The War At Home

1. The War At Home Chapter 11-3

2. Congress Gives Power to Wilson • WWI was not only fought on the battle fields but on the home front as well • Businesses went from producing consumer goods to producing the tools of war • The effort would be a collaboration between the private sectors & government • Congress would give President Wilson direct control of much of the economy, including the power to regulate prices & even nationalizing private businesses

3. War Industries Board • The main regulatory body of the government was the War Industries Board (WIB) • This board was under the leadership of Barnard Baruch • The main purpose of the board was to regulate & coordinate raw materials, prevent waste, & get the most production out of its resources • This board was very successful in that production increased by 20% • On the negative side price controls were only applied at the wholesale level causing retail prices to soar, inflation

4. War Industries Board • In addition to the WIB there were other boards set up to regulate specific aspects of the economy such as the RR Administration, Fuel Administration, etc. • Things such as gasless Tuesdays. Meatless Mondays, & lightless nights were all implemented to conserve resources • Daylight savings was also put into effect during this period, an idea that was first put forth by ben Franklin

5. War Economy • Wages would rise, some 20%, in some industries but because of inflation households would see only a minor increase • Because of the government contracts business & stockholders profits soared • Management also saw a large increase in wealth causing an even greater gap between labor & management • This would lead to a rise in union membership • To deal with disputes between labor & management the National War Labor Board • The NWLB improved factory conditions, increased wages, & pushed for the eight hour workday

6. War Financing • The war would cost the U.S. $35.5 billion • To finance the war effort the government raised1/3 of the needed funds through higher taxes • The rest was raised through “Liberty Loans” & “Victory Bonds” • The bonds were purchased at a set price & had the government promise of repayment at a later date with interest

7. Committee On Public Information • To help sell the war to the public the government set up its first propaganda agency under the leadership of George Creel, Committee on Public Information (CPI) • Under the leadership of Creel thousands of posters, paintings, cartoons, & sculptures were created to promote the war • In addition 75,000 men were recruited to speak on behalf of the war effort • When it came to print media Creel published some 75 million pamphlets, booklets, & leaflets • Creel’s tactics were very successful but did inflame hatred & even trampled the civil liberties of some ethnic groups

8. Anti-Immigrant Hysteria • The main targets of these attacks were Americans who had emigrated from other nations especially those from Germany & Austria-Hungry • Americans from German descent suffered the heaviest attacks • Americans with German sounding names lost their jobs, orchestras refused to play German composers works, the German language was no longer taught, & German authors were pulled from library shelves • Even diseases were renamed German measles became liberty measles • Hamburger became Salisbury steak or liberty sandwich even sauerkraut became liberty cabbage

9. Espionage & Sedition Acts • In June of 1917 congress passed the Espionage & Sedition Acts which called for a $10,000 fine & 20 years in prison for anyone who interfered with the war effort • Even newspapers & magazines who criticized the war were fined • The acts targeted Socialists & labor leaders • Eugene Debs , a socialist leader, received a ten year prison sentence for speaking out against the war

10. African Americans & the War • When it came to African Americans war support was divided • Some such as W.E.B. Dubois believed that support for the war would strengthen calls for racial justice • While others believed that victims of racial injustice should not support a racist government • In the end most African Americans supported the war effort

11. The Great Migration • The greatest impact of the war was the Great Migration of African Americans to the North • The migration had begun before the war but was hastened as many moved to escape Jim Crow laws as well as to work in Northern industry • The migration was possible for 3 reasons 1. Escape racial injustice 2. Northern Jobs 3. Crops were destroyed by drought, floods, & the boll weevil

12. Women in the War • When the war broke out women moved into traditional jobs that were held by males • It was this willingness to step in & fill the positions of men to keep the war effort moving that would persuade government leaders to support & pass the 19th Amendment granting suffrage