing toys, clothing and furniture , entertainment programmes at military camps and hispitals
- entered workforce to help fill void left
- important role in Civil Defence
- Young Civil Defence volunteers engages in coast watching wathcing for enemy aircraft
10million volunteers
Young children donated scraps of metal and rubber from old toys and waste in towns to FDR collection points
growing power of trade unions 1941-45
growth aided by legisaltion passed by Roosevelts administration
* National Industrial Recovery Act gave unions right of collective bargaining
* US supreme court declared NIRA unconstitutional , wagner act ensured that trade uniosn kept this power
* 130 -3.4 million / 11% - skilled workers associated with American Federation of Labour
* 1935- 3.5 million
* 1940- 8.7 million
* 1945- 14.3 million / 35%
* due to unionisation of semi skilled and unskilled workers - unions formed Congress of Industrial Organisations
war
* government and businesses needed every wroker
* both government and businesses wanted to negotiate directly with one body rather than individual workers
* unions agreed to FDRs call for no strike agreement
* War Labour Board- maintenance of meberhsip policy where every employee at a unionised work place had to join a union
BUT
* unoffical strikes became a problem from 1941
* EG: United Mine Workers of America (important union)
* 1942- union leader attempted to raise coal miners wages but faced oppostion from War Lavour Baord
* Leader left CIO and rejoined the AFL - became astranged to FDR administration
* 1942- called 500,000 UMWA out on strike 4 times
* agreeement that broke War Labours Board agreement to not have wage rises
* =unions demanded same treatment
* led to national strikes after war
migration to urban and industrial areas
- joined military and moved bases away from home
- 15million americans moved permanently
- black americans continued the Great Migration
- tradtional route of old south to Chicago, Phuladelphia nad New York
- many moved to Pacific Coasts
- due to war industries such as aircraft production and shipbuilding
- 120,000 to black americans moved to Los Angeles
- California population increased 2 million
- used war to escape povery
- half of white farmers and 90% of black fmailies in rural areas lived in poverty
- war accelerated trend away from rural living
- number of people living in towns with 25,000 people or more increased for 53 million to 63 million
- whole new ctiies grew up around specific war industries - Kansas
growth of new industries
**Nuclear **
* drive to win war acted as stimulus for new industries to develop
* most innovative and significant was programme to produce worlds first atomic weapon - Manhattan Project
* involved construction of large industrial plants and employed worlds top scientists
* cost $2 billion
* employed 100,000
* onset of cold war- new nuclear industry formed an increasingly important part of defence industry
aircraft
Helped stimulate growth of war economy
Single largest section of economy _ $45 billion
Eg: production of B29 Boeing superfortress bomber - atonric bomb drops
Production involved 100,000’s and $3 billion government spending
Industry Employed 2 million workers
Produced 125,000 aircraft
Ship production
Liberty ships - built in days rather than months
6000 ships built - cost $13 billion
Aircraft arrest - help defeat German V boats
*all inclustup helped stimulate development of electronics, radio communication, new methods of construction
Growing interdependence between US industry -government and military
