Transcript Slide 1

Isolation was the American foreign policy from 1920-1939
Isolation policy was a return to basic American policy before World War I
The U.S. refused to join the League of Nations
The emphasis in the U.S. was on America—first prosperity and then depression
The U.S. was angry at Great Britain and France because they did not pay World
War I debts to the U.S.
America emphasized the reduction of armaments and peace
The U.S. became more wary of getting involved in Europe b/c the NYE
COMMITTEE and historians said that the U.S. had been tricked into
fighting in World War I
When Germany and Japan began to become
aggressors, the US passed Neutrality Acts of 1935
& 1937
The United States would not trade with any
country at war
The United States would not allow their merchant
ships to be used to supply nations at war
Hitler’s coming to power in Germany in 1933 and his renunciation of the
Treaty of Versailles caused Europe and some Americans to be afraid of
Germany
After Hitler took over Austria and Czechoslovakia, the US amended the
Neutrality Acts and allowed England and France to buy goods from the
US but it had to be “cash and carry”
Even after Hitler’s invasion of Poland (Sept 1, 1939), which officially
began World War II, the US felt that it could stay out of the war
After most of Western Europe fell to Hitler in 1940, the US became
concerned and increased defense spending and started the first peace-time
draft
The German attack on the USSR causes Americans to believe that all of
Europe will fall to the Germans
The US began to help Great Britain with old weapons and loaning them
supplies and materials (Lend-Lease)
The US helped patrol for German submarines in the Atlantic Ocean
The US still remained neutral as most Americans wanted to stay out of
the war, particularly the AMERICA FIRST group led by Charles
Lindbergh
The attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese caused Germany and Italy to
declare war on the US because of the Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis treaties
The war on the home front called for a total commitment to victory
Much of the focus turned to military mobilization
Selective Service registration expanded men 18-65 after
Pearl Harbor
Women enlisted as WAC’s and WAVE’s
Women also medical and technical support
By wars end, some 16 million men and women had
served
Nearly a million African Americans served in segregated
units
Economic mobilization called for control over the economies
production and consumption
US created the OWM or OFFICE OF WAR MOBILIZATION to
The United States also created the WAR LABOR BOARD to control inflation and control
supervise an increase in war production
labor
WAR
PRODUCTION
BOARD
to regulate
the use
of raw
Went
much better than
WWIestablished
where there had
been numerous
strikes!!
materials
The impact of war mobilization was a major
demographic shift of people from Northeast to
the Southwest and South
SUNBELT REGION began to emerge during the
war years in California and other areas of the
South
“Rosie the Riveter” became the
famous symbol of women in the
labor production force
Over 5 million women joined the
labor force during the war
To control prices, the United States established the OFFICE OF PRICE
ADMINISTRATION
Job was to control prices and consumption of goods
Instituted rationing on items like gasoline,
tires, sugar, and other food stuffs
Money for the war was raised through increased taxes and selling of
war bonds
Although most people think America was totally focused on the war
effort in WW2, there were some distractions with discrimination
Caused by massive migration of minorities to industrial centers for
jobs
Competition in the workplace
Competition for resources like housing
Major violence occurred in 47 cities
The worst was the DETROIT RACE RIOT in 1943
25 blacks dead; 9 whites
6,000 troops needed to restore order
$2 million in property damage
Another problem with discrimination showed itself in demands on the federal government
Issue led by A. PHILLIP RANDOLPH who was the President of the BROTHERHOOD OF
SLEEPING CAR PORTERS
Problem was blacks were excluded from well-paying jobs in war-related industries
In order to get his demands, Randolph proposed a black march on Washington in 1941 if
his conditions were not met
In response, FDR issued Executive Order 8802 establishing FAIR EMPLOYMENT
PRACTICES COMMITTEE
Its job was to investigate violations in defense industries
Randolph cancelled march
1.
2.
3.
An end to segregation in federal agencies
The desegregation of the armed forces
Equal access for blacks to defense jobs
A long term result included the NAACP grew from 50,000 before
the war to around 500,000 members by war’s end
Mexican Americans also found themselves in the sights of discrimination
Mexicans will be attacked by US sailors
in Los Angeles in the ZOOT SUIT RIOTS
Under the BRACERO program, Mexican
migrant farmers were allowed into the U.S.
Need for increased farm work for the war
effort!
By far, one of the most clearly seen examples
of discrimination during World War II occurred
with the Japanese-Americans
The greatest fear of the Japanese
was that they may be potential
spies
FDR issued EXECUTIVE ORDER 9066 in
In 1988, President Ronald Reagan officially apologized for the US actions
1942 which authorized the War Department to
Represented the greatest violation
and
approved
the
payment
of
reparations
to camp survivors totaling
declare the West Coast a “war theater”
of civil liberties in WWI
1.25 billion dollars
110,000
peopleCongress
of Japanese
ancestry forcibly
In 1990,
appropriated
funds to pay $20,000 to each internee
No act of sabotage was ever proven
interned in camps
against any Japanese-Americans
Why? Pearl Harbor had left pubic paranoid
that people of Japanese ancestry living in
California might help Japan
Camps closed in 1946
In the famous court case, KOREMATSU V. US, the Supreme Court ruled that
Although the government
the courtconsidered
could not second-guess military decisions
relocation of Germans and Italians, the
nutshell,
Supreme
Japanese were In
theaonly
ethnic the
group
singled Court upheld internments
out by the government for action!
The first major decision made by the Allies for fighting World War II involved focusing
on Germany first!!!!!
