Citizenship and Democracy, Part 6
Question 1: Explain the effects of World War I on Georgia
Answer 1: The first effect of World War I on Georgia was economic. The British blockaded ports in Germany and Austria where Georgia normally shipped cotton, tobacco and timber. The creation of war-related industries encouraged the “Great Migration” of African Americans from Georgia to northern states where factories needed workers. The Great Migration was also encouraged by the rebirth of the Ku Klux Klan and increased racial violence in Georgia. By 1930, ten percent of Georgia’s African American population had moved from the state. When the U.S. entered the war in 1917, Georgia enthusiastically supported the war. However, many were less supportive of the draft. Many white landowners did not want to give up their black sharecroppers. The worst disaster of the war for Georgia was the sinking of the troop ship Otranto off the coast of Scotland in a bad storm. About 130 soldiers from Georgia were among the total of 370 who lost their lives.
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Question 2: Explain the effects of World War II on Georgia
Answer 2: The war provided new jobs in Georgia and promoted industrialization. The economy of the state recovered from the Great Depression due to an influx of federal dollars that were used for military installations and production of items needed for the war. In the coastal region, shipbuilding became a major industry. As in other states, women became an important part of the working population. African Americans also prospered from new employment opportunities, although there were some clashes over blacks working in the same workspace with whites. After the war, industries easily converted their production to civilian manufacturing, and the prosperity of wartime continued after the war ended. About 320,000 Georgians served in the armed forces during the war.
Question 3: . Describe the effects of the boll weevil and drought on Georgia’s economy during the interwar period
Answer 3: The boll weevil is a small beetle. Adult boll weevils puncture cotton buds and lay eggs there. When the larvae hatch, they feed on the cotton bolls, thereby destroying them. The boll weevil ravaged cotton production in Georgia and other southern states in the period between World War I and World War II, and beyond. Production of cotton dropped dramatically from 2.8 million bales in 1914 to 600,000 bales in 1923. In the 1920s, spraying cotton crops with calcium arsenate dust had some effect, but the industry never completely recovered. An additional blow to cotton farmers was brought about by a series of droughts, the first in 1924—27 and another in 1930—1935. These droughts had a serious affect on agriculture and industry in Georgia.
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