BEFORE THE WAR

DURING THE WAR

AFTER THE WAR

The Depression had hit the US hard and many had lost their jobs. Roosevelt spent billions under the New Deal to try to tackle this problem, but not with total success. In 1941 there was still 8m out of work.

Unemployment fell rapidly. By the end of 1942 unemployment was at an all time low. By 1944 it was at 670,000 Workers were also encouraged to work longer – they were encouraged to work an extra hour a day “for the USA” and to dig “victory gardens”. Recycling was also encouraged.

America experienced a boom and the numbers unemployed remained relatively low. 3.4% in 1948, 4.4% in 1955.

Many Americans had travelled very little before the war.

16,000,000 US citizens served in the armed forces, many had never travelled before.

As Americans became richer, so they travelled more.

There were few jobs for young people, so many stayed on at school.

As industry expanded during the war, so there were more jobs for young people. There were so many jobs available that many students left education to start work. The number of 16-19 year olds at work increased 300%.

Young people tended to have more disposal income.

Most women worked in the house, looking after the children.

Many women went out to work in the armaments industries. This led to an increase in juvenile crime.

Teenagers found their feet after the war. They were wealthier, more independent and more rebellious.

BEFORE THE WAR

DURING THE WAR

AFTER THE WAR

Most women worked in the house, unpaid. In 1940 only 27% of the workforce were women, and only 17% of married women did work outside of the household.

The percentage of women working rose from 27 to 37 between 1941 and 1945. The government nonetheless mounted a massive campaign to encourage women to work. The “Rosie the Riveter” campaign was the largest, posters appearing everywhere showing a woman factory worker.

·        Yet once the war ended, women were encouraged to give the jobs back to the men returning from war. The campaign was headed “give your job to a veteran”. Some women resented this loss of independence. However, there were still more women workers in 1950 than there had been in 1940. However it was only 29% in 1950, yet 25% of married women did paid work, whereas in 1940 it had been 17%. Attitudes towards women had changed and their confidence had increased.

Women who did work worked mainly as domestic and clerical workers, secretaries, teachers, and nurses.

The largest increase in female employment came in the defence industries, where there were four times as many women working as there had been in peace time. Also 300,000 women joined women’s sections of the armed forces.

Women now did a variety of jobs, although still mainly in less paid areas, with lower status.

Women were generally paid less than men, even for doing the same job.

Yet many faced resentment from male colleagues and they were generally paid less than men for doing the same job, although some states ensured women were given equal pay.

Women were often still paid less in many areas.

Few black women worked before the war.

Black women saw greatest change as thousands found work. Some joined the army as nurses, but they were only allowed to treat black patients.

Many black women lost their jobs after the war, but there were still more working than before the war, although usually in menial jobs.

BEFORE THE WAR

DURING THE WAR

AFTER THE WAR

There were only two black officers in the US army, none in the navy and less than 4000 black soldiers, most of whom merely did support work.

One million black Americans served in the war, but at first they were segregated with white officers and were given merely menial jobs like cooks. As the war developed, so there was a need for more soldiers and so conditions changed, especially as General Eisenhower supported integrated units. In 1941-2, the forces opened all positions to qualified black people. By the end of the war, the number of black officers and integrated units had increased significantly. The Air Force began to train black pilots, 600 in all by the end of the war, whereas at the beginning there had not been any. The pilots of the black 332^nd Fighter Group won a Distinguished Unit Citation.

In 1948 President Truman ended segregation in the US forces. In 1945 many of the blacks who had fought in the war returned to the USA where many blacks were unable to vote and were condemned to be second class citizens. In this respect the war was a big boost to the civil rights movement.

Blacks were discriminated against. They received the worse education and medical care, the worse jobs and were segregated from white people. The ‘Jim Crow’ laws were enforced in many areas of the south. Roosevelt had ordered that blacks should get equal treatment under the New Deal, but this rarely happened.

Thousands of black people migrated to the industrial cities of the North, where there was less racism. By 1944 about 2 million blacks were working in war factories. In 1941 Philip Randolph organised a march of 100,000 on Washington, with the slogan ‘We loyal Americans demand the right to work and fight for our country’. The campaign by black Americans for better treatment pushed Roosevelt. Roosevelt attempted to force industry to employ blacks. In 1941 he set up the Fair Employment Practices Committee, but had no power to enforce his policy, except to refuse to give government contracts to companies that would not agree.