During the first 6 months of the conflict, it looked like the Allied powers would lose the
war
Japan took major territories in the Pacific
The US lost the Philippines and Gen. Douglas
MacArthur withdrew to Bataan
BATAAN DEATH MARCH –85 mile forced
march of US soldiers who were tortured and
eventually burned alive
MacArthur ordered by Washington to leave
for Australia gave the famous line “I SHALL
RETURN”
In the European theater, German Uboats were sinking lots of Allied ships and
Allied supplies
Germany was beginning to push east to Stalingrad
The BATTLE OF STALINGRAD becomes the FIRST major turning point of the war!
Stalingrad was the first major German defeat on land
Germany will be in retreat from the East here on out
Stalin became angry at Allies b/c they were so slow in
opening a second front
Second turning point of the War was “OPERATION TORCH’ led by
Gen. Eisenhower in North Africa
British had been fighting German Panzer divisions in North Africa
since 1941
Germans were led by military leader Gen. Erwin
Rommel (the Desert Fox)
Important battle was the BATTLE OF EL ALAMEIN which
signaled the end of German presence in North Africa
British forces pushed Rommel out of Egypt all t he way
back to Tunisia with massive German casualties
Considered one of the major turning points of the war
In Operation Torch, 100,000 Allied troops invaded N. Africa
A turning point in the War in Europe was the invasion
and defeat of Italy
Invasion of Italy led by Gen. George C. Patton
British and US forces victorious after 1 month
Mussolini forced out of power and killed
Rome first capital freed from Nazi control
One of the most major turning points was the Invasion of Normandy
or Operation Overlord
Most Americans refer to this as D-DAY
Perhaps the wars most important battle
Commanded by General Dwight D. Eisenhower
ESTABLISHED A SECOND FRONT FOR THE REST OF THE WAR
GERMANY PUSHED FROM BOTH WEST AND EAST!!!!
Another major turning point battle involved the invasion into Germany called the
BATTLE OF THE BULGE
Was Germany’s last major offensive
From this point on Germany on the run back to Berlin
Germany will eventually surrender on
May 7th, 1945
Known as V-E Day or Victory in Europe
Day
One of the first major victories against the Japanese was
the BATTLE OF THE CORAL SEA
Entire battle fought with aircraft
Prevented Japan from invading New Guinea and
Australia
One of the greatest turning point battles in the
Pacific was the BATTLE OF MIDWAY
Allies had broken the Japanese code
From this battle on, the Japanese lost any hopes
of attacking the US mainland!!!!
Two major battles that occurred as the US hopped towards Japan
included IWO JIMA and OKINAWA
Both of these battles produced very heavy American causalities
Perhaps part of the reason Truman will consider using the atomic
bomb
The atomic bomb had been developed during the secret MANHATTAN PROJECT
led by DR. ROBERT OPPENHEIMER
The United States successfully tested the bomb in mid-July 1945 at Alamogordo,
New Mexico
At the POTSDAM CONFERENCE, the three
Allied leaders (Truman, Stalin, and Clement
Atlee) warned Japan without specifics to
surrender of suffer “complete and utter
destruction”
Japan refused removal of emperor but
showed signs in secret dispatches it might be
willing to surrender if emperor remained on
the throne
Military advisors warn of casualties as high as
46,000 if the United States invades Japan!!!
On August 6th, 1945 the first atomic bomb called LITTLE BOY was
dropped on HIROSHIMA
80,000 killed instantly; 100,000 injured
Bomb was dropped by the plane Enola Gay
On August 8th, Stalin and the Soviet Union entered the war
against Japan as promised
Stalin wanted a say in the division of Japan’s holdings
On August 9th, a second bomb was dropped called “FAT MAN” on
NAGASAKI
60,000 dead
On August 14th, Japan surrendered and World War II was officially
over
Japanese surrender aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay
Arguments for use
Arguments opposed
• Japanese refused to
surrender.
• Atomic bombs were
untested and their
destruction unknown
• Estimated an invasion
similar to D-Day was needed
to end war.
• Estimated Japan’s empire
would last 2 years.
• Estimated Allied casualties
at 1 million or more men
with huge Japanese losses.
• Japanese leadership was
told of the destructive
power of the bomb
• Offered a period to
surrender but declined.
• Hiroshima and Nagasaki
were not major military
targets.
• Those killed in the attacks
would be Japanese civilians.
• Radiation poisoning would
have negative effects on the
population.
• Nuclear weapons would set
a precedent that using
weapons of mass
destruction was allowable in
war
German cities and major industries being bombed by Allied forces
Forces pushing from both sides towards Germany in a race to
Berlin
Battle of the Bulge—last desperate attempt by German forces
Hitler kills himself along with wife Eva Braun
The diplomacy of World War II between the Allies is mainly seen in the four major
conferences attended by most leaders of the major Allied nations
FDR and Churchill declare policy of unconditional surrender for “all
enemies”
Agreed that Italy would be invaded first before opening a 2nd front in
France
First meeting of the BIG THREE (FDR, Stalin, and Churchill)
Allied agreed to an invasion of Western Europe in 1944
Stalin reaffirmed the Soviet commitment to enter war against
Japan
Disputes did begin to arise over the post-war world!
Stalin insisted on Soviet control of eastern Europe and division of Germany
Churchill demanded free governments in Eastern Europe and a strong
Germany after the war to preserve balance of power in Europe
Roosevelt acted as a mediator and believed he could work with Stalin to
achieve a post-war world peace with the construct of the UNITED NATIONS
Big Three met to discuss post-war Europe
Stalin agreed to enter Pacific War within 3 months of German
surrender
Stalin agreed to “Declaration of Liberated Europe” which called
for free elections
Called for a world organization to meet in the United States
Germany divided into occupation zones
Truman, Stalin, and Clement Atlee (Britain) meet in Potsdam,
eastern Germany
Conference disagreed on most issues; war alliance beginning to
break down!
During conference, Truman ordered dropping of atomic bomb
on Japan!