Figure 1.--American boys like 16-year old Roy Popp joined the labor force after the Japanese attack on Pear Harbor. Roy is working on the fuselage of a transport plane at a west coast shipyard. Hitler dominated Europe with the Luftwaffe in the late 1930s. He and other ranking NAZIs had no concept of the ability of America to produce planes.

American factories geared up for the War effort and many new factories were opened. The unemployment so severe during the Depression was no longer a problem. In fact there was now an increasingly severe labor shortage. This was not only a matter of increasing production, but also the draft that begun in 1940 began to take men out of the work force. This was increadsingly important after Pear Harbor (December 1941), war production was increased to unprecedent levels and millions of men were drafted or enlisted in the military. The vacancies in the work force was made up with youths, women, and minorities. Sometimes older children worked part time along with their mothers to support their families. Child labor laws were suspended during the war. Millions of children between the ages of 12-17 years were employed in a wide range of jobs. Even in factories it was common to see boys of 16 and 17 years of age working. It was not just mom in the form of Rosey the Riveter that went to work during the War. Jobs were opened to minorities, especially blacks, that were formerly excluded from many jobs. Both the British and Russians adopted similar policies to mobilize the civilian population for War work. The Germans took a very different approach. Instead of women and youths, they employed slave labor to keep their factories going.

Depression

Beginning with the Stock Market crash in October 1929, American industry wa crippled with the Great Depression. At the height of the Depression as President Roosvelt descibed, "One-third of a nation is ill-fed, ill-housed, and ill-nourished". With work hard to get, youth, women, and minorities has especially severe difficulties obtaining work. FDR's New Deal combined with war orders from Europe in the late 1930s finall began to bring America out of the Depression. American factories geared up for the War effort and many new factories were opened. The unemployment, so severe during the Depression, was no longer a problem.

World War II Industrial Expansion

In fact there was now an increasingly severe labor shortage. This was not only a matter of increasing production, but also the draft that begun in 1940 began to take men out of the work force. This was increadsingly important after Pear Harbor (December 1941), war production was increased to unprecedent levels and millions of men were drafted or enlisted in the military.

Expanded Work Force

Building a huge military to fight the War meant taking millions of men out of civilian jobs. This meant that to maintain and increase production, millions of new workers had to be recruited for war work. The vacancies in the work force were filled by youths, women, and minorities.
Women: About a quarter of Anerucan women (12.8 milliom) worked outside of the home. Many of these women were low-income workers, employed in poorly paid menial jonbs, and worked out of economic neccesity. Employment for women expanded significantly during the War. Many of the new jobs were in factories and paid good wages. At the peak of war productuion (July 1944), approximately 19 million women were employed in some aspect of war production. Significantly many of these women had not worked before the War and were employed in good paying jobs. This included both young women and married women. Many factories set up day care centers to accomodate women with small children. Women had worked in factories before, especially mills. During the War, women were hired for jobs that had previously only been done by men. Rosy the Riviter became an icon of the American home front.
Youth: It was not just mom in the form of Rosy the Riveter that went to work during the War. Sometimes older children worked part time along with their mothers to support their families. Child labor laws were suspended or modified during the war in many states. Even in factories it was common to see boys of 16 and 17 years of age working. Many youths were employed in farm jobs, but about 0.5 million worked in defence plants. Some plants hired youths on a part-time basis so that they could continue school. Many found it difficult to work and attend school at the same time. Teen age worked increased by about 2.0 million during the War, but school enrollment declined by nerarly 1.3 million. Millions of children between the ages of 12-17 years were employed in a wide range of jobs .
Minorities: Jobs were opened to minorities, especially blacks, that were formerly excluded from many jobs. President Roosevelt issued an executive order guaranteeing that minorities would have access to jobs in te defense industries.

Allied Labor Program

Both the British and Russians adopted similar policies to mobilize the civilian population for War work.

German Slave Labor

The Germans took a very different approach. Instead of women and youths, they employed slave labor to keep their factories going. Nuremberg procedutor Thomas Dodd declared, "The NAZI foreign labor policy was a policy of mass deportation and mass enslavement ... of underfeeding and overworking foreign laborers, of sibjecting to every form of degradation, brutality, and inhumanity ... a policy which constituted a flagarant violation of the laws of war and the laws of humanity." The NAZIs during World War II implemented a slave and forced labor program to supply needed labor to the German war industry. This program was approved by Hitler months before the 1939 invasion of Poland. The German program as it evolved during the War had two purposes, The primary purpose was two provide workers for German factories and farms as German manpower was to be directed into the armed forces. This was especially important as NAZI idelopgy resisted imploying married women in factories.

Created: May 30, 2003
Last updated: May 30, 2004