To what extent was World War One the most important reason why National Prohibition was introduced in the USA

built up over years of campaigning to aid them, they backed ‘dry’ candidates and helped to elect them to congress, with more people in congress actively supporting the bill it was far more likely to succeed and be passed. The Anti-Saloon league also scored major successes by linking alcohol to many of the problems faced in society at the time. During World War One they claimed that brewers in Milwaukee where “the worst of all our German enemies” and referring to their produce as “Kaiser Brew”. They managed to persuade many people that prohibition was needed as a war measure, that it would help the war effort if prohibition was passed. As Maldwyn Jones states they managed to “invoke patriotic necessity to reinforce the medical, moral, religious and social arguments against drink”. They had successfully linked all of the major problems present in society to alcohol. It was argued that Prohibition would basically solve all of America’s problems, eliminating corruption and removing immorality from the cities. The ASL almost believed that the outlaw of alcohol would lead America into a new era, a utopian era, but really, many of them wanted to return to past times. The Anti-Saloon League lead from the front in the war on drink, they actively pushed dry candidates into positions of power to help the cause and managed to persuade everyone that it was the cause of almost all problems, that way everyone would be affected by at least one of the problems which they had stated could be solved by prohibition and feel a more personal reason to jump on the prohibition bandwagon. Of course, not everyone would agree with my view. Of course not all historians agree with this, such as Maldwyn Jones who says that “the main spearhead of prohibition was the Women’s Christian Temperance Union”. Many women at the time saw alcohol as a method by which they were kept down by men, drunkenness could lead to domestic violence and child beating for example. The union was set up by Frances Willard in 1874. The union had the backing of some well known people, for example the wife of President Hayes refused to serve alcohol at functions in the white house, earning her the nickname “Lemonade Lucy”. Some members went into saloons and sang and prayed in an attempt to persuade saloon keepers to stop selling. Not every member of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union took this passive approach to protesting, a prime example being Carry Nation who rampaged around Kansas destroying saloons with the aid of a hatchet. The Women’s Christian Temperance Union provided valuable support to the Anti-Saloon League and are still campaigning today. Another of the key reasons behind the introduction of Prohibition was America’s involvement in the First World War. This brought a number of key arguments forwards for opponents of alcohol. Grain was used heavily in brewing; some figures suggest that up to eleven million loaves a day were used. These could of course be put to better effect in feeding soldiers. As well as this many of the brewers were of German origin and so brewers such as Pabst and Busch were avoided as they supported German interests. The Anti-Saloon League managed to persuade people that avoiding these and drink in general was not only good for the war effort, but a necessity. Many felt that once the war was over they would be pushed into what Peter Clements refers to as a “Brave New World” where sobriety would be common place. On top of all this it was also suggested that alcohol would lead young soldiers into sin and affect their performance, if the soldiers on the frontline had been drinking they would not be able to shoot straight and would hand the initiative to the enemy. It cannot be argued that America’s entry into the First World War provided many reasons to outlaw alcohol, but it would be more accurate to say that it handed ammunition to the Anti-Saloon League. If they had not already been campaigning then there would have been nobody to point these things out and persuade other that they were correct. The patriotism invoked by the war did not in itself have a bearing on the introduction of prohibition; it just strengthened the argument for the Anti-Saloon League and shows that more than anything it was the League who brought about the eighteenth amendment. There were a number of smaller factors which aided the ban of alcohol. Prohibition as backed by some highly influential business tycoons such as John D. Rockefeller. Rockefeller not only gave his personal support to the cause but also donated massive amounts of money. His reasons for this were not his own high morals but business reasons. If his workers were inebriated then not only would they by a massive danger to themselves and his workers but also, they would be considerably more under efficient which would cost him money.  Religious groups were also opposed to drinking. Many of these groups felt that alcohol was to blame for all the wrongdoing in the country and that it was the drink of the devil.  Historian Peter Clements also argues that “The forces against prohibition were not well organised”. This played a role in prohibition too. With the Anti-Saloon League and Women’s Christian Temperance Union convincingly campaigning for ‘the dries’ the ‘wets’ would have to lead a similarly convincing campaign, however they failed to do this, despite a march in New York and a parade in Baltimore virtually nothing was done to oppose prohibition. Having several organisations telling everyone that alcohol was bad and no one disagreeing with them was a major boost for prohibition. Peter Mantin states that “Many immigrants had strong religious feelings which led them to oppose alcohol”. Many of the WASPs (White Anglo Saxon Protestants) that were found in rural areas felt that banning alcohol would help to keep immigrants down and sort out the immorality of those in the cities. There were many smaller factors supporting the major factors of the Anti-Saloon League and Women’s Christian Temperance Union but these were just the supporting cast. It seemed that almost everybody had a reason to back prohibition, and those who didn’t make any effort to save the drink they loved. World War did give many boosts to prohibition. It invoked a patriotism which turned people against making money for German brewers and banned the use of grain in alcohol production because it was to be put to better use making food for the soldiers of the allied forces. However I do not feel that World War One was the most important factor in the introduction of National Prohibition. The Anti-Saloon League was the most important factor. They campaigned tirelessly for the outlawing of alcohol, World War One gave them more ammunition, they were able to say that the alcohol was affecting the performance of the soldiers, and that grain was being wasted. They blamed alcohol for so many of society’s ills that near enough everyone were likely to find something personal to them. They were ably assisted by the Women’s Christian Temperance Union who wanted to protect themselves as they saw alcohol as a means by which they were oppressed by men. Businesses who wanted more efficient workers also backed the campaign, as did many others including religious groups and immigrants; however all of these combined to be the supporting cast of the Anti-Saloon League. It was the work of the League in bringing politicians that supported the cause into positions of power and publicly preaching the negatives of alcohol which eventually lead to the passing of the eighteenth amendment and the introduction of national prohibition.