What was the “wartime state” during World War I?

The term "wartime state" refers to the changes that were
made by the government to mobilize both popular opinion and economic activity to aid in
the war effort.

In the United States in WWI, the government
felt that it was important to have the public be solidly behind the war.  This led to
efforts to shape public opinion through propaganda that was created by the Committee on
Public Information.  Efforts were also made to control dissent through such things as
the Sedition Act.

The US also felt that it was important to
get industry to produce the things that the armed forces needed.  In order to do this,
the government entered into a close relationship with industry in a way that it had
never done before.  The two coordinated closely to ensure that necessary war materials
be produced.

This was the wartime state.  It was a system
in which the government took on new powers and entered new relationships, all in an
effort to make the war effort run more smoothly.