WWI effects #1
This group:
joined workforce en masse
advocates against war - politically active led to suffrage
Women
Food Administration (Herbert Hoover)
Food prices drop because of massive increase in food production
“Food will win the war” - increased production of grain to sent to war-torn Europe
Many struggle economically because of this
Farmers
influx of A/A workers - changing demographics
Northern cities
vocally opposed to war - seen as the master class fighting a war by using lower classes
jailed
became even more radical/committed
Socialists
Jobs in factories opening up - leaving field work for southwestern cities
segregated neighborhoods
US encouraged immigration from Mexico at least 100,000 new immigrants during war
Mexican-Americans
taxes
War Revenue Bills - taxed wealthier and businesses more
⅓ of the war cost came from taxes
Liberty loans
popular support of war
increased federal debt from 1 billion in 1915 to 20 billion in 1920
War Industries Board
allocate resources, deals with business
Committee on Public Information
propaganda
modern bureaucratic state
Federal Government
African Americans
Great Migration - jobs opening up
higher pay
less racism than in south for them
slack on antitrust laws
¼ of production went to war effort
guaranteed work from the government
Big Business
Immigrants
⅕ of AEF were foreign born (American Foreign Legion)
47 languages in letters
promote/forced the Americanization of these immigrants
not much room to be different in the army
Unions
National War Labor Board - 1918
8 hour workday for war workers - time a half for overtime - equal pay for women workers
no-strike pledge
took over an arms plant that discriminated against union employees
AFL membership grew by 1 million members
however, after the war there was an antiunion movement
Espionage Act 1917
Sedition Act 1918
Schenk v United States
“a clear and present danger to the safety of the country”
Free Speech