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How Did Ww1 Affect Health

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World War I had affected the health of many soldiers coming back from the war. To begin with many soldiers came home with tuberculosis. The disease spread rapidly in 1920 due to the unsanitary, urbanized conditions of the cities which was similar to that of the trenches. “The close proximity of people in wartime conditions meant diseases such as tuberculosis could easily spread” (Science Museum). In addition, many soldiers that returned home had lost limbs in the war due to trench foot. “Some conditions such as trench foot, an infection of the feet caused by cold, wet, and unsanitary conditions” (Science Museum). Trench foot affected soldiers who wished to go back to work, because most jobs wouldn’t allow handicapped workers to work; however, …show more content…

After the war, the workers had an increase in union membership. Which in turn, brought upon the government war labor policies which benefited both the American Federation of Labor and the Railroad Brotherhoods. According to Labor and World War I: “Between January 1917 and January 1919, AFL membership rose by almost a million--from 2,371,434 to 3,260,168. In 1918 alone, the Federation increased in size by 19.6 percent, and by November of that year, AFL membership had surpassed three million” (Foner 338). In addition, the wages for workers increased by a large sum. For example, railroad wages went from eight hundred-twenty eight to one thousand-eight hundred twenty. “Wage increases respond last to the needs of this class of labor and their meager returns are hardly adequate, in view of the increased cost of living” (Foner 340). To conclude, the 1920s were spent on Postwar Reconstruction. For instance, the American Federation of Labor formed a council to decide how to move forward. “The Council urged that the convention present a plan for remuneration to sustain veterans until they were able to get jobs, and advocated the creation of employment agencies to assist in finding the jobs” (Foner 346). The war helped shape the 1920s economy for the

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