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against the agency, slowing slaughtering rates and withholding meat from market. The resulting widespread shortages did much to damage the public faith in the OPA, which was now seen as ineffective, and the
Democrat-led Congress. When faced with the choices of higher prices or no meat, the consumers chose the latter. Although President Truman ended price controls on meat, on October 14, just two weeks before the election, in a rejection of price controls and as a sign of the changing attitude of the American public towards a control-free re-conversion, many Democratic incumbents were defeated, and Republicans gained control of Congress. Following this defeat, Truman lifted almost all price and wage controls and, while the OPA was authorized to exist through June 30, 1947, its range of tasks and ability to effectively regulate prices was curtailed severely, being reduced to rent control and some price control over a very limited number of goods. Most functions of the OPA were transferred to the newly established Office of Temporary Controls (OTC) by Executive Order 9809, December 12, 1946. The Financial Reporting Division was transferred to the
410:
local price and rationing boards, and recruited women for volunteer programs. Many women led local volunteer War Price and
Rationing Boards that ensured adherence to stabilization policies through check-ins with stores to report businesses breaking the rules. Women involved with the OPA largely fell into two broad categories: those who were part of already organized groups, such as labor unions, women’s groups, and consumer groups, among others, often with agendas that aligned with OPA’s goals of price stabilization; and women not already part of organized groups, who came from diverse backgrounds. They used the OPA as a legally established and legitimate framework for organizing themselves.
514:
38:
502:
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478:. Approximately 1.1 billion red and 0.9 billion blue were produced, and even though many were collected and destroyed after the war, they are still quite common today. The red OPA points are a bit more common than the blue. Each token has two letters on it, and some people collect them by letter combination.
417:
The OPA worked with consumer activists in a “mutually empowering” and mutually reliant fashion to ensure the effectiveness of its policies and activists’ interests. Thus, a large swathe of consumer activists helped to ensure that businesses were compliant with its policies. Widespread support of the
279:
discussed limiting the power of the OPA as World War II drew to a close and the necessity of price controls was called into question. While some argued for the continuation of price controls to hold post war inflation in check, there was widespread support among conservatives and businessmen for the
429:
The OPA had a base of consumer support that included different socioeconomic classes and racial groups who supported the agency because of their belief it would bring about a postwar vision of “broad popular participation and consumer rights." The OPA worked to defend consumers from exploitation by
297:
By the end of July, Congress had reversed course and passed legislation reinstating the OPA and price controls, though this bill was no stronger than what
President Truman had vetoed earlier. This much-weakened version of the OPA did not last long, as meat packers launched their own form of protest
409:
The success of the OPA’s price controls and rationing policies depended on the support of women who acted as the main shoppers of their households, especially during wartime. Local community organizations, governments, and OPA boards held educational seminars aimed at women, targeted women to join
284:
and the
National Retail Dry Good Association sought to guarantee companies a minimum amount of profits, thereby effectively limiting the price control measures. However, the OPA still enjoyed widespread popular support and the agency was renewed in 1944 and again in 1945. While these renewals were
251:
inaugurated the
Council of National Defense Advisory Commission on May 29, 1940, to include Price Stabilization and Consumer Protection Divisions. Both divisions merged to become the Office of Price Administration and Civilian Supply (OPACS) within the Office for Emergency Management by Executive
293:
vetoed this bill in hopes of forcing
Congress to create a stronger one, but as the month of June came to an end, the OPA shut down, and its price and rent controls went with it. The result was a sharp jump in prices, with food increasing by 14 percent and the cost of overall living rising by 6
413:
The OPA’s enlistment of women to ensure that local businesses were complying with federal policies extended the public sphere into the private sphere and the effective growth of “state supervision.” This resulted in a pseudo-militant attitude toward regulation and made it more difficult for
288:
By June 1946, significant opposition by NAM and NRDA had been mounted to sway
Congress, which, only two days before the existing legislation was set to expire, passed a bill that would have left the OPA a much-weakened version of its past self. President
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294:
percent, an equivalent to more than 100 percent per year. Consumers all over the nation turned out in varying numbers to protest these increases, with labor unions forming a major part of the participants.
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263:, and to ration scarce supplies of other items, including tires, automobiles, shoes, nylon, sugar, gasoline, fuel oil, coffee, meats and processed foods. At the peak, almost 90% of retail
305:
The OPA was abolished effective May 29, 1947 by the
General Liquidation Order, issued March 14, 1947, by the OPA Administrator. Some of its functions were taken up by successor agencies:
285:
considerable successes for many consumer advocacy groups, they also marked the height of the OPA, from which the agency's power and popularity would decline in the next two years.
