The great increase in public spending raised the threat of high inflation. Roosevelt created a special office with the power to control prices. Many Americans agreed with the idea of price controls. But every business wanted somebody else's prices controlled, not their own.

Federal officials had to work hard to keep prices and supplies under control. They restricted how much meat, fuel and other goods people could buy.

The price control program generally worked. Its success kept the American economy strong to support the troops fighting in Europe and Asia.

One reason these strong economic steps worked was because most of the American people fully supported the war effort.

(MUSIC)

You can look at photographs of people from those times and see in their faces how strongly they felt.

In one picture from the state of North Carolina, a group of men are standing in front of old rubber tires. They are planning to give the tires to the Army to be fixed and used for military vehicles.

Another photo shows a woman visiting a hospital. She is singing to a soldier to lift his spirits.

Still another photo shows a man who owns a small food store. He is placing signs on meat and cans of food to tell people how much they are allowed to buy.

You can also get an idea about the feelings of the times by the names of some of the popular songs during World War Two.