U.S.
Advantages and Disadvantages
1.
Upon entering the war the U.S. faced two disadvantages, the first Germany and Japan had already secured the areas they had
invaded, and the Germans and Japanese were already prepared to fight the war as their economies from the thirties were directed
in a war effort.
2.
The advantage the allies had was the fact that the axis powers were spread over enormous areas, which made them somewhat hard
to defend. Their hopes rested on two things:
a. the large size of the
Russian Army
b. the tremendous production
capacity of the United States
Mobilizing
for the War
1. 1940 approximately 22,000 people employed by the federal arsenals, 1943 486,000
workers employed building guns and ammunition.
2. Car production was stopped, in an effort to put all American resources toward fighting
the war.
a.
The massive economic boom permanently put an end to
the great depression
b.
Unemployment dropped from 14.6 percent in 1940 to 1.2
percent in 1944
3. Between 1940 and 1945 the size of the federal government nearly tripled
a.
The War Production Board directed the conversion of
existing factories to wartime production
b.
The office of war mobilization coordinated all government
agencies in the war effort
4. To help pay for the war the government increased the number of people that had
to pay for income tax about 9 times, which included the middle and lower income groups
5. The government sold war bond to help the war effort and keep inflation down
6. Established the Office of Price Administration, which set maximum prices on consumer
goods, the OPA also kept wages down and rationed important war materials
7. The selective training and service act required
all national guard be called up to active duty and provided for the first peacetime draft in U.S. history
a.
About 2/3 of all Americans that served in WWII were
draftees and the rest were volunteers.
b.
Women also volunteered for the service doing such things
as nursing, driving vehicles and ferried planes in order to free men for active duty.
