Download Mobilizing for Victory

Money
From 1941-1945 America spent $320 billion on the
war effort—10 times more than was spent in World War
One. As in the First World War, taxes were raised to
collect much of the needed capital. The government
eventually ended up collecting $144 billion in taxes by the
end of the war.
The remaining $176 billion needed was collected by
selling war bonds just as had been done in the previous
war. Movie and music stars toured the country giving
benefits to convince the public to buy as many bonds as
possible. Even cartoon characters such as Bugs Bunny and
Mickey Mouse were enlisted in the effort to try to persuade
kids that they could give as well.
Organizing the Economy
The government controlled the economy even more
during World War II than in World War I. The government
told businesses what to charge, controlled what companies
paid their workers and informed the public what needed to
be rationed. Coupon books were distributed informing
citizens what they could buy and how much they could
consume. Government agencies like the War Production
Board also helped factories switch from producing
everyday products to making tanks, planes and guns. Jobs
opened up around the country and prices for farm goods
doubled almost overnight. By 1944 we were producing
8,000 planes and two aircraft carriers a month. Historians
have called this transformation the “Miracle of Modern
Production”.
Rosie the Riveter
The term “Rosie the Riveter”
originally comes from a very
popular patriotic song from the time
that tells of a tireless woman
working the assembly line to do her
part to help win the war. During
World War II, more than 6 million
women went to work in factories
producing war goods. Women,
worked heavy machinery, became
police officers, bus drivers and
worked in offices. Some women
also joined the military and worked as nurses, secretaries
and even flew military planes from base to
base…sometimes even training pilots. Because of the need
for workers, women were able to
gain better rights in the workplace.
For the first time, women and men
were paid equally for working the
same jobs. The pride and
satisfaction of helping our war
effort also helped women gain
confidence and respect in our
society.
Men
Following Pearl Harbor,
millions of men (and women)
volunteered or were drafted to
serve in the armed forces.
During the war, men ages 18-38
were eligible for the draft. A
total of 10 million Americans
were drafted during the war with
an additional 6 million men
volunteering.
Bases were built around the
country to train recruits to fight
in the jungles of the Pacific, the desert of Africa and the
cities and farmlands of Europe. Recruits were issued boots,
uniforms and equipment. All the clothing bore the label
“G.I.” meaning Government
Issue. As a result, American
soldiers came to be known as
GI’s. After an average of 8
weeks of strenuous training in
weapons, map reading and hand
to hand combat, 75% of the
recruits were sent to Europe to
defeat the Germans and 25%
were sent to the Pacific to battle
the Japanese.
Minorities
During World War II, the military was segregated by
race. Native Americans were no
different. Nearly one-third of all
Native Americans volunteered for the
military. In the Pacific, the army
used Navajo Indians as “Code
Talkers”. The Navajos would send
messages in their native language
Navajo “Code Talkers” in the
and the Japanese had no idea what
Pacific in 1944
they were talking about. For
example, the Navajos word for fish was code for
submarine. The Japanese never broke the code.
African Americans were key workers in
the factories of America. Along with serving
in segregated units, African Americans were
able to find jobs in factories that had
previously turned them down.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, nearly
120,000 Japanese Americans were forced to
sell their homes and businesses and move into
Relocation Camps. Japanese Americans who
joined the military were forced to fight
against the Nazis in Europe, not in the Pacific against the
Japanese.
Morale
Because of the circumstances surrounding the attack
on Pearl Harbor and the horrible crimes being committed
by the Nazis, the American people overwhelmingly
supported our involvement in World War II. Still, the
government and media cooperated when it came to what
stories were told and what events were reported. The
Office of War Information was created to make sure all
movies, shows, and news agencies were following patriotic
ideas and themes. All movie scripts had to be approved
and all newspaper and magazine articles told a patriotic
version of events. Major movie stars such as Jimmy
Stewart and Clark Gable enlisted in the army and cartoons
like Bugs Bunny, Tom and Jerry and Disney’s Mickey
Mouse all made fun of the Japanese and Nazis. In 1941,
FDR founded the United Service Organizations (USO) to
entertain troops and workers at home and overseas. Nearly
every famous movie and music
star of the time travelled with
the USO giving free shows for
our soldiers and workers.
Comedian Bob Hope at a
USO show in 1944
Rationing
Civilians first
received ration books on
May 4th 1942, through
more than 100,000
schoolteachers, PTA
groups, and other
volunteers. Items could
not be purchased without
the stamps from these
books. That same month, a national speed limit of 35 miles
per hour was imposed to save fuel and rubber for tires and
by the end of the year production of new cars was banned
in favor of war vehicles. As the war progressed, many
levels of rationing went into effect. Some items, such as
sugar, were distributed evenly based on the number of
people in a household. Other items, like gasoline or fuel oil,
were rationed only to those who could prove they needed it.
By 1944, whisky had disappeared
from liquor store shelves as
distilleries converted to the
production of industrial alcohol.
Thirty percent of all cigarettes
produced were allocated for
service men, making cigarettes a
scarce commodity on the home
front by 1944. By the end of the
war, eggs and dairy foods were
the only things not being
rationed.