Mobilizing for WWII

Read Chapter 25-1: Mobilizing for War and note how each of the following contributed to that effort.

Please post to your blog prior to class on Monday. Title: Mobilizing for WWII. Labels: WWII, homefront

1. Selective Service System

The Selective Service System drafted soldiers when the volunteers were not enough. It contributed to the war effort by strengthening the military by providing another 10 million troops.

2. Women
The women's auxiliary army corps was founded and woman now served in non-combat positions.


3. Minorities
More than 300,000 Mexican Americans joined the military and about 10,000,000 African Americans, as well as more than 13,000 Chinese Americans and 33,000 Japanese Americans and 25,000 Native Americans.

4. Manufacturers
The automobile industry stopped functioning as a private industry to make war supplies like boats, planes, and command cars. All over the country production companies were converted to war production. Also many women and minorities took over men's jobs in the factories.

5. Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD)
This brought scientists together to help the war effort. It improved radar and sonar and technology for finding submarines under water, it pushed DDT to kill insects and created drugs like penicillin. Most significantly however was the creation of the atomic bomb.


6 Entertainment industry
Hollywood began promoting the war by creating propaganda films and films that stirred up hatred for Nazis.

7. Office of Price Administration (OPA)
Because production had dropped on many goods due to the war effort, the OPA fought price inflation by freezing the costs of those products. The OPA also set up a food rationing system.

8. War Production Board (WPB)
The WPB was in charge of making sure that the troops received the proper supplies.It allocated different materials to key industries.

9. Rationing
The OPA set up a rationing system that set up fixed allotments of food for the military and also for the citizens of America. People were given coupons to buy restrictive amounts of food and things like gas. Many people saw this as a personal contribution to the war effort. Cutting back meant more for the war effort.