Transcript WWII Begins
World War II Begins Pgs. 324-328 The Players • • • • • • Adolph Hitler – Germany Joseph Stalin – Russia Benito Mussolini – Italy Emperor Hirohito – Japan Winston Churchill – Britain Franklin Roosevelt – United States 1931 – Japan invaded parts of China The War Begins 1939 – Germany invaded Poland 1935 – Italy took over Ethiopia 1939 – Britain and France declared war on Germany 1937 – Japan invaded the rest of China 1938 – Germany invaded Czechoslovakia and Austria 1938 – U.S. did little to stop the fighting 1940 – Germans conquered the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and most of France. 1940 – German bombers attacked British cities The U.S. and the War • The people of the United States wanted to stay out of the war. • President Roosevelt promised to keep the nation out of war, but he wanted the country to be prepared in case it was attacked. A Peacetime Draft • To raise an army quickly, the U.S. Congress created the first peacetime draft. • All men between the ages of 21 and 39 had to register for military service. • The U.S. also started making tanks, bombers, and other war supplies – sending it to Britain. 1940 - Japanese • Japan invaded: – French Indochina • Today this is the countries of Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. • American leaders feared that Japan would soon threaten the Philippines and other places in the Pacific. The U.S. is Attacked • At 7:55 a.m. on Sunday, December 7, 1941, Japanese planes dropped bombs on American ships docked at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. • The attack lasted about 2 hours. • Much of the United States’ Pacific fleet had been sunk or lay burning in the harbor. Counting the Damage • More than 2,000 sailors and soldiers were killed. • 68 civilians killed • 19 American warships were destroyed Roosevelt Reacts Mr. Vice President, Mr. Speaker, Members of the Senate, and of the House of Representatives: Yesterday, December 7th, 1941 -- a date which will live in infamy -- the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan. America Declares War • Congress declared war on Japan on December 8, 1941. Axis Powers Germany Japan Italy Allies United States Britain Soviet Union