Transcript World War II

World War II
Chapter 25
Good Neighbor Policy
Both Hoover and FDR
were interested in
improving relations with
Latin America (PanAmerican Conferences,
repeal of Platt
Amendment)
FDR otherwise was
interested in remaining
isolated other than helping
the US Economy (backing
out of London talks of
currency change,
recognizing the Soviet
Union for trade purposes,
lowering tariffs)
Japan and Manchuria
Japan’s defiance of
the Open Door policy
by conquering
Manchuria showed
the inability of the
League of Nations to
keep peace
Hoover responded by
not recognizing the
new regime (Stimson
Doctrine) but did not
act on the event, and
soon Japan was
invading China
Mussolini, Hitler, and Franco
Mussolini conquered Ethiopia
Hitler annexed Austria,
reoccupied the Rhineland, and
grabbed the Sudetenland from
Czechoslovakia
General Franco established a
military dictatorship (fascist) in
Spain
Nye Committee
Americans were reluctant
to stop any aggression
due to World War I and
new reports by the Nye
Committee that the war
only helped greedy
bankers and
businessmen make profits
Therefore, Neutrality Acts
were passed to keep the
US out of war situations
(no travel, supplies, loans
to war nations)
Jewish Refugees
Nuremberg Laws (citizenship stripping) and Kristallnacht
led to the fleeing of many Jews from Germany to any place
that would accept them
The SS St Louis came to the US looking to drop off Jewish
refugees, but the US would not accept them
Nuremberg Laws and Kristallnacht
Passports allowed Jews
to leave but not to return
Kristallnacht – Night of
Broken Glass
Appeasement – The Munich Pact
One cause of World War II
was the failure of
appeasement (giving
countries what they want
in the hope that they will
be satisfied), which was
attempted in the Munich
Pact with Hitler after he
conquered
Czechoslovakia
Roosevelt, despite staying
neutral, decided to use the
“preparedness” strategy
and increase spending
Non-Aggression Pact
Another reason for the
war was the
agreement between
Germany and Russia
to have peace with
each other (allowing
Germany to turn
attentions to the West)
and also their
agreement to divide
Poland
Britain and France
spoke up, pledging to
stop Hitler if he
invaded Poland
The Tripartite Pact
A third reason was the Tripartite
Pact between Germany, Italy,
and Japan where each agreed to
ally with each other
War Begins
1) The invasion of Poland using blitzkrieg (lightning war)
starts World War II as Britain and France declare war on
Germany, Italy, and Japan
2) Germany invades France, Denmark, Norway, and other
countries in Western Europe, leaving just Britain as the
only European ally
US Policy Shifts
As the US witnesses the horrors of Hitler in Europe, people
are more willing to help Britain and Roosevelt makes the
following changes to neutrality:
1) “Cash and Carry” policy gives arms to Britain (through
normal trading)
2) Roosevelt passes a peacetime Selective Service Act to
set up a draft
3) Roosevelt sends 50 destroyers to Britain in exchange for
the establishment of bases for US economy
Election of 1940
Roosevelt won an
unprecedented
third term due to
his experience,
which people felt
was needed in this
time of war
Lend-Lease Bill
Roosevelt’s election victory allowed him
to take stronger stances towards
allying with Britain:
1) Four Freedoms Speech (pledges to
protect countries that fought against
tyranny and for freedom)
2) Lend-Lease Act (lent supplies to
Britain on credit – had reaction from
the American First Committee who
pledged neutrality)
3) Atlantic Charter (created peace
objectives for the end of war)
4) Shoot-on-sight Policy (shoot
German ships on sight)
5) Ending of trade with Japan
US enters war when…
1) Japan’s negotiations break down and tensions in the
Pacific are strained
2) Japan attacks Pearl Harbor and US declares war
3) Germany and Italy declare war on the US, who now is
allied with Britain and the Soviet Union (who had been
double crossed by Germany)
War Economy
Country
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
Austria
24
27
27
29
27
28
29
12
France
186
199
164
130
116
110
93
101
Germany
351
384
387
412
417
426
437
310
141
151
147
144
145
137
117
92
169
184
192
196
197
194
189
144
359
366
417
359
274
305
362
343
284
287
316
344
353
361
346
331
800
869
943
1 094 1 235 1 399 1 499 1 474
[1]
[2]
Italy
[3]
Japan
Soviet Union
[4]
UK
[5]
USA
Allied Total:
Axis Total:
[6]
1 629 1 600 1 331 1 596 1 862 2 065 2 363 2 341
[7]
Allied/Axis GDP:
[8]
685
746
845
911
902
895
826
466
2.38
2.15
1.58
1.75
2.06
2.31
2.86
5.02
The US War Economy turned the tide in the war as new
agencies (WPB, Office of War Mobilization, Office of Price
Administration) are created
Home Front
Munitions Production in World War II
(Expenditures in billions of dollars, US 1944 munitions prices)
Country/Alliance
Year
1935-9
1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 Total 1939–44
U.S.A.
