How did the War Industries Board (WIB), led by Bernard Baruch, prepare the United States for war?
1 Answer
The American economy was converted into a war economy.
Explanation:
In late spring 1917, immediately after the U.S. entered World War I, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed, 'it is not the army we must train and shape for war, it is a nation.' Wilson and other central planners in the government understood that both human and physical resources would have to be marshaled to support the country's war effort. In this unprecedented mobilization, the federal government came to play an important role.
Formed in the summer of 1917, the WIB was the most important of these federal agencies because it was tasked with overseeing and promoting industrial production during the First World War. In other words, it was responsible for making sure American soldiers had uniforms and guns, that they had tanks and planes with which to protect the troops and attack the enemy, and that the U.S. Navy had ships.
Financier Bernard Baruch led the WIB had the authority to order the conversion of industrial plants to wartime needs, such as telling Ford automobile plants they had to make army tanks and vehicles. They also ordered other factories to cease regular production and instead make bullets and machine guns. Sometimes the WIB demanded the creation of new factories. It also directed and allocated raw materials to certain factories.
Source:http://study.com/academy/lesson/war-industries-board-definition-significance.html