Most blacks still discriminated against, especially in the south. Received menial jobs, if any.

There had been attempts by groups to improve the conditions of blacks. These had either failed or had made little impact.

Black Americans found themselves fighting against Nazi racism only to have to endure American racism. More and more they began to dislike the way they were being treated. This led to the emergence of groups like “Double V”, which claimed to be working for victory at home and abroad. Also membership of groups like the NAACP grew from 45,000 in 1940 to 460,000 in 1946 and in 1942 the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) was set up.

Yet despite the advances, blacks faced continued discrimination and opposition. There were riots against blacks in many cities in the USA in 1943 and more than 30 blacks were killed. In Detroit on 21 June 1943 a race riot left 25 black and 9 white people dead, with more than 700 injured. $2 million of damage was caused. Segregation continued in the Southern states. Presidents felt reluctant to help, in case of a white backlash.

BEFORE THE WAR

DURING THE WAR

AFTER THE WAR

Many Japanese families settled in USA and thousands of children born there. Most regarded themselves as Americans.

When war broke out it was decided to move 110,000 Japanese-Americans from their homes on the west coast, because they might be a security risk. Many were forced to sell most of their belongings and lost $500,000,000 as a result. They were moved to relocation camps where conditions were very poor. Yet two-thirds of them were Nisei (children born in the USA). Yet at the same time 8000 Nisei were conscripted and 9000 volunteered to serve in the army. The 442^nd Regimental Combat Team, almost entirely consisting of Nisei, was the most decorated combat force in the US army.

There was still anti-Japanese feelings for a long time after the war.

BEFORE THE WAR

 DURING THE WAR

AFTER THE WAR

The Depression had hit people hard

The war brought the USA out of the Depression, as production was stepped up to fight the war. It led to the USA becoming the richest country in the world, as other countries were devastated or bankrupted by the war. Between 1941 and 1945 the USA’s GNP doubled, the income of the average person doubled and living standards rose. Wages rose faster than prices, despite controls on both. 17,000,000 jobs were created in the USA and there was frequent overtime for those who wanted it.

Many Americans expected a depression after the end of the war, as there had been in 1920-21, but in fact that economy continued to expand. America became the richest country in the world and the 1950s were boom years for American citizens, who enjoyed the highest standard of living in the world. The standard of living of almost all Americans rose as a result. This meant that they could buy more and so stimulate industry further. The boom of the 1940s carried on into the 1950s. The key features of that boom, hire purchase, advertising, and a mass market, continued. By the 1950s most Americans were experiencing the highest standard of living in the world. There was a move out to the suburbs and by 1959 a quarter of all Americans lived in suburbs. By 1960 87% of homes had a TV. Advertising ensured that the boom continued. By 1960 75% of households had a car.

Many large companies either collapsed or struggled before the war.

The large corporations won large government contracts for military supplies and increased their profits and power as a result. During the war many factories, such as Ford Motors were changed to war production.

American companies dominated the global economy. USA emerged from the war as an industrial giant. Its economy was head and shoulders above the ruined economies of other nations.

Farmers suffered badly due to the depression.

War in Europe meant a big increase in demand for US farm products and prices rose. For the first time American farmers experienced prosperity. There was little competition as European farming had been devastated by the war. Farmers witnessed a series of good harvests and guaranteed demand from the armed forces.

American farmers witnessed a time of prosperity whilst other countries rebuilt their farming infrastructure.

The government was already intervening to try to stimulate the economy through the New Deal. This was costing the government a fortune, and met with limited success.

The government took powers to control the economy centrally through organisations such as the War Production Board. Federal spending rose 1000% during the war. The government had run up huge debts to pay for the war.

The government was now more powerful. The Cold War continued the high level of spending on armaments into the next decades. Government spending actually doubled from 1950 to 1960. Americans in the 1950s were much richer than at any time in their history. The Interstate Highways Act of 1956 led to the building of many new roads.