The Marketing of World War II in the US, 1939-1946

A Business History of the US Government and the Media and Entertainment Industries

Albert N. Greco

• Publisher: Palgrave Pivot
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN:
  9783030395186
• eBook ISBN:
  9783030395193
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Marketing
• Index: Business

From the late 1930s until December 7, 1941, isolationism and an antipathy toward war in Europe were strong political currents in the US. However, once the US entered World War II, the entire apparatus of the US government was mobilized to "market" the war to Americans who were incredulous and horrified about the attack at Pearl Harbor. Americans wanted immediate and detailed information from the US government and the nation's media and entertainment companies about the recent military disasters. This book analyzes the complex relationships between the US government and the entire media and entertainment industries between 1939 and 1946.

The US government realized in early 1942 that it needed to forge an alliance with the media and entertainment industries to create and maintain support for the war. The Office of War Information (OWI) was the US government agency acting as the liaison between Washington and the diverse media and entertainment industries; and all of them confronted a series of major issues and concerns to convince Americans to support the war effort. This book offers business historians an examination of the complex and sometimes tense relationships between the OWI and the radio, magazine, newspaper, and motion picture industries.

© The Author(s) 2020

A. N. GrecoThe Marketing of World War II in the US, 1939-1946https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-39519-3_1

Begin Abstract

1. The US Confronts the Great Depression and World War II: 1929–1941

Albert N. Greco¹

(1)

Fordham University, Bronx, NY, USA

Albert N. Greco

Email: [email protected]

Abstract

One of the time periods in US history most discussed is 1929–1941 because in October 1929 the Great Depression started, impacting every American. The response of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “New Deal” to confront the severe, debilitating impact of the Depression and America’s entry into World War II form a critical era in American history. This chapter addresses some of the substantive events of the years between 1929 and 1941.

Keywords

Great DepressionNational Bureau of Economic ResearchHerbert HooverFranklin D. RooseveltThe New DealMajor legislationPreparations for warPearl Harbor and America’s entry into World War II

End Abstract

America and the Great Depression 1929–1939

Many business historians peg the start of the Great Depression with the stock market crash (often called “The Great Crash ”) on “Black Tuesday,” October 29, 1929. “Tuesday, October 29, was the most devastating day in the history of the New York stock market, and it may have been the most devastating day in the history of the markets.”¹ On that day, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DOIA) fell almost 23%, triggering a staggering market loss of more than $8 billion in value (the equivalent of more than $120.4 billion in 2020 dollars).² But it was just one in a series of momentous events that undermined the very foundations of American society.

Between 1929 and 1933, the US Gross Domestic Product (GDP ; the GDP is the sum of the market values, or prices, of all final goods and services produced in an economy during a period of time) declined 45.56%; unemployment rose from 3.2 to 24.9%; the population increased at relatively modest rates, but well below the averages during the 1920s.³ By late 1929, and into the early 1930s, bread lines emerged in large cities and small townships. There was an increase in the number of vagrants; and thousands of large and small businesses closed their doors. Farms were abandoned because of the steep declines in prices, and more than 9000 banks failed.⁴ Table 1.1 has some of the economic statistics.

Table 1.1

Impact of the Great Depression 1929–1941: Gross Domestic Product, unemployment, and the US Population (current US dollars)

Year	US Gross Domestic Product (GDP)	% Change	Unemployment rate (%)	US population total	% Change
1929	$104.6 billion	5.30%	3.2	121,767,000	1.04%
1930	$92.2 billion	−11.85%	8.7	123,076,741	1.07%
1931	$77.4 billion	−16.05%	15.9	124,039,648	0.78%
1932	$59.5 billion	−23.13%	23.6	124,840,471	0.64%
1933	$57.2 billion	−3.87%	24.9	125,578,763	0.59%
1934	$66.8 billion	+16.78%	21.7	126,373,773	0.63%
1935	$74.3 billion	+11.23%	20.1	127,250,232	0.69%
1936	$84.9 billion	+14.27%	16.9	128,053,180	0.63%
1937	$93.0 billion	+9.54%	14.3	128,824,829	0.60%
1938	$87.4 billion	−6.02%	19.0	129,824,939	0.77%
1939	$93.5 billion	+6.98%	17.2	130,879,718	0.81%
1940	$102.9 billion	+10.05%	14.6	132,122,446	0.95%
1941	$129.4 billion	+25.75%	9.9	133,402,471	0.96%

Source The Statistical Abstract of the United States; various years. All numbers rounded off and may not always equal 100%

As the jobless population grew, President Herbert Hoover’s administration faced steep declines in US Government receipts, declining from $4058 million in 1930 to $1924 million in 1932. Table 1.2 has the details. However, Hoover resisted calls from city, county, state, and federal officials to have the US Government combat the growing unemployment problem by financing public service jobs. Hoover maintained that local and state governments should pay for them. When Americans lost jobs, and the ability to pay rents or mortgages, many abandoned their homes and apartments and moved into shantytowns (known as Hooverville’s ).⁴

Table 1.2

US government receipts and expenditures 1929–1941 (current US$ million)

Year	Total receipts	Total expenditures	Surplus or deficit (−)
1929	$3862	$3127	$734
1930	$4058	$3320	$738
1931	$3116	$3577	−$462
1932	$1924	$4659	−$2735
1933	$1997	$4598	−$2602
1934	$2955	$6541	−$3586
1935	$3609	$6412	−$2803
1936	$3923	$8228	−$4304
1937	$5387	$7580	−$2193
1938	$6751	$6840	−$89
1939	$6295	$9141	−$2846
1940	$6548	$9468	−$2920
1941	$8712	$13,653	−$4941

Source https://​www.​govinfo.​gov/​content/​pkg/​BUDGET-2019-TAB/​pdf/​BUDGET-2019-TAB/​pdf. All numbers rounded off and may not always equal 100%

The 1932 presidential c...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Front Matter
• 1. The US Confronts the Great Depression and World War II: 1929–1941
• 2. Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Domestic Policies, Executive Orders, and the Home Front During World War II
• 3. The US Government and the Advertising, Radio, Newspaper, and Magazine Industries Confront the War
• 4. The US Government and the Entertainment Industries Confront the War: Motion Pictures, Music, and Book Publishing
• 5. The Impact of Wartime Cooperative Relationship Between the US Government and the Media and Entertainment Industries on American Society and Consumers
• Back Matter