Ethnic Fundraising in America and the Irish and Lithuanian Wars of Independence, 1918–1923

The close of the First World War signalled a proliferation of newly established nation-states across Europe. However, the unilateral proclamations of these states’ independence did not guarantee their international recognition, nor did it guarantee their financial viability. This article examines the funding of two such states: the unrecognized Lithuanian (1919–23) and Irish (1919–21) republics. Both funded their wars of independence by selling ‘war bonds’ to their respective diasporas in the United States; the Lithuanians raising almost $1.9m from c. 28,000 subscribers and the Irish raising $5.8m from c. 300,000 subscribers. Communication between the organizers of these bond drives was virtually non-existent, but following the example of the US Liberty Loans they employed remarkably similar tactics. Yet, issued by self-proclaimed nation-states with neither territorial integrity nor a credible history of borrowing, the Lithuanian and Irish war bonds promised a return only when the states had received international recognition. In this sense, they were examples of what the authors term Pre-Sovereign Debt. Practically, they were a focal point for agitation for governmental recognition and rousing of American public opinion. Symbolically, they were tangible representations of the Lithuanian and Irish pretensions to statehood.

Call to Service

The Great War, from 1914 to 1918, hastened many changes in the American news trade that transformed both the meaning and experience of child street peddling. The war redefined the role of children in civic affairs and enhanced newsboys’ reputation for patriotism. From New York to Seattle, peddling papers came to be regarded less as a demoralizing form of labor and more as a branch of national service. Child labor reformers, many of whom opposed the war, lost much of their clout, while publishers gained stature and profit mobilizing newsboys to sell war bonds and form Scout troops. Thousands of former newsboys became part of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) and dozens won distinction for heroism. Those too young to bear arms sometimes showed their mettle by harassing “slackers” or German Americans. Yet boys who cried false news or mounted strikes faced their own charges of disloyalty. Whether as soldiers, sailors, strikers, or street sellers, America’s newsboys now entered the world’s stage.

It Was Cotton Money Now

Yaʿqūb Ṣarrūf’s first foray in the novel genre, Fatāt Miṣr (The Girl of Egypt) was serialized as a literary supplement to Al-Muqtaṭaf over the course of 1905. A tale of finance capital’s restless wandering in Egyptian cotton fields, Cairo apartment buildings, Japanese war bonds, and the stock markets of the world -- from London, to St. Petersburg, Tokyo and back to Cairo --, Fatāt Miṣr met with critical praise upon its initial publication. Soon forgotten, the novel has been left unread by Arabic literary critics, despite the prescient augury it held for how a culture of speculation in Arabic would culminate in Egypt less than two years later in the stock and real estate crash of 1907. Indeed, the plot of Fatāt Miṣr owes much to Ṣarrūf’s own personal financial speculation in Egyptian land.

Home Front

Home Front tells about the extraordinary transformation of North Carolina as a result of World War II. Emphasis is on the large number of military bases; selective service; rationing and the sale of war bonds; German submarine warfare off the coast; women in the war; racial issues; German prisoners of war in the state; North Carolina’s heroes; and the contributions made by the textile, tobacco, farming, shipbuilding, and lumber industries during the war.

“This Is My War, Too”

North Carolina women made many important contributions to the war effort—without women the war could not have been won. Women became emancipated by taking the skilled jobs of men off to war—they were riveters, flew planes, made steel, served as nurses, and produced munitions. At the same time, they volunteered for the Red Cross and Travelers Aid; made blankets, bought war bonds, worked at the USO Club, and raised a family. Some joined the military in the WACS, WAVES, SPARS, and WASPS.

“Make Do with Less”

Other than taxes, the best way to pay for the war was through citizens purchasing War Bonds. The Office of Price Administration (OPA) was organized to set the prices of goods and prioritize the allotment of goods. Due to the primary needs of the military, many items were rationed. Most Americans accepted the system, but there were some violations of the law. Citizens helped in the war effort through victory gardens, scrap drives, Red Cross work, Civil Defense, and volunteer activities.

NADUŻYCIE PRAWA W DZIEDZINIE PRZEDAWNIENIA W KONTEKŚCIE PRZEDWOJENNYCH PAPIERÓW SKARBOWYCH

The Abuse of Rights in the Area of Limitation in the Context of Pre-war Treasury Securities Summary Treasury securities of 1939 create a major, embarrassing problem for the Polish financial market. Longstanding commitment may in fact expose the Polish state on the giant compensation. This article presents the pre-war fate of Treasury securities, and also reflects the position of the Ministry of Finance and Treasury for the benefit of the institutions of its limitation. It must be always remembered the reasons for the introduction to the legal system the institution as a means of eliminating long-standing contractual relations between market operators. That was not the case in the context of pre-war Treasury securities. War and fifty years of communism made it impossible to unfettered implementation of the commitments under the pre-war bonds. This article aims to show the need for a statutory resolution of pre-war securities by specific laws that are created for the purpose of restitution in the Polish legal system.

4. Hollywood at war

Once the U.S. entered World War II, Franklin Delano Roosevelt established the Bureau of Motion Pictures and a number of additional offices and agencies designed to leverage Hollywood as part of the war effort. ‘Hollywood at war’ describes how the film studios signed on to help fight the war. Even beyond direct government work, Hollywood contributed to the larger war effort by making patriotic films, raising money for war bonds, and entertaining troops. It has been estimated that as much as one-third of Hollywood production during the war directly bolstered America’s wartime activities, and, not coincidentally, it was also one of the most profitable stretches in Hollywood’s history.