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World War II -- American Arsenal of Democracy - industrial capacity
Arsenal of Democracy: American Pre-War Industrial Capacity
Figure 1.--Beginning with the Kodak Brownie (1900) photography cane out of the studio. We begin to see astronomical numbers of family snapshots showing how people lived in the 20th century. And in America by the 1910s we begin to see the family car as a part of that photographic record. Cars are everywhere in American photographs. Here we see a small Indiana town in 1933. Notice that there are cars everywhere and this is a small town not a city. . This is in sharp contrast to Germany. We rarely see cars in family snapshots, largely because few families had them. And even city scenes commonly show only small numbers of cars. This is only one, but a telling example of America's and Germany's industrial capacity. American cars were not the finally crafted European machines, but they were built in great numbers because so many people could aford a modestly priced, mass produced vehicles.
World War II would prove to be a mechanized, high technology war. And only the United States, the country least interested in participating in the War, had the ability to not build the implements of modern war in massive numbers., but fuel them, and feed its own people and Allies. And to recruit a massive military force. U.S. industry had the technical and industrial capacity to build tanks, other mechanized vehicles, artillery, and other weapons, although it was not doing so. This has come from the enormous American industrial expansion during the late-19th and early-20th century. The result was a mechanized America, including American agriculture. In contrast, European agricultural was not mechanized. This affected the industrial capacity of European countries, including Germany. A key element of American industrial development was taken by Henry Ford who introduced the assembly line and mass production. The result was the Model-T Ford which put an automobile within the price range of the average American worker and astronomical production runs. It also significantly increased steel production in America--the single most important metal needed to conduct war. America profuced 50 million tons of raw steel production based on 1929 output, the last pre-depression year. (Less well understood was the actual capacity and ability to rapidly expand production.) [U.S. Geological Survey] And any calculation of German capacity should realize that America was just part of the potential advisaries which Hitler was creating. This included France (until June 1940), Britain and the Empire, and the Soviet Union. European workers at the time for the most part were buying bicycles. European automobile companies were more like craft shops, producing high-quality automobiles for well-to-do customers. This meant that America had the capacity to build mechanized vehicles in huge numbers and a time when the vaunted Deutsche Wehrmacht went to war still heavily dependent on draft animals. Steel and autombiles of course were only one aspect of America's industrial might. There was a multitude of other industries that were vital to building massive military establishments including aeronautic, chemical, energy (coal, electrical generation, and petroleum), electronics, metalury, railroads, rubber, ship building, and much more. Germany was a heavily industrailized country, but had only a fraction of America's capacity.
Industrial War
World War II would prove to be a mechanized, high technology war--a war of movement with a new dimension in the skies. Only industrialized countries could crete and produce the arms needed to effectively fight the War. Artillery was something that had been mastered in the 19th century. Mechanization was a different matter. Building tanks, trucks, and planes was a 20th century matter.
America's Unique Position
And no coutry approached the United States in building the mechanized implements of War . And the same techniques that enabled large scale production of mechanized equipment was exrended to building ships.
And only the United States, the country least interested in participating in the War, had the ability to not build the implements of modern war in massive numbers., but fuel them, and feed its own people and Allies. And to recruit a massive military force. U.S. industry had the technical and industrial capacity to build tanks, other mechanized vehicles, artillery, and other weapons, although it was not doing so.
America's industrial potential come from the enormous American industrial expansion during the late-19th and early-20th century. The result was a mechanized America, including American agriculture. In contrast, European agricultural was not mechanized. This affected the industrial capacity of European countries, including Germany. A key element of American industrial development was taken by Henry Ford who introduced the assembly line and mass production. The result was the Model-T Ford which put an automobile within the price range of the average American worker and astronomical production runs. It also significantly increased steel production in America--the single most important metal needed to conduct war. America profuced 50 million tons of raw stel production based on 1929 output, the last pre-depression year. (Less well understood was the actual capacity and ability to rapidly expand production.) [U.S. Geological Survey] American car ownership was so wide-spead that even poor people might have cars. As the Drepression descended on America, Will Rogers quipped, "America was the first country to go to the poor house in an automobile." And this mean that America had an indudtrial capacity litteraly beyond the scale of European countries, including Germany. And any calculation of German capacity would have to account for the fact that America was just one of the potential advisaries which Hitler was creating. This included France (until June 1940), Britain and the Empire, and the Soviet Union. European workers, including German workers, at the time for the most part were buying bicycles. European automobile companies were more like craft shops, producing high-quality automobiles for well-to-do customers. This meant that America had the capacity to build mechanized vehicles in huge numbers and a time when the vaunted Deutsche Wehrmacht went to war still heavily dependent on draft animals.
Industries
Steel and autombiles of course were only one aspect of America's industrial might. There was a multitude of other industries that were vital to building massive military establishments including aeronautic, chemical, mining, energy (coal and electrical generation, petroleum), electronics, metalury, railroads, rubber, ship building, and much more. Germany was a heavily industrailized country, but had only a fraction of America's capacity.
Sources
U.S. Geological Survey. "Iron and steel statistics."
