ipl-logo

How Did World War I Changed The Military

868 Words4 Pages

The United States was still a relatively young country when the war in Europe erupted. Following their victory in the Spanish-American war, the United States showed itself to be in the running with some of the world power countries. The Great War was also unlike any conflict seen before, utilizing trench warfare over troops facing off in open fields. New technology including artillery, tanks, machine guns, barbed wire and even poison gas strengthened military defenses and resulted in large troop sacrifices that yielded little advance. (Corbett et al, 667) World War I was a conflict that the United States did not want a part of, a war that changed the military, and produced challenges and opportunities for American women.
World War I began shortly …show more content…

World War I resulted in many changes to the military for the United States. One of these changes was based on the fact that when the US joined the fight, they were ranked seventh in the world of military strength. With an enlisted strength of around 200 thousand men, the United States would be no match for the German force of 4.5 million (Corbett et al, 671) so Congress passed the Selective Service Act of 1917. The Conscription Act, which was known at the time as the Selective Service Act gave the government the authority to draft American males into the armed forces as a military necessity. Originally the act called for a draft of men between the ages of 21 and 30 years old but was expanded to the range of 18 to 45 years old and resulted in drafting 2.8 million men into military service. (Danver, 743) Though resistance to the Conscription Act was strong, fewer than 350 thousand dodged the draft, making the act a very successful enterprise in the eyes of the government. Another change was the Lever Food and Fuel Control Act, authorizing the President to control production, distribution, and price of food products sued during the war effort. (Corbett et al,

Show More
Related

Military Draft Dbq

117 Words | 1 Pages

Ever since the dawn of Republic, the American public grappled with the issue of the military draft. During the American Revolution, the Continental Army struggled to recruit men and enticed the potential soldiers with the lure of the free land or cash incentives. George Washington proposed to institute the draft, however, the Congress rejected his idea. The Civil War, the deadliest of the American armed conflicts, compelled the both warring sides to enact the conscription. The South instituted their draft in 1892, and the North followed with The Draft Act of 1863.

Read More

Drafts Dbq

176 Words | 1 Pages

This was the first time there was a law requiring people to fight. This put all male citizens susceptible to getting drafting. To avoid drafting, the rich were able to give a year 's worth of pay instead of going to war. Some people even injured themselves so they would be unable to fight. For example, many men who knew they were going to get drafted would purposefully knock out their teeth so they wouldn

Read More

Selective Service Act Dbq Essay

646 Words | 3 Pages

In 1917, the first World War was officially underway. Orderly, the United States of America joined its indelible battles with a hope of peace throughout the countries. This war undeniably had a great impact on the U.S. ,but at first, there were little to no citizens who proudly volunteered to fight. As a result, the Selective Service Act had to be put into place. I believe that this was indeed necessary in order to gain enough troops to attack.

Read More

How Did The Military Change Between 1863 And 1973

594 Words | 3 Pages

During the years 1863 and 1973, the government played different roles in the US military. The US president implanted many laws to get the military to train men faster for periods of declared and undeclared war. Victoria Bryant Stewart, “The United States Congress voted upon the Selective Service Act.” The Selective Service Act was changed the law of registering men into the military, making men responsible to register themselves. In addition, the Selective Training Act of 1940 was declared to make it less difficult to persuade men into the military.

Read More

Pros And Cons Of Ww1

924 Words | 4 Pages

There was a political debate over governments wish to bring in conscription. Many people had sons, bothers, husband fighting in the frontline knew there were a shortage of men and feared that this would lead to injuries or deaths of their loved ones. There were many pros and anti-conscription forces. The pro of conscription were that Australian units had very high causalities because they were often used as front line troops. Voluntary enlistment had dropped, but the Australian governments committed to the British government to maintain a substantial army.

Read More

How Has World War I Helped The Progressive Political Agenda

684 Words | 3 Pages

“War is the health of the state.” Bourne argues that war so blurs the lines separate the State from Government and from society that the lines virtually disappear in the minds of most people (McElroy). World War I made the national government much more authoritative that than it never been, one of the main factors that gave the national government the opportunity to so was the Selective Service Act in which Congress passed in May of 1917, which it was required men in a certain age group to be drafted into the war 2.8 million men were conscripted into the various branches of the U.S. Military. Another two million men volunteered – many of the latter reasoning they would be drafted anyway. A total fighting force of 4.3 million men was raised (The Selective Service Act of 1917).

