Mobilizing for WWII

Mobilizing for War and note how each of the following contributed to that effort.


1. Selective Service System: The Selective Service System contributed to the war effort by adding in 5 million volunteers to the military service.

2. Women: Women contributed to the war effort by volunteering in the war. They worked in jobs away from violence like electricians, nurses, ambulance drivers, and radio operators.

3. Minorities: even though minorities were a great help to the war efforts, they were also greatly discriminated against, and many people were prejudice against them like they were to women. They fought in the war, though they didn't like that they'd be fighting against other races in the war. Many ethnic groups all volunteered, like Asian-Americans, African-Amricans, and Native-Americans, and were a huge help to the war efforts.

4. Manufacturers: Manufacturers were a huge help to the war effort because they switched their products that they were making into producing combat materials for the war. For example an automobile industries switched from making cars to making ships, planes, and much more. These industries were a huge help since after the Pearl Harbor Attack many American ships and planes were a necessity since they were destroyed.

5. Office of Scientific Research and Development(OSRD): The OSRD contributed to the war effort by improving sonar and radar, inventing drugs (ex. penicillan) and the atomic bomb. The atomic bomb was the main accomplishment though. They made a program called the Manhattan Project that investigated and researched how to make the atomic bomb. They focused on this because Albert Einstein told FDR that German scientists had figured out how to extract uranium atoms which made a lot of energ, or a powerful bomb. Also, Improving sonar and radar made it possible to locate submarines, and penicillan saved many lives.

6 Entertainment industry: The film industry made many movies about the Soviet Union being our ally, the Nazis, and romances. These movies had many different effects. After Pearl Harbor many war-oriented propaganda films like Mission To Moscow, and Song of Russia, kept that war fever going. Other "hiss and boo" movies stirred up hatred against the Nazi's. In this way, movies energized people to join the war effort.

7. Office of Price Administration (OPA): FDR made this administration to keep inflation below 30% and to reduce consumer demands on daily products. It raised the income tax and spread to people who hadn't paid it before, making workers not able to spend as much. This adminstration kept the inflation steady throughout World War II.

8. War Production Board (WPB): The WPD controlled the companies by telling them what they can make, and where they can send the materials to a company. The WPD recycled many things like paper, tin, and also cooking fat for war goods. This then led to many children helping out by collecting all the materials that could be recycled.

9. Rationing: Rationing helped with the war effort by limiting many Americans at home to the amount of food they were able to purchase. They had to buy things with coupons that raised the prices, which only made them not want to buy as much since it was costly. Americans also couldn't buy gasoline which greatly impacted the west by them not being able to get around. This was very good for the war since more gasoline and oil could be given to the ships, planes, and automobiles being used in the war.