US History Chapter 3: WWI Economic Control

Congress gave President Wilson direct control over much of the economy. It gave him the power to fix prices and to regulate—even to nationalize—certain war-related industries.

The War Industries Board encouraged companies to use mass-production techniques to increase efficiency. It also urged them to eliminate waste by standardizing products. The WIB set production quotas and allocated raw materials. The National War Labor Board settled disputes between management and labor, often working to improve factory conditions. The Railroad Administration controlled the railroads. The Fuel Administration monitored coal supplies and rationed gasoline and heating oil. The Food Administration was set up to help produce and conserve food.

Corporate profits soared, especially in industries such as chemicals, meatpacking, oil, and steel. Union membership climbed from about 2.5 million in 1916 to more than 4 million in 1919. To settle strikes, the government pushed for an eight-hour workday, promoted safety inspections, and enforced the child labor ban.

<p>About one third of the $35.5 billion war expense was paid through taxes while the remaining two thirds came from selling war bonds (Liberty Loans and Victory Loans).</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>It was a government propaganda agency meant to popularize the war. It persuaded artists and advertising agencies to create thousands of paintings, posters, cartoons, and sculptures promoting the war. It also distributed some 75 million pamphlets, booklets, and leaflets.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Anti-immigrant hysteria raged. Many Americans with German names lost their jobs. Orchestras refused to play the music of Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms. Some towns with German names changed them. Schools stopped teaching the German language, and librarians removed books by German authors from the shelves. People even resorted to violence against German Americans. Some were flogged or smeared with tar and feathers. A mob in Collinsville, Illinois, wrapped a German flag around a German-born miner named Robert Prager and lynched him. A jury cleared the mob's leader. Finally, in a burst of anti-German fervor, Americans changed the name of German measles to “liberty measles.” Hamburger—named after the German city of Hamburg—became “Salisbury steak” or “liberty sandwich,” depending on whether you were buying it in a store or eating it in a restaurant. Sauerkraut was renamed “liberty cabbage,” and dachshunds turned into “liberty pups.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Under the Espionage and Sedition Acts, a person could be fined up to $10,000 and sentenced to 20 years in jail for interfering with the war effort or for saying anything disloyal, profane, or abusive about the government or the war effort.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Charles Schenck, an official of the U.S. Socialist Party, distributed leaflets that called the draft a “deed against humanity” and compared conscription to slavery, urging conscripts to “assert your rights.” Schenck was convicted of sedition and sentenced to prison, but he argued that the conviction, punishment, and even the law itself violated his right to free speech. The Court decided that during times of war free speech may be limited by the government if that speech represented a danger to the public. It upheld Schenck's conviction and decided that the words in the leaflets were not protected by the right to free speech.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The Great Migration was the large-scale movement of hundreds of thousands of southern blacks to cities in the North. Several factors contributed to the tremendous increase in black migration. First, many African Americans wanted to escape racial discrimination in the South. Discrimination made it hard for them to make a living and often threatened their lives. Also, a boll weevil infestation, aided by floods and droughts, had ruined much of the South's cotton fields. In the North, there were more job opportunities. The outbreak of World War I and the drop in European immigration increased job opportunities for African Americans. There were jobs in steel mills, munitions plants, and stockyards. Northern manufacturers sent recruiting agents to distribute free railroad passes through the South. In addition, the publisher of the black-owned newspaper Chicago Defender bombarded southern blacks with articles contrasting Dixieland lynchings with the prosperity of African Americans in the North.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Women moved into jobs that had been held exclusively by men. They became railroad workers, cooks, dockworkers, and bricklayers. They mined coal and took part in shipbuilding. At the same time, women continued to fill more traditional jobs as nurses, clerks, and teachers. Many women worked as volunteers, serving at Red Cross facilities and encouraging the sale of bonds and the planting of victory gardens. In all, about 1 million women entered the work force during World War 1. After the war ended, however, most women left the jobs they had taken. Many women left by choice; others were forced to leave by employers who wanted to give the jobs to returning servicemen.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The right of women to vote.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>It affected about one-quarter of the U.S. population and had devastating impact on the economy with shut down of industries and a wave of deaths. The epidemic killed about 500,000 Americans before it disappeared in 1919. Historians believe that the influenza virus killed as many as 30 million people worldwide.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>President Wilson's vision for a postwar world and maintaining peace after the war. The first several points were issues that Wilson believed had to be addressed to prevent another war. He suggested banning secret agreements between nations. He proposed lower tariffs to facilitate free trade. He also called for military cutbacks and freedom of the seas. Several other points focused on the need to resolve national border disputes. His plan also proposed settlements for colonial peoples who wished to be independent. Wilson believed strongly in self-determination—the right of people to choose their own political status. He wanted groups that claimed distinct ethnic identities to be able to form their own nation-states or decide for themselves to what nations they would belong. The final point called for the creation of an international organization. Its purpose would be to address diplomatic crises like those that had sparked the war. This League of Nations would provide a forum for nations to discuss and settle their differences without having to resort to war.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The peace conference took place in Paris, actually in a palace slightly outside Paris known as Versailles, in 1919. The &quot;Big Four&quot; nations that dominated the talks were the United States, Great Britain, France, and Italy. None of the Central Powers nor Russia were invited.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The Treaty of Versailles established nine new nations—including Poland, Czechoslovakia, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Austria, Hungary, and Yugoslavia. It carved areas out of the Ottoman Empire (Iraq, Syria, Palestine, Trans-Jordan, Lebanon) and gave them to France and Great Britain as mandates, or temporary colonies. Those two Allies were to administer their respective mandates until the areas were ready for self-rule and then independence. The treaty limited the German army to 100,000 men, with no tanks or heavy artillery. It also limited the German navy to 15,000 men and banned Germany from having an air force. It required Germany to return the region of Alsace-Lorraine to France. It also required Germany to surrender all colonies to the control of the League of Nations. The treaty's war-guilt clause held Germany solely responsible for all losses and damages suffered by the Allies during the war. It also required Germany to pay reparations, or war damages, amounting to $33 billion to the Allies.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The League of Nations, specifically the provision for joint economic and military action against aggression, even though it was voluntary. They wanted the constitutional right of Congress to declare war included in the treaty because they feared that the League threatened the U.S. foreign policy of isolationism.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Wilson rejected calls for compromise by his opponents and instead set out on an 8,000-mile tour to rally support for his treaty. Wilson suffered a stroke, a ruptured blood vessel to the brain. He lay partially paralyzed for more than two months, unable to even meet with his cabinet. The Senate rejected the treaty. The United States never joined the League of Nations. However, it had an unofficial observer at League meetings.</p> Signup and view all the answers

