The Council of National Defense set up the War Industries Board in order to meet all these needs. The Fuel Administration encouraged coal production and limited its use. The Food Administration urged greater production of food and taught the national population to go without meats, fats, wheat flour, and sugar so they could ship them overseas. The United States Shipping Board ordered ships in great numbers to send men, ammunition, and food overseas. Also money was needed to pay the expenses of the armies and to loan to the Allies so the government increased its revenues by the passage of the new income-tax law and by the sale of Liberty and Victory bonds. Its citizens advanced over 21 billion dollars to the United States government.
In January 1919 a peace conference to end World War I met in Paris. The meeting had representatives from all the countries that had been at war with the Central Powers. The Peace Conference drew up a constitution for a League of Nations. The League was planned to reduce the chances of another war. This agreement of the League of Nations was made the first part of the Treaty of Versailles. The United States Senate rejected the act ratifying the Versailles Treaty on November 19th, 1919, and again on March 19th, 1920. The Senate strongly objected to the United States entering the League of Nations. Republican Warren Harding was soon elected president and on July 2, 1921, signed a resolution ending the state of war between the United States and Germany and Austria-Hungary. The United States then made a treaties with Austria and Germany soon after. .
World War II began on September 1, 1939, when Germany invaded Poland. England and France demanded that Germany withdraw its troops. When Germany refused England and France declared war on Germany. Within a week Great Britain was joined in the war by Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Union of South Africa, and India.
