Transcript World War II Lecture #2

Lecture 2
Pulled Into WWII
Part I. In the ’30s, America clung
desperately to Isolationism
• Neutrality Acts
– We refuse to sell weapons to any country at
war
• The Saint Louis
– When a group of Jewish refugees from
Germany came on the ship The Saint Louis,
America, complaining that we had no room for
needy people on account of the Great
Depression, turned them away
Part II. Interwar Events in Europe Threatened
This Isolationism
• Many Americans, including FDR himself, watched
the rise of totalitarianism in Europe with growing
concern
• Why?
– A) Totalitarianism ≠ Democracy
• The Germans and Italians explicitly rejected founding American
ideals
– B) Aggression
• The Nazis were not content to hold their ideas. They wanted to
spread them
• Hitler took over Czechoslovakia and Austria, and later Poland, and
France
– C) America’s economic interests
• Since America had traditionally traded a great deal with England,
their entry into the war hurt us economically
Part III. Events in the Pacific
Stressed Isolationism Even Further
• Japan was the most advanced non-western (think ‘non-European’ or
‘non-white’) nation in the world
• They were growing tired of being mistreated by the west
– Example  no racial equality clause in Treaty of Versailles
• Japan dreamed of building a Pacific Empire to become a first rate
power
– Unable to convince the west to welcome them as equals, the Japanese
turned towards totalitarianism to win respect by force
• The U.S. viewed the Pacific as their ‘Sphere of Influence’ (think 
Open Door Policy)
– Thus, we were an obstacle to Japanese ambitions
– Remember, the U.S. had made the decision to extend Manifest Destiny
beyond the borders of the western United States
• Japan, inspired by the boldness and successes of the Germans and
Italians, eyed juicy Asian territories
– Why were these territories ‘ripe for the picking’ starting in 1939?
Part IV. Neutrality Collapses Completely
• The League of Nations proves to be worthless in preventing war
– Why?
– The Axis powers (Germany, Japan, and Italy) simply ignore it
– Thus, if something is going to be done to stop the aggressiveness
of the axis, it is up to individual countries
• After Japanese soldiers brutalized Chinese civilians as part of their
expansive policies, FDR gave an anti-isolationist Quarantine Speech,
calling on peaceful nations to isolate aggressive ones
– We then proceeded to embargo the sale of oil to the Japanese to
hinder their aggressive policies
• As Britain struggled alone against the Nazis (after the fall of Poland,
France, and Czechoslovakia), FDR felt he could not wait for public
opinion to finally turn against isolationism
– Cash and Carry  Lend-Lease Act
• Basically, we started selling weapons to the British
• Interesting side note… when Britain ran out of cash, we started
to accept payment in the form of international naval bases
– As a result, the British transferred their world empire to the
United States
– Changing of the guard of world power
(cont.)
•
– British complained to America that too many of the ships it brought from
America were sunk on the way to Britain by German u-boats
• U.S. agreed to escort the ships to England, bringing them into
military conflict with German U-boats before Pearl Harbor
In the Atlantic Charter, FDR signed a treaty agreeing that the U.S. and
England had ‘common war goals’
– Interesting, since the U.S. had not technically declared war
V. Pearl!
• Pearl Harbor  Courage? Insanity?
– U.S. economy is 10x that of Japan
– Why attack someone so much more powerful
than yourself
– Japanese reasoning- ‘The U.S. will not
tolerate a two ocean war. Too expensive. After
we deal them a death blow (cripple Pacific
navy) they will retreat back onto the North
American continent and give up on their
expansion of Manifest Destiny. Then Asia is
ours!’
• Miscalculation!
• The Attack
– Japanese aircraft carriers were sent under radio
silence along rarely used shipping lanes
– Launched an attack on Pearl on Sunday morning
• Catch the U.S. off guard
– U.S. thought more likely that attack would come against
their Philippines base
• Declaration of war arrived after the attack, due to
some strange circumstances
– Crazy tidbit- U.S. was testing out radar near Pearl
Harbor that morning- saw the attacks coming, but no
one believed the radar
• The Cost
– America
•
–
4 Battleships Sunk , 3 battleships damaged, 1 battleship grounde, 2 destroyers sunk, 1 other ship sunk, 3 cruisers
damaged, 1 destroyer damaged, 3 other ships damaged, 188 aircraft destroyed, 155 aircraft damaged, 2,402 killed, 1,247
wounded
Japan
•
4 midget submarines sunk, 1 midget submarine grounded, 29 aircraft destroyed, 64 killed, 1 captured
• Not Sunk???
– U.S. Aircraft Carriers
FDR
Dec 7th, 1941
“…a day that will
live in infamy.”
