Transcript World War II (1939

World War II (19391945)
US Involvement
(1941-1945)
What’s Essential?
Causes of the War
(underlying and direct)
 Reasons for American
Neutrality (various
acts/events)
 Reason for American
entrance: Pearl Harbor
 Wartime goals of the Allies

Essential to Know (con’t)
American Homefront
(women, blacks,
Japanese internment)
 Yalta and Potsdam
Conferences and their
significance
 Decision to drop atomic
bomb and its lasting
effects

What do we know about the
world as a result of WWI?
The Road Towards
American Intervention
Causes for World War II
UNDERLYING:
 Treaty of Versailles
 Nationalism
 Worldwide
Depression
 Dictatorships
 The policy of
appeasement
 American
Isolationism
DIRECT:
 Germany invading
Poland on
September 1st,
1939
From Neutrality to Undeclared
War
 Roosevelt
openly
expressed
his
favor
But, FDR was able to get $1 billion
for anfrom
Allied
victory &
steps
Congress
totook
expand
thetoU.S.
navy
ready the U.S. for war
–In 1937, FDR unsuccessfully tried to
convince world leaders to
“quarantine the aggressors”
–Everything changed in 1939 with
the Nazi-Soviet Pact & the German
invasion of Poland
US=Turtle
The Axis
Powers!!!
Hitler and Nazi Germany
Rise to power result of
weakness of previous
government (1933became Chancellor)
 Charismatic speaker,
preached German
nationalism, denounced
Versailles Treaty
 Blamed Jews,
communists for
Germany’s problems
 Promised return of
German pride

Benito Mussolini in Italy
 Fascist
leader who took
control of Italy in 1922
 Wanted to create another
Roman Empire
 Invaded Ethiopia in 1935
 Along with Hitler
supported Francisco
Franco in the Spanish
Civil War (combat
experience)
Japanese Expansion
 Sought
total control
of Pacific (resources)
 1931- military
occupation of
Manchuria
 1936- Japan signs
Pact with Germany,
Italy
 Nanking MassacreDecember 1937
Dr. Seuss Explains it all

Handout

Can you tell what events are being
described?

How can these cartoons be a product of
their time and could taken out of historical
context?
America: The Great Neutrilizer
American Neutrality
Domestic: U.S. in midst of
Great Depression, public
intent on remaining neutral
 1935: First Neutrality Act
(no sale of arms to
belligerent nations)
 1937: Arm sales only on
“cash and carry” basis
 FDR warns of impending
problems

President Roosevelt
Isolationism in the United
States
 Economic,
Hitler and
Mussolini
military reasons
for neutrality
 Tried to prevent mistakes
that led to WWI involvement
 FDR: “Let no one imagine
that we will escape…that this
western hemisphere will not
be attacked”—outraged
many isolationists
From Neutrality to Undeclared
“The
destroyer-for-bases
deal
the
War

When
WW II began
in 1939,
FDRis got
most important
thepolicy to
Congress
agree to a action
cash & in
carry
reinforcement
of
our
national
defense
aid the Allies:
that
has
been
taken
since
the
– The U.S. would trade with the Allies but would
Louisiana
Purchase”
not offer
loans & would
not deliver American
—FDR
products
to
Europe
FDR responded with all-out aid to
Allies FDR
but traded
did not50call
war
 Inthe
addition,
oldfor
destroyers
with England for 8 naval bases in Western
Europe
From Neutrality to Undeclared
War
“The future of
Isolationists
Interventionists
western
civilization
is
 Groups like the
 Appalled by this
being decided upon
Committee
to of
departure from
the battlefield
Defend
America by
neutrality & FDR’s
Europe”
—CDAAA
chair,
Aiding
the Allies
involvement of the
Allen
White
called for
unlimited
US in a foreign war William
St. Louis Dispatch aid to England
 Their headline:
“Fortress of
America”
“Dictator idea
Roosevelt  They argued that
Commits
Act of War” the events in
argued that
Europe did impact
Germany was not
the security of US
a threat to the US
From Neutrality to Undeclared War

Interventionists had the majority of public
sentiment on their side:
– Congress appropriated $10 billion for
preparedness in 1940
– FDR called for America’s 1st peacetime draft
– In the election of 1940, FDR was
overwhelmingly elected for an unprecedented
3rd term
From Neutrality to Undeclared
War
By 1940, England remained the only active
opposition to Hitler but was running out of
money
 FDR called for a Lend-Lease Act:

– US can sell or lend war supplies to Allied
nations
– Congress put $7 billion to allow England full
access to US arms
US Cash and Carry Program
Lend-Lease Supply Routes
From Neutrality to Undeclared
War

