Impact of Wwii on the American Workforce & Economy

Impact of WWII on the American Workforce & Economy

HIS204 American History Since 1865

May 30, 2011

The Impact of WWII on the American Workforce & Economy

As the United States entered into World War II after the tragic and unexpected attack on Pearl Harbor and the continued drafting of young men under the Selective and Training Service Act of 1940 many businesses, corporations, and professions were undergoing unprecedented change. With a shortage of able-bodied men to perform the customary "men's" jobs, American women took up right where the men left off. The continuity provided by these groundbreaking women allowed the United States Economy to continue to grow in a time of war. Furthermore, the female workforce produced airplanes, ships, tanks, trucks, and ammunition for use by the fighting men on the front lines. The wives, sisters and mothers of the United States fighting force chose to place stereotypes aside and work as hard as any man to ensure that forces fighting in Europe and Asia had everything that they needed to win the war. As a result the American Economy flourished and stereotypes were broken, which allowed women to make their mark in the industrial workplace. The new requirements of war on American industry proved to be an integral part of ending depression and developing economic security for decades to come.

President Roosevelt's New Deal, introduced during the Great Depression and the Presidential election of 1932, was his plan to drive the American economy out of economic failure and to assist those in need, as well as giving employment assistance to millions of unemployed Americans. While the New Deal proved to be beneficial in economic recovery and financial stability for financial organizations, there remained a staggering amount of unemployed Americans still affected by the horrific depression. By 1937 much of the world was at war on both European and Pacific fronts. While the United States under the Roosevelt administration attempted to retain neutrality in the war, tragedy loomed in the near future. On a calm Sunday morning of December 7th, 1941, Japanese forces launched an unprecedented attack on the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. In this horrific unforeseen attack that lasting hours and killing thousands of unprepared and unexpected Americans, the United States was dragged into the ongoing war. The attack at Pearl remains to the day arguably the worst attack on United States soil in American history.

In the days following the attack by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor and the declaration of war with Japan, Hitler declared war with the United States. The American government and its military are now faced with the onset of war on multiple fronts. It will take millions of trained able-bodied Americans to fight such forces around the world, and a war of this magnitude would require the speedy production of all things from boots and rifles to bombers and aircraft carriers. With the rapid production of war fighting essentials American industries could potentially quickly recover from the ongoing effects of the depression in the United States. However, a new problem would now present itself; under the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 millions of American men, who were required to register, were now being drafted to serve in the American militaries. This created a shortage of skilled laborers in the same factories that were being relied upon to build and deliver finished products that were to be used in the war.

At this point in the war's beginnings the United States is now facing two major problems. Although the economy was slowly clawing its way out of depression, the government and the Roosevelt administration was now faced with the harsh reality of funding a war that was being waged on multiple fronts and included millions of American men and women. The costs of war are in many ways insurmountable, service members must be trained, clothed, fed, and equipped with the necessary gear to fight and survive. Trucks, tanks, fighter planes, bombers, destroyers, submarines, battleships, and aircraft carriers are needed to transport troops as well as fight in the seas, in the skies, and in the waters. All of the previously mentioned equipment requires fuel, oils, and repair parts, not to mention the initial cost of production. American fighting forces would be killed and wounded by the thousands, and this alone would further add a monetary strain to administration during wartime. Medical centers and medical ships would be needed to treat war wounded personnel, many of whom would require medical care for the rest of their natural born lives. The price of war is a staggering one that would be paid not only in vast amounts of American currency, but tens of thousands of American lives.

With the fog of war rising from the beaches, fields, and mountains of Europe and the jungles in the Pacific, two very important financial events were occurring at home. The Treasury Department introduced the war bond in an effort to raise monetary funding for the war effort from American civilians (Davidson, DeLay, Heyrman, Lytle, & Stoff, 2008). The war bond was sold at a fraction of the face valuable and was redeemable after a designated time period for the full amount of the bond. These bonds were considered a secure investment although the yields from the bonds were far below the current market value. In an effort to promote the purchasing of war bonds, the government utilized and depended on a major public propaganda campaign that targeted American frugality and promoted the feeling of patriotism by purchasing the war bonds. Additionally, the war bond program allowed for the purchase of stamps, at various small amounts, to save towards a full bond amount. By the end of World War II, hundreds of billions of dollars had been raised through the sale of war bonds and the never before seen promotion through media, advertising, and propaganda posters. Further mention and explanation of World War II propaganda will be better explained in the upcoming pages.

The second major financial event that was happening on the home front was much different that voluntary patriotic purchasing of war bonds. This event was not voluntary in any way and had its toughest impact on the lowest income families in the United States (Davidson, DeLay, Heyrman, Lytle, & Stoff, 2008). The Revenue Act of 1942 was passed by Congress and resulted in a five percent income tax to be waged on any person that received more than $624 income annually (Davidson, DeLay, Heyrman, Lytle, & Stoff, 2008).