Pearl Harbor from a satellite
Part VI. Aftermath of Pearl
• War declared all around
• ‘Europe First’ Strategy adopted by the U.S. and
Britain
• A year long series of victories won by the
Japanese
– Only two ‘capital’ British battleships in the Pacific sunk
in the days after Pearl Harbor
• The Japanese took over big chunks of China,
Indochina, and the East Indies/Pacific Islands
Hansen
U.S. History
Name ___________________
Period __________________
Lecture #2- Pulled into WWII
‫ ۝‬Part I. In the ’30s, America clung desperately to Isolationism
•
Neutrality Acts
–
We refused ____________________________________
•
The Saint Louis
–
When a group of Jewish refugees from Germany came on the
ship The Saint Louis, America, ______________________
_________________________________, turned them away
‫ ۝‬Part II. Interwar Events in Europe Threatened This Isolationism
•
Many Americans, including ______________, watched the _______
_____________________________________with growing concern
•
Why?
–
A) Totalitarianism ≠ ____________________
• The Germans and Italians explicitly rejected
____________________________________
–
B) Aggression
• The Nazis were not content to hold their ideas. They
wanted ___________________________
• Hitler took over Czechoslovakia and Austria, and later
__________________________________________
–
C) America’s economic interests
• Since America had traditionally _______________
_____________________________, their entry into
the war hurt us economically
‫ ۝‬Part III. Events in the Pacific Stressed Isolationism Even Further
•
Japan was the most ___________________________ (think ‘nonEuropean’ or ‘non-white’) _____________________________
•
They were growing tired of being ___________________
–
Example  no __________________ in Treaty of Versailles
•
Japan dreamed of building a Pacific Empire to become __________
__________________________
–
Unable to convince the west to welcome them as equals, the
Japanese ________________________________________
_________________________________________________
•
The U.S. viewed the Pacific as their ‘Sphere of Influence’ (think 
_____________________________)
–
Thus, we were an obstacle ___________________________
–
Remember, the U.S. had made the decision to ___________
__________________ beyond the borders of the western
United States
•
Japan, ________________________________________ of
the Germans and Italians, __________________________
–
Why were these territories ‘ripe for the picking’ starting
in 1939? ____________________________________
____________________________________________
‫ ۝‬Part IV. Neutrality Collapses Completely
•
The League of Nations proves to be worthless in preventing
war
–
Why? - ______________________________________
–
The Axis powers (Germany, Japan, and Italy) _______
____________________________________________
–
Thus, if something is going to be done to stop the
aggressiveness of the axis, it is up to ______________
•
After Japanese soldiers ___________________________ as
part of their expansive policies, FDR gave an anti-isolationist
Quarantine Speech, calling on peaceful nations to _________
_______________________________________________
–
We then proceeded ___________________________
to the Japanese to hinder their aggressive policies
•
As Britain ________________________________________
(after the fall of Poland, France, and Czechoslovakia), FDR felt
he could not wait for public opinion _________________
________________________________________________
–
Cash and Carry  Lend-Lease Act
• Basically,_______________________________
__________________________
• Interesting side note… when Britain ran out of
cash, we started to accept payment in the form
of ____________________________________
– As a result, the British transferred their
________________________________
– ________________________________
–
British complained to America that too many of the
ships it brought from America were sunk on the way to
Britain by German u-boats
• U.S. agreed to _________________________
__________, bringing them into military conflict
______________________ before Pearl Harbor
•
In the ____________________, FDR signed a treaty agreeing
that the U.S. and England had _________________________
–
Interesting, since the U.S. had _________________
___________
‫ ۝‬V. Pearl!
•
•
•
•
Pearl Harbor  Courage? Insanity?
–
U.S. economy was _______________________________
–
Why attack someone so much more powerful than yourself?
–
Japanese reasoning- ‘The U.S. ______________________
_______________________. Too ____________. After we
deal them a death blow (cripple ________________) they will
retreat back onto the North American continent and give up on
_______________________________ . Then ___________!’
___________________________
The Attack
–
Japanese __________________ were sent under
___________________ along rarely used shipping lanes
–
Launched an attack on Pearl on __________________
• Catch the U.S. off guard
– U.S. thought more likely that attack would
come against ______________________
• Declaration of war arrived _________________, due to
some strange circumstances
–
Crazy tidbit- U.S. was _____________________________
__________________________ that morning- saw the
attacks coming, but no one __________________________
The Cost
–
America
•
–
4 Battleships Sunk , 3 battleships damaged, 1 battleship
grounde, 2 destroyers sunk, 1 other ship sunk, 3 cruisers
damaged, 1 destroyer damaged, 3 other ships damaged,
188 aircraft destroyed, 155 aircraft damaged, 2,402 killed,
1,247 wounded
Japan
•
4 midget submarines sunk, 1 midget submarine grounded,
29 aircraft destroyed, 64 killed, 1 captured
•
Not Sunk???
–
______________________________
•
FDR
–
Dec 7th, 1941 , “…_______________________.”
‫ ۝‬VI. Aftermath
•
_________________________________________
•
__________________ Strategy adopted by the U.S. and Britain
•
A year long series of victories ___________________________
–
Only two _____________________________ in the Pacific
sunk in the days after Pearl Harbor
•
The Japanese took over big chunks of __________, ____________,
and the ________________________________________