Mobilizing for War Ch 23-4 The Main Idea The outbreak of World War II spurred the mobilization of American military and industrial might. Content Statement/Learning Goal Analyze the reasons for American isolationist sentiment in interwar period. Identify and explain changes American society experienced with the mobilization of its economic and military resources during WWII.
Ch 23-4 vocabulary George C. Marshall: American general and politician; he led U.S. mobilization for WWII and helped plan the nation s war strategy. He developed post war European Recovery Program call The Marshall Plan Oveta Culp Hobby: Director of the women s Army Corp during WWII; she held the rank of colonel. Later she became the second woman cabinet member. She was Secretary of Hearth, education and welfare. Rosie the Riveter: popular symbol for working women in WWII. Manhattan Project: top secret program to build an atomic bomb during WWII. Atomic bomb: a bomb which uses energy released by splitting atoms to create an enormous explosion. J. Robert Oppenheimer: American physicist; he led the Manhattan Project laboratory in Los Alamos, which developed first nuclear bombs. A. Phillip Randolph: African American union and civil rights leader; his protests during WWII led FDR to ban discrimination in government and defense jobs. Bracero Program: program that allowed poor Mexican workers to work temporarily in the U.S. Zoot suit riots: a series of riots in LA, during WWII, between soldiers stationed in the city and Mexican American youths because of zoot suits they wore.
1. Mobilizing the Armed Forces Once the United States entered the war, it had to mobilize, or bring its forces into readiness. In 1940 the government had begun to increase military spending. This helped end the Great Depression. Thousands found work in factories, making supplies for the military. More government spending than previous 150 years combined (Crash Course WWII Part 2) Army Chief of Staff, General George C. Marshall led the mobilization effort. In addition to equipment and supplies, the United States needed soldiers. American women filled a variety of vital roles in the military. New military bases were needed to train and house soldiers.
0.0 deficit in billions $ 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946-10.0-20.0-30.0-40.0-50.0-60.0
Mobilizing the Armed Forces 2.Finding Soldiers The government expanded the draft, which had been reinstated in 1940. Millions of young men volunteered. Some 16 million Americans entered the armed forces. 3.Women American women filled a variety of vital roles in the military. 10,000 joined the WAVES,(women accepted for voluntary emergency services.) a navy program. 1,000 joined the WASPs, Women Airforce Service Pilots, an air force program. 150,000 served in the WAC, an army program. Oveta Culp Hobby led the WACs; she was a colonel. 4.Military Bases Most bases were built in rural areas. The military bases transformed parts of the United States. California, Florida, and Texas became home to large numbers of soldiers. Camp Blanding, with 55,000 soldiers, became the 4 th largest city in Florida almost overnight.
5. Mobilizing Industry and Science Troops needed proper equipment to fight World War II. Factories that produced consumer goods were converted to the production of military supplies. Roosevelt called for the production of new planes and tanks. FDR set goals for 60,000 new planes and 120,000 tanks in 1942 and 125,000 in 1943. War supplies had to be shipped overseas. Submarines took a terrible toll on American shipping. American shipyards turned out thousands of new vessels to replace those lost during the war. Built 5,500 vessels over the course of the war. Henry Kaiser build the so-called liberty ships using assembly-line techniques. Wartime agencies regulated what factories produced, what prices they could charge, and how the nation s raw materials could be used. Producing supplies to fight the war required many workers. Government spending during the war created millions of new jobs. Technology played an important role in World War II. What type of economic system was this? Capitalist or Socialist? Would this help or hurt industry in meeting their goals?
Ravenna Arsenal 1940 231 farmers given 30 days and $8000 21,000 acres seized and construction began 18,000 workers built 600 buildings Total cost $57 Million Cloudy
Willow Run 67 acres under one roof ½ mile long and ¼ mile wide B-24 Liberators At peak one per hour
Willow Run: Run by Ford
Factories needed workers at the same time men were leaving to join the armed forces. 6.Rosie the Riveter 7. Labor in WW II Women solved the problem. Millions began to work outside the home in industrial jobs. 6.5 million new jobs were available to women had had never been before. Working women of the war were represented by the symbolic figure known as Rosie the Riveter. Many workers joined labor unions and the government was concerned about strikes. The National War Labor Board was established in 1941 to help settle labor disputes. The Smith-Connally Act passed in 1943. 8. Mobilizing Science The Manhattan Project began a top-secret mission to build an atomic bomb. Physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer and other American scientists raced to develop this weapon ahead of the Germans.
Women and Mobilization
9.African Americans in the military Hundreds of thousands served during World War II. They broke down barriers that had long blocked their way. The Navy commissioned the first African American officers during WWII. They continued to face discrimination (ex. Segregated units). No African American received the Medal of Honor during WWII. Corrected nearly 50 years later 10.African Americans in the workforce Found jobs in factories that had been unavailable to them before the war Still faced discrimination A. Philip Randolph called for a march on Washington to protest their unfair treatment 11. Challenges for Hispanic Americans Demand for farm labor led to the Bracero Program, which gave Mexican workers the chance to work in the United States. Tension over the increasing numbers of Hispanic workers led to the zoot suit riots in June 1943.
Zoot-Suit Riots
Propaganda for War Effort