TABLE OF CONTENTS

The War & Military Technology…………………..………………………………………….Pgs. 1-2

The War & American Industry, Science & Technology……………………………Pgs. 3-4

The War & Medicine……………………………………………………………………………….Pgs. 5-6

The War & American Economy……………………………………………………………….Pgs. 7-8

Bibliography………………………………………………………………………………...……………..Pg. 9

 

The War & Military Technology

New Weaponry Abounds

World War II created a necessity for America to race to create the most destructive and effective weaponry in order to win, so it did.

Radar & Sonar Radar, an acronym for Radio Detection and Range, made it possible to

determine the position and speed of an object by analyzing the reflected radio waves. It could target ships and planes, in dark or light and in any condition. It was the ultimate combat weapon (Wright). Radar detectors came with radar of course! Chaff and jammers were two common devices used. Chaff, thin metal strips, created a large cloud on radar operators so

the enemy couldn’t see their targets clearly. And jammers produced strong radio waves so that the enemy couldn’t track the targets radar

signals couldn’t be seen.

One of the many radar detectors used in World War 2 (LOC).

 

The Atomic Bomb & The Manhattan Project The Manhattan Project was an atomic research project to develop the

atomic bomb. More than 130,000 people were working on the project and it cost more than $2 billion (Pennington). There were three main

establishments in Tennessee, Washington, and New Mexico. Security was very severe and restrictions were placed on workers. The atomic bomb was the most significant new technology used in the war. A single bomb

could destroy a city and kill thousands of people. (Kindersley)

Oppenheimer and his colleague (scientists in the Manhattan Project) checking out the remains of the testing of the atomic bomb named Trinity. It exceeded their expectations and worked much

better than they hoped.

Air Weaponry Development

Aircraft carriers were very well demonstrated during the attack on Pearl Harbor. They could support the landing and keep the enemy aircrafts at

bay. Aircraft carriers enabled a naval force to send airpower large distances without having local bases for aircraft operations. Japan had an

advantage over the US, because they had more aircraft carriers, and so Pearl Harbor was a success for the Japanese.

 

The War & American Industry, Science & Technology

A Powerhouse Is Born

In order to meet the demands of World War II, the United States needed to become an industrial powerhouse, which it achieved.

The War Production Board The War Production Board was a group that helped US industry run smoothly, and made

sure wartime resources were transported properly. Leaders in US industry, like C. Wilson, the President of General Electric, were members in the WPB (Wright). The

WPB had one main job: to change everyday industries to make goods for the war. Silk

ribbon makers produced parachutes, fabric nail factories made cartridge clips for rifles, typewriter companies made machine guns,

and underwear manufacturers sewed mosquito nets (Wright).

A safety poster from the WPB, asking

workers to be safe and to help America by working (Library of Congress).

Automobile Industry For car companies, the war meant that they would be producing totally different things. Instead of cars, they made aircrafts, tanks,

and aero-engines. Chrysler made fuselages for airplanes, and GM made airplane engines, guns, and tanks (Wright). The Ford Motor

Company made an especially big transition, by using techniques of mass production to make B-24 bomber planes. They were made in the Willow Run Factory in Michigan, and they

produced huge amounts of planes (Wright).

As was typical, the woman

above worked in an auto factory, the GM plant in Willow

Run, Michigan (LOC).

 

Science & Technology

Along with the introduction of military research labs, civilian laboratories also

enjoyed a significant amount of growth, and began to work alongside with military ones. From these labs, new everyday technologies

emerged out of the need to conserve as part of the war effort. Such technologies include things like plastic wrap, which replaced aluminum foil, and cardboard milk/juice containers, which replaced glass bottles

(National WWII Museum).

Cardboard Milk Boxes

(publicdomainpictures.net)

Plastic Wrap

(publicdomainpictures.net)

Mobilization of Economic Resources

The mobilization of people was achieved through labor and drafting. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, many American men rushed to enlist in the war and opted to be drafted in. For those who remained behind, the War Manpower Commission provided training to 1.5 million Americans, who used them to help the war effort in the production sector (Wright). The conservation of economic resources also occurred, as ration books and tokens were issued to American families, restricting how much gasoline, sugar, meat, silk, and other such goods could be purchased. The mobilization of money took place also, as the majority of Americans were willing and eager to pay raised taxes to help the war effort. Many Americans also bought war bonds when they could, and a great effort was made by the government to make them more widely purchasable by lowering their cost (The National WWII Museum). Finally, synthetic rubber was a significant economic resource that was mobilized, as it was completely necessary for both domestic and military use. This was achieved through a recycling program, as people handed in rubber products. Over 234,000 tons of synthetic rubber was manufactured during WWII, fulfilling America’s need and leveling the playing field with the Germans and Japanese.

 

The War & Medicine

New Age of Healing

Due to the urgency of World War II, medical research was better coordinated, financed, and able to produce new drugs and treatments.