0.3
1.5
4.5
20.0
38.0
42.0
106.3
Britain
0.5
3.5
6.5
9.0
11.0
11.0
41.5
U.S.S.R
1.6
5.0
8.5
11.5
14.0
16.0
56.6
Allies Total
2.4
10.0
20.0
41.5
64.5
70.5
204.4
Germany
2.4
6.0
6.0
8.5
13.5
17.0
53.4
Japan
0.4
1.0
2.0
3.0
4.5
6.0
16.9
Axis Total
2.8
7.0
8.0
11.5
18.0
23.0
70.3
John L. Lewis
Labor Unions such as the Miner’s Unions led
by John L. Lewis were often painted as antiUS in World War II
The war had a positive effect on most people due to job creation,
and most were okay with the new tax increases and war bonds
to pay for the war, but the Smith-Connally Anti-strike Act made
it difficult for labor unions in the 1940s
The Manhattan Project
J. Robert Oppenheimer creates the Atomic Bomb
With thousands of scientists employed, the “Wizard War” was
a chance for the US to create new weapons of destruction to
win them the war
The Manhattan Project, run by Oppenheimer, developed the
first nuclear bomb as tests were done all over the US
Death Tolls
General Infantry saw death and destruction and suffering
psychologically, but it did open their eyes to new countries and
cultures and made them more tolerant of others
Women in the Workforce
Women workers
made up 1/3 of the
labor force during
World War II, often in
previously male jobs,
but they earned about
65% of what a man
received in that job.
Nevertheless “Rosie
the Riveter” posters
encouraged women to
support the war
Minorities Get New Opportunities
Ye
ar
Total labor force
(*1000)
Armed forces
(*1000)
Unemployed
(*1000)
Unemployment
rate (%)
39
55,588
370
9,480
17.2
40
56,180
540
8,120
14.6
41
57,530
1,620
5,560
9.9
42
60,380
3,970
2,660
4.7
43
64,560
9,020
1,070
1.9
Minority numbers in the war increased in general and:
1) African-Americans did suffer discrimination but were
encouraged to fight with the “Double-V” slogan for victory
over fascism leading to victory for equality
2) Mexican-Americans and Native-Americans worked in
factories and on farms (braceros), leading to some rioting
(Zoot Suit Riots in California)
Japanese-American Internment
Internment
Camps placed
JapaneseAmericans in
guarded areas
during the war
for “necessary
and proper”
reasons
according to the
case
Korematsu v.
US
Election of 1944
The Americans
yet again did
not want to
change
Presidents
during the war
and Roosevelt
won easily
His ailing health
also meant that
his VP would
likely serve,
and he picked
Harry Truman
The Big Three
1) Franklin Roosevelt (USA) – end of fascism, open trade
between nations, self-determination for people in Europe
2) Winston Churchill (UK) – keep British empire, have
balance of power against Germany and Soviet Union
3) Joseph Stalin (Soviet) – weaken Germany, impose
Soviet domination over Eastern Europe and other areas
Meetings in Tehran, Casablanca, and Cairo all discussed
postwar issues where the three debated the best way to
end the war
The Yalta Conference
The Big Three met one
last time in the Soviet
Union, with Roosevelt
now quite sick, and
created an official
treaty that:
1) Divided Germany into
occupation zones for
the Soviets, Britain,
and the US
2) Allowed Soviet control
(but with free elections)
in Eastern Europe
3) Created the United
Nations as a
peacekeeping body
V-E Day
After victory in
Europe (the
surrender of
Germany) the
Soviets started to
break their
promise to hold
free elections and
new President
Truman criticized
Stalin, leading to
US and Soviet
tensions
Dropping the Atomic Bombs
Truman’s issuing of the
Potsdam Declaration,
calling on unconditional
surrender from Japan,
failed.
Therefore, Truman
ordered the dropping of
two atomic bombs, one
on Hiroshima and the
other on Nagasaki.
Since the use of the
atomic bomb, historians
have debated whether it
was necessary.
The Holocaust
The Holocaust
activities began
reaching the
US in the early
part of the war,
but it wasn’t
until the
soldiers came
home with
pictures and
stories of what
they saw did
people learn
the truth