Which policies boosted U.S. war production and manpower during WWI?

• A. The Emergency Banking Act and the Provisional Government mobilization
• B. The Lend-Lease Act and the Office of War Information
• C. The Selective Service Act (draft) and the War Industries Board, along with economic mobilization and propaganda
• D. The War Powers Resolution and the GI Bill

Answer: (C)

The question is about how the U.S. ramped up for WWI by both gathering soldiers and speeding up factories and supplies. The best answer points to two pivotal moves: the Selective Service Act created a draft that brought a large, organized pool of men into the armed forces, rapidly expanding manpower. At the same time, the War Industries Board took charge of America’s production machine—prioritizing orders, coordinating manufacturers, standardizing parts, and allocating scarce resources to the war effort. This combination meant more soldiers in uniform and more weapons, ships, ammunition, and supplies being produced efficiently to sustain fighting abroad.

Add in the broader push of economic mobilization and the use of propaganda to keep public support strong for the draft and for wartime sacrifices. Together, these elements—manpower through conscription, coordinated industrial production, and public backing—are what let the United States boost both its war forces and its material output during WWI. The other options reference policies from different eras (mostly WWII or later) and don’t describe the WWI mobilization that linked mass recruitment with centralized economic and industrial control.