This resulted in many great new advances in American Medicine,

Medical Developments

The process of retrieving dried blood plasma was created during WWII to help injured soldiers who were suffering from blood loss or shock. Blood

transfusions were also improved, increasing the speed and success of surgical procedures. Prosthetics, another result of war injuries, were

developed and mass-produced to aid amputees. Additionally, many new chemicals, including DDT, were created to quickly reduce the impact of

various diseases such as malaria, typhus, and yellow fever. Another example of this is the drug penicillin, which treated many infectious

diseases such as syphilis. Finally, psychological aid was greatly improved to assist soldiers suffering from PTSD.

Blood plasma treatment on soldier Medics move a casualty from the

battlefront via a trench

 

Effect of the Atomic Age

After the introduction of the Atomic Bomb in to World War II, the

discovery of radiation’s useful properties generated new radiation

therapies to fight chronic diseases, such as cancer.

Medicine’s Economic Impact on WWII

The new medical discoveries

boosted the U.S. economy. The

USA manufactured more than

600 billion units of penicillin

in 1945 alone. Due to the

usefulness of penicillin, it was

being mass-produced for

civilian communities as well,

thus bolstering government

and business revenue.

Penicillin is prepared in the lab. U.S. Army Medical Department, Office of Medical History.

 

The War & American Economy

WWII Revives the U.S. Economy World War II did cost many Americans their lives, but it also pulled

America out of the Great Depression and turned it into a world power.

Life During the Great Depression

The combination of the 1929 stock market crash and the 1930 bank failures plunged America into its

greatest-ever economic recession. As unemployment soared, businesses were

forced to lower their production. The economy slowed to a crawl. President

Franklin D. Roosevelt tried to stimulate the economy through his New Deal but

these programs only appeared to be positive as they failed to completely

restore the economy (Szostak).

 

The “breadline” was a common image during the Great Depression

due to high unemployment.

War Mobilizes Industry

"There is one front and one battle where everyone in the United States—every man, woman, and child—is in action, and will be privileged to remain in action

throughout this war. That front is right here at home, in our daily lives, and in our daily tasks." –FDR, 28 April 1942

When the U.S. entered the war, the entire nation prepared to fight on all fronts. The immediate

demand for labor was obvious both in combat and in factories. Unemployment vanished almost

overnight. Factories reached maximum efficiency due to amazing work ethic despite a shortage of

machinery (Wright). As indirect results of production expansion, wages rose and farms prices

recovered. Many New Deal programs also slowly disappeared, but some are still present today (“End

of the Great Depression”).

 

Arsenal of Democracy

"We must be a great arsenal of democracy.” – FDR, 29 December 1940

The city of Detroit was a

major reason the Allies

triumphed. Its abandoned

automobile factories were

transformed to produce

military equipment such as

aircraft, tanks, and other

artillery at an astounding

rate. The U.S. beat Germany

by overwhelming them

industrially (Lankton).

 

Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant in Warren, MI

Post World War II Effects

The U.S. established itself as the leading world power during the war

and asserted this position afterwards. It maintained a strong

economic position, overcoming challenges such as assisting plighted

European nations financially and investing in the Cold War. Most

importantly, the U.S. led the effort to bring about open global trade,

which promotes worldwide economic efficiency (Wright).

 

Bibliography

"AMERICA GOES TO WAR." The National WWII Museum | New Orleans. The National WWII Museum, n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2014. "The Atomic Bomb." World War II. London: Dorling Kindersley, 2007. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 25 Feb. 2014. Baker, Kevin. "WWII." America - The Story of Us. A&E Television Networks, LLC. History Channel, New York, NY, 2010. Television. "End of the Great Depression." Great Depression and the New Deal Reference Library. Ed. Allison McNeill, Richard C. Hanes, and Sharon M. Hanes. Vol. 1: Almanac. Detroit: UXL, 2003. 266-278. U.S. History in Context. Web. 12 Feb. 2014. Herman, Jan Kenneth. "Medicine, World War II." Americans at War. Ed. John P. Resch. Vol. 3: 1901-1945. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2005. 108-110. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 3 Mar. 2014. Lankton, Larry. "Autos to Armaments." Michigan History Magazine Nov.-Dec. 1991: 42-49. Web. 25 Feb. 2014. "The 1940s Medicine and Health: Topics in the News." UXL American Decades. Ed. Julie L. Carnagie, et al. Vol. 5: 1940-1949. Detroit: UXL, 2003. 114-125. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 2 Mar. 2014. "Science, Technology, and Weapons Development." World War II in Asia and the Pacific and the War's Aftermath, with General Themes: A Handbook of Literature and Research. Ed. Loyd E. Lee. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1998. [187]-205. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 12 Feb. 2014. Szostak, Rick. "Great Depression." Dictionary of American History. Ed. Stanley I. Kutler. 3rd ed. Vol. 4. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2003. 44-49. U.S. History in Context. Web. 12 Feb. 2014. Wright, John. Access to History for the IB Diploma: The Second World War and the Americas 1933-45. London: Hodder Education, 2013. Print.