The Militarization of America's Youth: The Army and the Civilian Conservation Corps
Abstract
Much has been written about the Great Depression of the 1930's and Roosevelt's 'New Deal'. The Civilian Conservation Corps is often mentioned as one of the most successful of the 'New Deal' programs. Perhaps less well known, but still adequately reported, is the Army's involvement in administering the Civilian Conservation Corps. Little attention has been paid, however, to the impact of the Army on the young men of the CCC. The effects of the CCC experience on the Army have also been neglected. Pacifist and anti-militarist groups were very vocal in their concerns about the Army being involved with the CCC. The Roosevelt administration went out of its way to convince the American people that the CCC enrollees were not being militarized by the Army. The Army also went to extraordinary lengths to avoid any taint of the charge of militarism. Despite the intentions of all concerned the enrollees were militarized by their association with the Army. This benefited the United States immeasurably, as 75 percent of the enrollees later served in the armed forces during World War II. Civilian conservation corps, Great depression, Armies between wars, Civil primacy, Peacetime employment of the army.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 04, 1993
- Accession Number
- ADA273956
Entities
People
- Roger L. King
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College