The power of the presidency, particularly over the economy, significantly increased during World War I. Congress granted President Wilson direct control over various industries and empowered him to regulate prices and nationalize war-related companies.

The War Industries Board (WIB) focused on efficient mass production, eliminating waste, and setting quotas. The National War Labor Board settled labor disputes while promoting factory conditions. The Railroad Administration managed railroads. The Fuel Administration monitored coal supplies and rationed fuel. The Food Administration oversaw food production and conservation.

The war boosted industrial profits significantly, notably in industries like chemicals, meatpacking, oil, and steel. Union membership also surged, growing from 2.5 million in 1916 to over 4 million in 1919. The government facilitated improvements, such as the eight-hour workday, safety inspections, and child labor enforcement.

The U.S. financed its WWI effort through a combination of taxes and war bonds. Taxes covered about one-third of the $35.5 billion cost, while the remaining two-thirds came from selling Liberty and Victory Loans.

The Committee on Public Information, a government propaganda agency, was tasked with promoting the war effort. It used various mediums like paintings, posters, cartoons, sculptures, and pamphlets to build public support.

The Espionage and Sedition Acts made it a crime to interfere with the war effort or speak negatively about the government or the war. Individuals could be fined up to $10,000 and sentenced to 20 years in prison for violations.

Charles Schenck, a socialist, distributed leaflets opposing the draft. He was convicted of sedition, but he argued it violated free speech. The Supreme Court ruled that the government can limit speech during wartime if it poses a danger to public safety.

The Great Migration was the large-scale movement of African Americans from the South to northern cities. Factors contributing to this included racial discrimination in the South, boll weevil infestation, and abundant job opportunities in northern factories and industries.

Women filled jobs previously held by men, including railroad workers, cooks, dockworkers, and bricklayers. They continued fulfilling traditional roles like nurses, clerks, and teachers. Many volunteered in the Red Cross and promoted war bonds and Victory gardens.

The Nineteenth Amendment granted women the right to vote.

The Spanish Flu devastated the U.S. economy and population in 1918. The virus infected about one-quarter of the population and led to widespread shutdowns and deaths. Estimates indicate over 500,000 American deaths and 30 million worldwide.

Wilson's Fourteen Points proposed a vision for a peaceful postwar world. They included issues like open diplomacy, freedom of seas, free trade, disarmament, fairer colonial arrangements, and self-determination for nations. The most significant point was creating a League of Nations.

The peace conference was held in Versailles, France in 1919. The dominant nations, known as the 'Big Four,' were the U.S., Great Britain, France, and Italy. Notably, the Central Powers and Russia were not invited.

The Treaty of Versailles established new nations like Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Finland. It carved parts of the Ottoman Empire into mandates controlled by France and Britain. The treaty also imposed harsh limitations on Germany's military, required territorial concessions, and blamed Germany for the war, compelling it to pay reparations.

The main domestic opposition to the Treaty of Versailles focused their concerns on the League of Nations, specifically its provision for joint economic and military action against aggression. They feared it might threaten U.S. isolationist foreign policy and compromise Congress's war declaration authority.

Wilson fiercely defended his treaty, refusing compromise and embarking on a nationwide tour to rally support. However, he suffered a debilitating stroke, rendering him unable to lead the negotiations. The Senate ultimately rejected the treaty, and the United States never joined the League of Nations.