England desperately needed help
escorting these supplies through the uboat infested Atlantic
– FDR allowed for US patrols in the western half
of the Atlantic
– German attacks on US ships led to an
undeclared naval war in 1941 & allowed US
ships to fully deliver war supplies to Allies
US Cash and Carry Program
Roosevelt’s Four Freedom’s Speech
January 1941





To Congress, State of the Union, focus on war
preparedness
“…the future of all the American Republics is today
in serious danger.
That is why this Annual Message to the Congress is
unique in our history.
The need of the moment is that our actions and our
policy should be devoted primarily-almost
exclusively--to meeting this foreign peril. For all our
domestic problems are now a part of the great
emergency.
Just as our national policy in internal affairs has
been based upon a decent respect for the rights and
the dignity of all our fellow men within our gates, so
our national policy in foreign affairs has been based
on a decent respect for the rights and dignity of all
nations, large and small. And the justice of morality
must and will win in the end.
Four Freedoms
“The first is freedom of speech and expression-everywhere in the world.
 The second is freedom of every person to
worship God in his own way--everywhere in the
world.
 The third is freedom from want--which,
translated into world terms, means economic
understandings which will secure to every nation a
healthy peacetime life for its inhabitants-everywhere
in the world.
 The fourth is freedom from fear--which,
translated into world terms, means a world-wide
reduction of armaments to such a point and in such
a thorough fashion that no nation will be in a
position to commit an act of physical aggression
against any neighbor--anywhere in the world.”

From Neutrality to Undeclared War

In 1941, FDR & Churchill met to secretly draft
the Atlantic Charter:
– The U.S. & Britain discussed military strategy if
America were to enter the war
– They discussed post-war goals of liberty, free
trade, & disarmament
– Review Handout

In 1941, Hitler broke the Nazi-Soviet Pact &
attacked Russia

From Neutrality to Undeclared
War
FDR brought US to the brink of war & opened
himself to criticism:
– In Sept 1941, US polls showed 80% of Americans
supported US neutrality in WW II
– FDR had to wait for the Axis to make a decisive
move…which Japan delivered on Dec 7, 1941
European Appeasement
 1938-
Hitler invades
Austria, Sudetenland on
Czech border
 Munich Conference
(1938): Chamberlain
and Daladier allow Hitler
to do this
(appeasement)
 Chamberlain: “Peace in
our time”
 British rearmament
War Erupts!!!
March 1939- Hitler breaks
Munich agreement,
invades rest of
Czechoslovakia
 August 1939- Hitler signs
nonaggression pact with
rival USSR, turns
attention west
 September 1, 1939“blitzkrieg” invasion of
Poland; Britain and
France declare war on
Germany

German “blitz” of Warsaw
World War II (19391941)
Hitler’s Wild Ride in Europe
While the U.S. Watches
Hitler Moves in Europe
April 1940- Hitler seizes
Norway, Denmark
 May- Netherlands,
Belgium, Luxembourg
 By June, Hitler controls
France, turns attention to
Britain
 Fall 1940- Battle of
Britain
 London heavily bombed
but Churchill remains
defiant

British Prime Minister
Winston Churchill
The United States and Britain
 1939-
Roosevelt revises
Neutrality Act, allows for
arms trade
 Public opinion divided
 Election of 1940- FDR
wins 3rd term
 1940: Destroyers for
Bases Deal
 1941: Lend-Lease Act
 “Destroyers
for Bases”:
called for 50 American
destroyers to be
exchanged for the use of
8 British naval bases
along the North Atlantic
coast
 “Lend-lease”: made it
possible to lend or lease
supplies to any country
whose interests were
vital (GB)- $50 billion
The U.S. Enters the War
The “destroyers for bases”
deal allowed the U.S. to
extend its influence
 August 1941- Atlantic
Charter: Churchill and
FDR agree to defend
democracy, free trade and
economic advancement
 The U.S. destroyer Greer
attacked in September
1941
 US directly involved in
naval warfare

USS Greer
Atlantic Charter
United States and Japan
 Japan wanted to extend
influence in Far East
 July 1940: U.S. embargo
of raw materials to Japan
 1941: Lend-Lease aid to
Japanese attack on
China
Pearl Harbor
 Anticipating attack in the
Philippines
 December 7, 1941: Japan
attacks Pearl Harbor,
Hawaii
Images of Pearl Harbor
America Enters War
Pearl Harbor attack
devastates nation
 FDR: “A date which will
live in infamy”
 December 8, 1941- FDR
receives war declaration
from Congress against
Japan
 Germany, Italy declare
war on United States

FDR addresses Congress after
Pearl Harbor attack
Japanese Internment
February, 1942: FDR
issues Executive Order
 Over 100,000
Japanese-Americans
on West Coast moved
to the interior
 Japanese
farms/businesses
bought for far less
value

