The United States, at the time of World War II, was facing an economic depression which concerned the American public and President Roosevelt because they knew that America’s involvement with the war was inevitable. Most resources state that “the United States entered World War II largely unprepared” (America and Word War II 610). However, due to the fact that while preparing for the war there was an increase in economic growth, African Americans and women became more involved in industry and the military, and President Roosevelt incorporated several acts and embargos that encouraged Americans to produce more supplies as well as permitted Britain and France to purchase goods from the United States, it can be argued that America was in fact prepared for its entry into World War II. The external threads of continuity, such as economic, social, political, and geographic factors, had a greater impact on the United States preparedness for war, which resulted in the overall success of the Allied Powers. President Roosevelt was concerned that the American economy, which was in a state of depression, would prevent the United States from successfully preparing for war. However, he knew that American involvement was inevitable, so he and his advisors agreed that the best way to rapidly mobilize the economy was to give industry an incentive to move quickly. One way the government encouraged companies to help prepare for the war effort was through cost-plus contracts. These contracts meant that the government covered the cost for a company to produce military goods as well as paid them a percentage of the profit. The goal of the cost-plus contracts was to encourage companies to switch the production of their businesses to help manufacture mo... ... middle of paper ... ...rces/bio_fdr.html>. Haulman, Dr. Daniel L. "Tuskegee Airmen-Escorted Bombers Lost To Enemy Aircraft." Thesis. Air Force Historical Research Agency, 2008. Print. Johnson, David E. Fast Tanks and Heavy Bombers: Innovation in the U.S. Army, 1917-1945. Ithaca: Cornell UP, 1998. Print. "World War Two - American Memory Timeline- Classroom Presentation | Teacher Resources - Library of Congress." World War Two - American Memory Timeline- Classroom Presentation | Teacher Resources - Library of Congress. Library of Congress, n.d. Web. 04 Nov. 2013. es/presentations/timeline/depwwii/wwarii/>. "World War II (1939-1945)." The Eleanor Roosevelt Papers Project. Department of History of the George Washington University, n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2013. .
Ward, Geoffrey C. and Burns, Ken, The War, An Intimate History 1941-1945. (New York: Knopf 2007)
One of the earliest examples of federal muscle in wartime mobilization was the passage of the Lever Act in August 1917. The act gave the president the power to regulate supplies and prices of food and fuel by creating two new government agencies: the United States Food Administration and the United States Fuel Administration, headed by Herbert Hoover and Harry Garfield, respectively. Hoover and Garfield operated with “virtually unlimited power” and used the implicit threat of federal nationalization to regulate prices and cajole producers into increased production and conservation (Zeiger, 72).
The 1940 elections showed that both the Republicans and Democrats supported building up strong the navy and air forces as means of upholding the 1823 Monroe Doctrine, which stated that any European colonization of North or South America would be considered an act of aggression (Document E). Although neither American party was in full favor of the involvement in the war at this time, both advocated military defense so that America would not be completely helpless in a potential international conflict. The build-up of the military for defensive shows how the US slowly moved away from an isolationist approach to foreign affairs. Roosevelt also contributed to pulling America out of isolationism by consenting to the 1940 Destroyer Deal, which promised to give Great Britain 50 destroyer vessels in exchange for British bases in North America. This, however, was done without permission from Congress (Source F). It showed America’s shifting perspective on the war. Although America was not officially in the war, its actions seemed to indicate an indirect retaliation against the Axis powers by militarily supporting the Allies. Not only was the United States building up its defense to be better prepared in case it did have to go to war, but, in addition to other policies that provided aid to Allies, such as the 1939 Cash and Carry Policy and the 1941
World War II was an exceptional war for the United States. The United States emerged from the war as a world superpower and protector of all other nations. There were many reasons why the United States entered World War II, however President Franklin Roosevelt was in some way directly connected to every reason. Roosevelt wanted to enter World War II as soon as it started for political and economic needs. However, the American people did not want to enter in another war, such as World War I, that costs so many lives and money. Therefore, Roosevelt schemed a plan to enter the United States into World War II that would change the minds of the American people, including the direct aiding of Great Britain, the German bombing of a United States warship, and the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor.
