America in the Great War: The Rise of the War Welfare State

by Ronald Schaffer

Overview

Ranging from the Oval Office to corporate boardroom, from the farmyard to the battlefield, America in the Great War details a nation reshaped by the demands of total war. Schaffer shows how the Wilson Administration used persuasion, manipulation, direct control, and the cooperation of private industries and organizations to mobilize a freewheeling, individualist country. The result was a war-welfare state, imposing the federal government on almost every aspect of American life. By showing how American life would never be the same again after the Armistice, America in the Great War lays a new foundation for understanding both the First World War and twentieth-century America.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780198021599
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	01/01/1994
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	493 KB

About the Author

About the Author:
Ronald Schaffer is Professor of History at California State University, Northridge, and is the author of Wings of Judgment: American Bombing in World War II.

Table of Contents

	Introduction	xi
1.	Managing American Minds	3
2.	Controlling Dissent	13
3.	The Managed Economy: Creating the Regulatory System	31
4.	The War Economy: Motivations and Results	47
5.	The War and Social Reform: Workers and the Poor	64
6.	The Great War and the Equality Issue: African-Americans and Women	75
7.	The Great War, Prohibition, and the Campaign for Social Purity	96
8.	American Intellectuals and the Control of War: Dewey, Lippmann, and Bourne	109
9.	The University at War: Veblen, Yerkes, Beard, and Cattell	127
10.	The Battleground	149
11.	Motivating the AEF	175
12.	The Treatment of "Shell-shock" Cases in the AEF: A Microcosm of the War Welfare State	199
	Epilogue	213
	Appendix	218
	Essay on Sources	222
	Index	237

Editorial Reviews

"Schaffer has provided an effective summary that will inform students, enliven discussion in college courses, and remind readers that World War I yet influences American society and economy."—History

"A bold and provocative effort. Ronald Schaffer argues convincingly that a revolution in America, caused by the Great War, resulted in a war welfare state with pervasive federal government control. Ranging from the farmyard to the battlefield, he focuses on two themes: government's management of war and Americans' use of the conflict to advance their personal agendas....An impressive work."—Military History

"By far the finest account that we have of the mighty effort of the United States at and in Europe during the First World War."—Arthur S. Link

"A thought-provoking book that describes the U.S. government's involvement in fostering support for the First World War in its soldiers and citizens....Extremely well researched...and is virtually chock full of information....For the student, historian, or military buff interested in the First World War, this book is a worthwhile investment. You may find, as I did, that you will want to re-read it several times."—Over There

"A very readable text with a clear—and reasonable—point of view. It should work well with students."—Manfred Jonas, Union College

From the Publisher