WWI Domestic Policies: What would YOU Do?

WWI Domestic Policies: What would YOU Do?

Imagine you are President Woodrow Wilson in 1917

The United States has joined the war on the side of the Allies and is fighting against Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Turkey. The stakes couldn’t be higher— victory is essential for the sovereignty of your allies and your own political survival. To achieve victory, you have make more than just military decisions—your economic and domestic policies will also help determine the outcome.

Problem #1: Raising an Army

The United States has a standing army of 100,000 men when the United States declares war on Germany in 1917. In contrast, Germany has an army of over 4,000,000 men.

Poll

What can you do to increase the size of the American military in order to be able to defeat Germany? You can select more than one option.

• Appeal to Americans' patriotism and ask them to volunteer for military service.

• Create a law requiring men of a certain age to serve in the armed forces.

• Offer reduced sentences for criminals who agree to serve in the armed forces

• Do nothing: the government should not force citizens into military service.

Problem #2: Government & Business

You need to make sure your soldiers have enough equipment and supplies. However, the government does not have the ability to produce these goods itself—it must rely on American businesses.

Poll

Which of the following will you do in terms of government and business? You can choose more than one.

• Let the market determine the production of goods. If demand is high for some products, such as artillery shells, the price will go up.

• Establish a government agency to work with businesses. They would work together to decide how much of each product should be made (or NOT made) during the war.

• Offer generous government contracts and award the contracts to the companies that offer the best deals to the government

• Have the government take control of relevant business and convert them over to war production until the end of the war.

Problem #3: Feeding Soldiers

You never want to send soldiers into battle on an empty stomach. How are you going to ensure that your soldiers AND civilians back home have enough to eat?

Poll

Which of the following options make the most sense? You can choose more than one option.

• Pay farmers more (with government funding) to grow more food

• Ration food at home. Civilians can only have a set amount of certain food items per month (such as milk, bread, etc)

• Encourage citizens to grow their own vegetable gardens to conserve food for soldiers

• Appeal to Americans' patriotism and encourage them to voluntarily participate in days that would conserve food like "Meatless Wednesdays"

Problem #4: Paying for the war?

Government spending has drastically increased since the war started.

Poll

Which of the following will you do to help finance the war? You can choose more than one option.

• Increase taxes

• Appeal to the public's patriotism and encourage people to lend the government money by purchasing war bonds.

• Do nothing. The government should buy materials for the war with its current budget! This war shouldn't increase taxes or make citizens feel obligated to lend the government money in the form of war bonds.

Problem #5: Government and Labor

The production of the additional supplies needed for the war requires a tremendous amount of manpower. But a huge percentage of the workforce is leaving to fight the war. As a result, there is a shortage of workers when you need them most.

Poll

What will you do about this labor shortage? You can choose more than one option.

• Let the market work it out. Wherever there are labor shortages, wages will go up; higher wages will attract workers.

• Take the side of workers. Establish policies making sure wages go up enough to attract sufficient workers to fill all the military’s needs.

• Take the side of business owners. Establish policies keeping wages down to entice enough businesses to fill all the military’s needs.

• Set up a government board to oversee labor issues. Workers would be given the right to organize and bargain collectively as long as they agree not to strike

Problem #6: Energy Costs

The economy shifted from making consumer goods to war materials when the United States declared war on Germany in April 1917. Unfortunately, factories have to use more fuel when running at night to provide adequate lighting for workers.

Poll

Which of the following options would you use to fix this problem? You can choose more than one option.

• Stop industrial production at dusk to conserve energy

• Encourage factories to increase the number of employees they have in order to increase production during daylight hours

• Create a law that would shift the time ahead one hour in order to give factories an extra hour of daylight

• Do nothing: Does the term "laissez-faire" ring any bells? The government should not be interfering with the economy at all!