1086:
611:
1066:
801:
Jacobs, Meg (December 1997). ""How About Some Meat?": The Office of Price
Administration, Consumption Politics, and State Building from the Bottom Up, 1941–1946".
556:
513:
426:
Black consumer activists also were among those who supported the OPA, which gave them support from the federal government in fighting market discrimination.
302:. By the end of December 1946, many of OPA's local offices and price boards were closed, and the OPA did not survive until its authorized June 30 extension.
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for violating used car regulations, subject to price control. Muntz was acquitted in Los
Angeles Superior Court on 1 August 1945.
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228:
220:
203:
37:
356:
141:
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Price controls over rice by the Department of Agriculture by Executive Order 9841, on April 23, 1947, effective May 4, 1947
398:
131:
136:
970:
The Politics of Price Control: The Office of Price Administration and the Dilemmas of Economic Stabilization, 1940-1946
73:
352:
551:
725:
Bartels, Andrew H. (July 1983). "The Office of Price Administration and the Legacy of the New Deal, 1939–1946".
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Order 8734, on April 11, 1941. Civil supply functions were transferred to the Office of Production Management.
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rapid deregulation of the economy as it reconverted to a civilian footing. Groups such as the
259:, January 30, 1942. The OPA had the power to place ceilings on all prices except agricultural
668:
810:
734:
538:
464:
267:
were frozen. It could also authorize subsidies for production of some of those commodities.
164:
17:
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The OPA unsuccessfully tried to revoke the car dealer license of unorthodox businessman
451:
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businesses while also acting as a space for citizens to become involved in politics.
359:
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8875 on August 28, 1941. The functions of the OPA were originally to control money (
475:
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Sugar and sugar products distribution by the Sugar Rationing Administration in the
236:
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OPA came from the belief that the agency could help establish postwar prosperity.
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The OPA is featured, in fictionalized form as the Bureau of Price Regulation, in
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876:
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374:
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960:
The Office of Price Administration and the Legacy of the New Deal, 1939-1946
468:
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345:
260:
532:
326:
Rent control by the Office of the Housing Expediter, effective May 4, 1947
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pursuant to the Sugar Control Extension Act (61 Stat. 36), March 31, 1947
859:
Consumers' Republic: The Politics of Mass Consumption in Postwar America
980:
963:
822:
754:
690:
Freedom's Forge: How American Business Produced Victory in World War II
665:
Freedom's Forge: How American Business Produced Victory in World War II
580:
Freedom's Forge: How American Business Produced Victory in World War II
275:
As early as 1944, in its annual debate about price control extension,
918:, San Bernardino, California, Thursday 2 August 1945, Vol. 51, p. 2.
814:
738:
979:. Review of Economics and Statistics, (1941) 23:2 pp. 82–85.
891:"Records of the Office of Price Administration [OPA]"
1057:
Agencies of the United States government during World War II
972:. (Ph.D. dissertation, The Johns Hopkins University, 1980.)
1031:. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1948.
1017:. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1947.
132:
Office of Price Stabilization (Korean War-era price board)
914:
Associated Press, "'Mad Man' Muntz Foils O.P.A. Charge",
336:
All other OPA functions by the Division of Liquidation,
142:
Pay Board and Price Commission (Nixon-era price board)
137:
Council of Economic Advisors (Kennedy-era price board)
1042:
Records of the Office of Price Administration (OPA)
199:
170:
160:
150:
97:
82:
66:
51:
46:
612:"Wage And Price Controls | Encyclopedia.com"
1062:Defunct agencies of the United States government
638:Video: Baby Bonds For Defense, 1941/04/17 (1941)
606:
604:
977:The Selection and Timing of Inflation Controls
962:. Public Historian, (1983) 5:3 pp. 5–29.
474:issued during World War II to make change for
8:
1087:United States home front during World War II
1027:Wilson, William Jerome, and Mabel Randolph.
557:United States home front during World War II
30:
414:politicians to curb the power of the OPA.
397:, similar functions were performed by the
255:It became an independent agency under the
74:Council of National Defense (World War I)
929:"Forrest's Token Page: Sales Tax Tokens"
507:A mileage ration book issued by the OPA.
