Explain why it might be said that the “profit motive and the public’s sense of patriotism” were the keys to mobilizing the nation for war in 1917-1918.
What will be an ideal response?
ANSWER
President Wilson’s administration offered incentives to American businesses to mobilize the economy for war. The primary incentive was the promise of high profits gained from setting prices high and avoiding any threat of nationalization or new regulation of war industries. The combination of the Committee on Public Information, Hollywood movies, celebrity speakers, and the public’s willingness to allow a suspension of civil liberties attest to the effective mobilization of patriotism during the war.
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