Roosevelt paved the United States’ path from isolation to power. When World War II broke out in Europe, the country was largely isolationist. “Isolationist rhetoric reflected real public sentiment, as Roosevelt knew” (Renka, The Modern Presidency…). Roosevelt, however, seemed a step ahead of the nation. He stood firmly against Hitler and strove to align the United States with Western democracies and to strengthen the military (Greenstein 20). In 1938, Roosevelt’s foreign policy speeches began to reveal an obvious swing away from isolationism (Renka, Roosevelt’s Expansion of the Presidency). When Churchill reported in 1940 that the United Kingdom could no longer afford to pay for American weapons, Roosevelt used this opportunity to increase the United States’ influence in European affairs and lean his country slightly away from isolationism. Knowing Congress would oppose a loan to the United Kingdom, he created an entirely new program he called “lend-lease” (Greenstein 20).
The American home front during World War II is recalled warmly in popular memory and cultural myth as a time of unprecedented national unity, years in which Americans stuck together in common cause. World War II brought many new ideas and changes to American life. Even though World War II brought no physical destruction to the United States mainland, it did affect American society. Every aspect of American life was altered by U.S. involvement in the war including demographics, the labor force, economics and cultural trends.
This investigation will examine ways in which the US economy improved during the second World War and what caused these improvements. World War Two was a turning point for the American economy from the end of the Great Depression to the start of an economic boom. The reasons for this economic improvement are still debated today. This investigation will look at the economic indicators before, during, and after the war. It will also consider the two main arguments for the cause of the sudden economic growth and determine which one seems most probable.
After Theodore Roosevelt was elected as president in the election of 1904, TR immediately brought new excitement into the office. Theodore Roosevelt was ultimately known for his progressive reforms and his foreign policies; he adopted the idea that foreign policy is a main priority and that shifts and changes in industry and foreign trade will lead to social and political changes within the nation. With this idea, it is significant to understand that T. Roosevelt believed that if American citizens abuse focus on our industry, the nation and government will collapse and will not be benefitting in terms of welfare and foreign relations. He expresses this idea when he states, “tremendous changes wrought by the extraordinary industrial development of the last half century are felt in every fiber of our social and political being (T. Roosevelt, 1905). This idea that foreign policy is somewhat more important than domestic policies is very different when compared to president Franklin Delano Roosevelt. FDR is known to believe that foreign policies should come after domestic growth, and that Americans cannot progress and become better in foreign policies when citizens are still struggling with themselves domestically. Unlike Theodore Roosevelt, FDR believes that if necessary, the United States should go to war in order to protect themselves and their ground. Theodore Roosevelt had the idea that war was unnecessary and believed in peace, so this idea was very different from that of his family. In his Inaugural Address, FDR states, “I shall ask Congress for the one remaining instrument to meet the crisis -- broad Executive power to wage a war against the emergency,...” (F.D. Roosevelt, 1933). With the idea that war
World War I may not have made the world safe for democracy, but it did help to lay the groundwork for a decade of American economic expansion. The war began in Europe in 1914, and the United States entered the fray in 1917. The 1920s saw the growth of the culture of consumerism. A significant reason for United States involvement in the war was the nation’s economic links to the Allied Powers, and especially to Great Britain. American soldiers returned home in May 1919 with the promise of a prosperous decade (Baughman 197).
"World War II (1939-45)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Ed. John G. Royde-Smith and Thomas A. Hughes. Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 Dec. 2012. Web. 29 Jan. 2014.
Undoubtedly, the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress significantly influenced the turn of events during the Second World War. This long range heavy bomber led the US Air Force assault in occupied Europe, carrying out strategic bombing which brought the industries of Nazi Germany to a standstill. Although formidably armed, crews of the B-17 faced unspeakable horror in the onslaught by veteran Luftwaffe fighters and ground flak fire. More than 47,000 airmen lost their lives during daylight raids in Germany, but the mighty Flying Fortresses pressed
“formation of an all African-American pursuit squadron based in Tuskegee, Alabama”, the Tuskegee Airmen in 1941 (“Airmen Overview”).
O'Neill, William L. World War II: A Student Companion. New York: Oxford UP, 1999. Print.
"Wrights’ Perspective on the Role of Airplanes in War." Wright Stories Wright Brothers Inventing The Airplane History of Flight Kitty Hawk Wright Contemporaries Military Airplane RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr.
The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African-American pilots in United States Armed Force history; they flew with merit during WW II. During World War II, African Americans in many U.S. states were still being upheld to the Jim Crow law...