World War I

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World War I

• Homefront Economy

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World War I Homefront Economy

• Government increases control over business
• Congress gives President Wilson direct control
  over most of the economy.
• Price Controls
• Nationalizing certain companies that are in
  war-related fields

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World War I Homefront Economy

• Government increases control over business
• Congress gives President Wilson direct control
  over most of the economy.
• Price Controls
• Nationalizing certain companies that are in
  war-related fields
• Stop labor strikes

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World War I Homefront Economy

• Government increases control over business
• War Industries Board (WIB)
• Established in 1917 reorganized in 1918.
• Bernard M. Baruch led this organization.

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World War I Homefront Economy

• Government increases control over business
• War Industries Board (WIB)
• Encouraged mass production techniques
• Fostered efficiency eliminate waste through
  standardization.

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World War I Homefront Economy

• Government increases control over business
• War Industries Board (WIB)
• Typewriter ribbons changed from 150 colors to 5.

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World War I Homefront Economy

• Government increases control over business
• War Industries Board (WIB)
• Set quotas on production.

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World War I Homefront Economy

• Government increases control over business
• War Industries Board (WIB)
• Psychology tests to increase hiring efficiency.

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World War I Homefront Economy

• Government increases control over business
• War Industries Board (WIB)
• Industrial production increased 20.
• Price controls maintained at wholesale level
  only.
• This led to inflation.
• Corporate profits soared.
• Chemicals
• Copper
• Lumber
• Meatpacking
• Oil
• steel

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World War I Homefront Economy

• Government increases control over business
• War Industries Board (WIB)
• Encouraged the end of buying corsets with steel
  reinforcement.
• 8 tons of steel per year was saved

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World War I Homefront Economy

• Government increases control over business
• War Industries Board (WIB)
• Tall leather shoes became out of fashion.
• The WIB discouraged factories producing the high
  boots to save leather for soldier boots.

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World War I Homefront Economy

• Government increases control over business
• War Industries Board (WIB)
• Long skirts became shorter.
• The extra fabric was used to make more military
  uniforms.

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World War I Homefront Economy

• Government increases control over business
• Railroad Administration
• This department created by the federal government
  heavily regulated the railroad.

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World War I Homefront Economy

• Government increases control over business
• Fuel Administration
• Monitored coal supplies.
• Rationed gasoline heating oil.

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World War I Homefront Economy

• Government increases control over business
• Fuel Administration
• Organized volunteer energy saving campaigns like
• gasless Sundays
• lightless nights
• daylight savings time.

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World War I Homefront Economy

• Government increases control over business
• National War Labor Board
• Set up to try to keep avoid labor disputes.
• Labor strikes would hurt the war effort.
• Union membership went from 2.5 million members to
  4 million members by 1919.
• There were also more than 6,000 strikes that
  broke out during the war months.
• Although wages increased, inflation was rising
  giving consumers less money to spend.

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World War I Homefront Economy

• Government increases control over business
• National War Labor Board
• National War Labor Board officials tired to help
  workers owners create a labor agreement to
  avoid any work stoppage (strike or lockout).
• Sometimes the National War Labor Board encouraged
  (or intimidated workers) to accept labor
  agreements by threatening to draft them into
  military service.
• Some leaders of this federal agency basically
  told laborer this,
• Work or fight!

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World War I Homefront Economy

• Government increases control over business
• National War Labor Board
• National War Labor Board officials did try to
  influence companies to improve labor conditions
  by trying to persuade them to
• Implement an 8 hour workday.
• Allow safety inspections.
• Implement the federal ban on child labor.

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World War I Homefront Economy

• Government increases control over business
• National War Labor Board
• The chart demonstrates the labor union membership
  that increased during the war.

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World War I Homefront Economy

• Government increases control over business
• Food Administration
• Led by Herbert Hoover
• Consisted of nearly all volunteers.
• Ran a publicity campaign to conserve food.

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World War I Homefront Economy

• Government increases control over business
• Food Administration asked the people to
• Practice the gospel of the clean plate.
• Observe one day of the week asmeatless
• Observe one day of the week as sweetless.
• Observe two porkless days of the week.
• Observe two weatless days of the week.
• Eat more corn so more wheat can be sent to
  Europe.

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World War I Homefront Economy

• Government increases control over business
• Food Administration asked the restaurants to
• Remove sugar bowls from the table.
• Only serve bread of the first course of the meal.

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World War I Homefront Economy

• Government increases control over business
• Food Administration asked the citizens to
• Plant victory gardens (by people planting their
  own food, more food can be sent to Europe.)
• The White House grew them.
• School children were encouraged to join the
  United States School Garden that planted tomatoes
  cucumbers in public parkss

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World War I Homefront Economy

• Government increases control over business
• Food Administrations results
• U.S. food shipments to Europe tripled.
• 40 million acres of farmland were added to
  production after the president set a higher price
  on wheat other foods that were popular with
  the Europeans.
• Farmers increased their income by 30 during the
  World War I era.

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World War I Homefront Economy

• Government increases control over business
• In many cases the increased government
  involvement led to increased production more
  efficiency.
• Labor disputes were still an issue.
• Minimum wage, child labor, safe working
  conditions were still an issue.
• Equal work for equal pay was still not
  accomplished for women or other minorities.