WWII Statistics

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  • Created by: Jess
  • Created on: 01-05-14 19:22
Number of unemployed in September 1943
780,000
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What were the average weekly earnings in 1944 (in comparison with mid-1930s)?
$46 from $20
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What percentage of a man's income did women earn?
Only 65%
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Consumer purchasing power rose by what percent during the war?
50%
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What was rationed?
Rubber, sugar, diesel, coffee and meat
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What flourished during the war?
Culture
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What happened in 1945?
Baby and housing boom
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Where did people migrate to during the war?
To the west/California
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How much money was saved during the war by Americans?
$150 billion
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What did David Potter describe the American people as by 1954?
"A people of plenty"
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When did the economic boom start?
Early 1947
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What was the 1950's unemployment figure?
Never went below 6.8%
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The USA had __% of the world's population but produced __% of the world's (industrial) goods
6% of population and 50% of world's goods
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What happened to the GNP after the war?
It doubled
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What percentage of Americans considered themselves to be middle class in 1954?
60%
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What happened to map-distribution of wealth after the war?
It disappeared - there was a middle class (60% of people)
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Which group did not benefit from the economic boom in particular?
African Americans
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What is the date of the Cold War?
1945 - 1990
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When/Why was rearmament introduced?
1938 by Roosevelt as he realised that war was imminent and tension was building up with Germany and Italy
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In 1941, how much did the USA spend on the military as it had in 1939?
4x as much
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Why did the USA join the war?
Threat from Hitler and Mussolini then from Japan when they bombed Pearl Harbor in December 1941
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How many Americans paid tax in 1939 and in 1945?
4m in 1939 to 43m in 1945
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Why were more people paying tax during the war?
The 1942 Revenue Act
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What was CORE?
Congress of Racial Equality - where 10% of the workforce had to be African American
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What act gave Roosevelt more power?
The War Powers Act
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Why were bars and nightclubs closed at night?
To improve efficiency and industrial output and conserve petrol
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Why were more people expected to pay taxes?
So the government could spend more money on the army
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How much did the amount generated by personal income tax increase by?
20%
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How was the main cost of the war funded?
By borrowing
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What was the national debt in June 1946?
129% of the GNP
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How did ordinary people lend the government money?
Through War Bonds
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Why did farmers do well in the war?
They could export their produce abroad - e.g. to GB/Lend-Lease
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Did lots of small companies benefit from the war?
No - 70% of manufactured goods were produced by 100 companies - a few massive companies got all of the contracts
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Was the government happy to let businesses make profits during the war?
Yes - as long as they were meeting the war effort they didn't care
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Did African Americans do well in the war?
Yes
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How many men were in the army?
12 million
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What percentage of the workforce was made up by women before and during the war?
25% before the war to 35% during the war
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What did the west of American become known as during the war?
New America
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By 1942, what was the USA's military output?
Equal to that of Germany, Italy and Japan combined
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Name 3 new industries that appeared during the war
Nuclear power, electronics and computers
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How much of the GNP was being spent on war production by 1945?
50%
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What was the alliance that was formed between the military and the defence industry?
The Military-Industrial Complex
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What did the War Production Board do?
Controlled the prices on consumer goods
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What did the RFC do?
Oversaw the drive to increase production
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How many war planes were made?
300,000
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How many warships were made?
85,000
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How many cargo ships were made?
5000
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How many tanks were made?
86,000
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How many tonnes of ammunition were made?
50 million
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How much was being spend on military contracts each day?
$250 million
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How many women were in the workforce?
6 million
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How much did raw steel production increase between 1940-5?
20%
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How much did fuel oil production increase between 1940-5?
40%
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How much did wheat flour production increase between 1940-5?
27%
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How much did rice production increase between 1940-5?
500 million pounds
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How much did corn production increase between 1940-5?
477 million bushels
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What is the term used to describe the increase in people reading/going to the cinema etc. during the war?
Escapism
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

What were the average weekly earnings in 1944 (in comparison with mid-1930s)?

Back

$46 from $20

Card 3

Front

What percentage of a man's income did women earn?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

Consumer purchasing power rose by what percent during the war?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

What was rationed?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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