Allied Military Strategy
(1941-1945)
A.) Arsenal of Democracy
Mobilizing for War
1940- Economy focuses
on military mobilization
 Massive industrial
output (twice as
productive as Germany,
5 times Japan)
 Primary focus: tanks,
planes, battleships
 War Production Board
 Military draft, training

Wartime propaganda
Mobilizing for War (con’t)

Wars Power Act= set precedent for
executive authority. President gained
power to reorganize the federal
government and create new agencies

(Handout)
Organizing the Economy

Outproduce enemies will gain victory
within the war

1941: Government pouring vast amounts
into defense productions.
6 Months after PH: allocations topped off
at $100 billion for equipment and supplies
 Factories pimped out for production
(TOTAL WAR) pg. 896

New Workers (Pg. 897)

Mexicans (Bracero Program) 200,000 for
short term employment (Farm workers)

Native Americans (Sioux and Navajo) build
ordinance depots and military training
centers

African Americans (Opportunities in all areas)

Women
Home Front
1941-1945
Dynamics of Families
 Internment of the Japanese
 Double V Campaign for African Americans
 Women and new gender role
 Latino Americans (Zoot Suit Riots)
 “The Good War”

Mural Activity

Essential Question:
–How would you depict the
“Great Arsenal of
Democracy” effectiveness
with the American Home
Front?
The Liberation of Europe
 FDR:
Erwin Rommel,
the “Desert Fox”
Liberate Europe first
and pursue an “active
defense” in the Pacific
 Battle of Atlantic: Hitler’s
“Wolf Packs” vs. Allied
Navies
 Clear Germany from North
Africa
 Late 1942: Only Tunisia
was controlled by Axis
Powers
Allied Advances in Europe
(1943-1944)
 January,
1943: Allies
agree to fight until they
win “unconditional
surrender”
 February 1943: SU
takes back Stalingrad
and moves westward
 Same time, Allied
victory in Tunisia
secures Africa
Allied Advancements Cont…
 July
10, 1943: The
invasion of Italy.
 Fighting continues
from July 1943 to
June 1944 (70,000
Allied troops killed)
 Separate peace was
signed with new
Italian government
in September, 1943
Unconditional Surrender in Europe
(1944-1945)
 Britain
and U.S. air raid
strategic sights in Germany
(Flying Fortresses)
 June 6, 1944: D-Day and
the Allied invasion of
Normandy
 Battle at Normandy lasted
from June 6-July 24
 August 25, 1944: France
Germany’s Last Gasp Effort
 Hitler
was caught between
Allied troops coming from
the West and Stalin’s forces
coming from the East.
 December 1944: Battle of
the Bulge
 April 25, 1945: Russia and
Allied Forces meet at the
Elbe River
 May 8, 1945: Germany
surrenders (V-E DAY)
YALTA CONFERENCE
(February 1945)
Plans for German
surrender
 Stalin agrees to hold
free elections and
help with Japan
 Broken promises,
USSR’s position
strengthened
 Initiated Cold War

Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin
Allied Military Strategy in the
Pacific (1941-1945)
 By
1942, Japan had controlled almost the
entire area of the Pacific
 Allies were able to hold on to Hawaii and
Samoa
 “Active defense” campaign:
-Battle of the Coral Sea (May,1942)
-Battle of Midway (June, 1942)
-Battle of Guadalcanal (Aug. 1942-Feb.
1943)
The Pacific Theatre Cont…
The Allies took control of
several islands in the
Pacific under the
leadership of General
Douglas MacArthur
-Iwo Jima (1945)
-Okinawa (1945)
 The recapture of the
Philippines was the
highlight (Oct. 1944-March

“The Alternative to Surrender
is Prompt and Utter
Destruction”
 August
6, 1945:
Atomic bomb is
dropped on
Hiroshima (at least
75,000 killed)
 August 9, 1945:
Atomic bomb is
dropped on Nagasaki
World War II- The Homefront




“Rosie the Riveter” inspired
many women to contribute

American industry key to
victory
Built tanks, bombs, guns,
ships, ammunition, etc.
War bonds (borrowed $$$
from Americans) raised
about $50 billion for war
effort
Women “filling in” for men
off at war
Victory Gardens
Blacks in WWII
WWII effort directly
led to later civil rights
movement
 Patton’s “Black
Panther” Battalion at
Battle of the Bulge
 Tuskegee Airmen
 July, 1948: Truman
signs Executive Order
integrating US
military

“The War is Over”
 Japan
surrenders
to Allied Forces on
the U.S. Missouri
after the second
bomb was dropped
on NagasakiAugust 14th– V-J
Day
THE COSTS OF THE WAR
 U.S.
lost over 300,000
 World suffered at least 60 million
 Over 25 million Russians alone died
 Over 10 million in death camps
 New fears arise after the war– fight
to contain Communism– THE COLD
WAR ERA!!