1067:Government agencies established in 1941
1022:The Regulatory Process in OPA Rationing
989:Boston, Harvard University Press, 1952.
574:
572:
568:
485:
1003:. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1943.
29:
1024:. New York: King's Crown Press, 1950.
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282:National Association of Manufacturers
130:Similar functions later performed by
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399:Office of Price Stabilization (OPS)
27:Former US federal government agency
329:Price violation litigation by the
321:Reconstruction Finance Corporation
235:) and rents after the outbreak of
25:
108:, Office of Production Management
1001:Price Control in the War Economy
953:The OPA and Its Pricing Policies
704:, Random House, New York, 2012.
671:, Random House, New York, 2012.
590:, Random House, New York, 2012.
547:Office of Economic Stabilization
531:
512:
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495:An OPA menu with ceiling prices.
488:
106:Office of Economic Stabilization
36:
1077:Regulation in the United States
803:The Journal of American History
221:Office for Emergency Management
204:Office for Emergency Management
1013:Office of Temporary Controls.
213:Office of Price Administration
31:Office of Price Administration
1:
994:A Life in Our Times: Memoirs.
422:African Americans and the OPA
219:) was established within the
955:. New York: Fairchild, 1945.
916:The San Bernardino Daily Sun
434:Administrators of the office
1029:OPA Bibliography, 1940–1947
257:Emergency Price Control Act
18:Emergency Price Control Act
1103:
987:A Theory of Price Control.
992:Galbraith, John Kenneth.
985:Galbraith, John Kenneth.
857:Cohen, Lizabeth. (2008).
552:Stabilization Act of 1942
344:Famous employees include
340:, effective June 1, 1947.
311:Department of Agriculture
55:August 28, 1941
35:
519:Red and blue OPA points.
333:, effective June 1, 1947
300:Federal Trade Commission
225:United States government
155:United States Government
1008:A Short History of OPA.
323:, effective May 4, 1947
349:John Kenneth Galbraith
338:Department of Commerce
319:Food subsidies by the
111:liquidated in 1947 to
86:May 29, 1947
1015:The Beginnings of OPA
463:OPA points are small
331:Department of Justice
249:Franklin D. Roosevelt
1020:Thompson, Victor A.
727:The Public Historian
616:www.encyclopedia.com
452:Chester Bliss Bowles
446:Prentiss Marsh Brown
362:, and law professor
190:Chester Bliss Bowles
184:Prentiss Marsh Brown
98:Superseding agencies
1006:Mansfield, Harvey.
968:Bartels, Andrew H.
958:Bartels, Andrew H.
861:. Random House US.
32:
951:Auerbach, Alfred.
643:Universal Newsreel
380:The Silent Speaker
1010:Washington, 1947.
975:Galbraith, J. K.
895:National Archives
868:978-0-375-70737-7
710:978-1-4000-6964-4
677:978-1-4000-6964-4
596:978-1-4000-6964-4
405:Women and the OPA
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171:Agency executives
16:(Redirected from
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351:, legal scholar
165:Washington, D.C.
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647:. Retrieved
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388:Madman Muntz
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364:John Honnold
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237:World War II
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161:Headquarters
151:Jurisdiction
1082:Token coins
733:(3): 5–29.
454:, 1943–1946
442:, 1941–1942
393:During the
271:Dissolution
265:food prices
261:commodities
192:, 1943–1946
180:, 1941–1942
113:Agriculture
1051:Categories
934:2014-02-28
901:2020-04-25
877:1031966746
563:References
459:OPA points
395:Korean War
375:Nero Wolfe
247:President
127:and others
90:1947-05-29
59:1941-08-28
747:0272-3433
371:Rex Stout
357:President
346:economist
83:Dissolved
525:See also
277:Congress
121:Commerce
823:2953088
755:3377026
698:162–165
588:137–139
482:Gallery
243:History
223:of the
117:Justice
88: (
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692:, pp.
675:
667:, pp.
645:. 1941
621:3 June
594:
582:, pp.
472:tokens
469:ration
448:, 1943
186:, 1943
52:Formed
996:1981.
981:JSTOR
964:JSTOR
819:JSTOR
751:JSTOR
669:69–71
873:OCLC
863:ISBN
743:ISSN
706:ISBN
673:ISBN
651:2012
623:2023
592:ISBN
211:The
811:doi
735:doi
702:171
694:153
584:127
373:'s
227:by
217:OPA
125:RFC
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