Read More

Why Did Truman Enter Ww2

519 Words | 3 Pages

The Office of War Mobilization, an agency of resources for WWII, was set up. Roosevelt encouraged industries to immediately begin producing war equipment. Congress set up the Selective Training and Service Act, which drafted a military by making all men ages 21 through 36 enter the war as soldiers, and Roosevelt later made the “Four Freedom’s Speech.” This speech set a layout of the reasons why soldiers were fighting. These ideas include the freedom of expression and speech, freedom from fear, freedom from want, and the ability to worship God

Read More

Pros And Cons Of Being Drafted Or Willing

896 Words | 4 Pages

Drafted or Willing. (A Discussion over the United States Draft) The United States draft was created to ensure that during times of war our numbers in battle would never become to strained or cause faltering. This was successful for many battles, and in war, but why did it stop? Some thought this was an unethical practice that took away the free will of a man to do as he pleased with his life.

Read More

Trust In Government During The Vietnam War

1763 Words | 8 Pages

The poor draft decisions of the president caused agitation and terror among eligible citizens. Hundreds of troops were needed because of the heavy losses the United States faced across the Pacific, so the Selective Service heavily drafted citizens. This became highly controversial as the draft was disproportionate domestically. A major problem with the drafting process was how you could pay to have your draft request dissolved. This was expensive, however, so most of the drafted consisted of the less fortunate and minorities.

Read More

Summary Of A New Moral Compact?

1298 Words | 6 Pages

From the beginning of the United States’ history, conflict has always been prevalent. The need for armed forces continually grows, especially in times of war, as the fight for freedom becomes more challenging. Conscription, better known as the draft, was first introduced during the Civil War as a way to get more individuals involved in the military to fill vacant positions. The practice of the draft was finally discontinued in favor of an all-volunteer military system, when the need for troops was no longer necessary. After almost two decades of being involved overseas, the demand for armed troops is imperative once again.

Read More

Selective Service Thesis

133 Words | 1 Pages

Argument research essay The Selective Service Act gives the United States president the authorization to draft soldiers into war. It was enacted in 1917 during World War I and last practiced during the Vietnam War is 1973, drafting 2.2 million soldiers. Although last used over forty years ago, today, men are still legally required to sign up for the draft within thirty days of their birthday or face consequences, fines, or prison time. When it was first instated, there were only approximately one-hundred-thousand people who volunteered for the military so then president, Woodrow Wilson, found it necessary to have a draft if the US were to stand a chance in

Read More

Conscription Vs Northern Draft

1122 Words | 5 Pages

The results of the Selective Service Act of 1917 were great compared to the draft instated less than half a century before. The American people’s reaction was much more accepting in the World War I

Read More

Military Draft Vietnam War Essay

428 Words | 2 Pages

The draft brought “a flood of people who do not want to be there and who may not be committed” (MacNeil/Lehrer). With a large majority of people not wanting to be in the military and being forced to be there, most men would just want to go home leading to a large majority of them to have terrible morale, be selfish, and have horrible discipline on the battleground (Michaels). Or in other words, soldiers would just want to survive and would try anything not to die. With a large section of men out at war, many children, women, and elderly people would have to take over jobs so that the economy could still function leading to items and materials to possibly lower in quantity and increase in price (Moody). Basically forcing men into the armed forces would “be a big drain on labor resources” (MacNeil/Lehrer).

Read More

The Draft: The Military Draft

1035 Words | 5 Pages

“The Draft,” as it is commonly referred to, was enacted in September of 1940. Even though the United States was not yet involved in World War II when the act was passed, President Roosevelt regarded it as a vital method of training American men for military service. By 1940, tensions between the United States and Germany were rising as the Nazis had invaded numerous European countries and the news of concentration camps was spreading. Throughout July of 1940, England was the next country to face Nazi aggression, as they faced attacks from the German airforce and navy. With fears that America would be the next country to face a German invasion, Roosevelt signed into law the Selective Training and Service Act, also proclaiming, “America stands

Read More

Argumentative Essay: Is Conscription Good Or Bad?

1110 Words | 5 Pages

These few factors play a huge role in why I disagree with conscription. When the idea of conscription was passed and men were forced to fight in the war this took away the freedom of many.

Read More

More about How Did World War I Changed The Military

Related Topics

Open Document