Transcript 1929-1945 Diplomacy and WWII

 The United States issued the Stimson Doctrine, named for Sec. of State
Henry Stimson
-this doctrine stated that the US would refuse to recognize any
government that was establish through force
• Hoover pursued friendly relations with our Latin American neighbors
• Hoover ended the interventionist policies of Wilson and Taft
• Weaknesses of the League of Nations exposed as they were unable to
prevent Japan’s aggression into Manchuria and maintain peace
Roosevelt pursued the “Good Neighbor Policy” with
Latin America, a continuance of the policy of
Hoover
 The rise of militarist dictators in Europe (Hitler,
Stalin) led the Latin American nations to seek out
American aid & intervention
 Roosevelt consented to Latin American requests in
multiple ways
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Pan-American Conferences-US pledges non-intervention
 Cuba- US nullifies Platt Amendment (US troops still in
Cuba after Spanish-American War)
 Mexico- Roosevelt refused to intervene when Mexico
seized corporate property, he urged negotiation
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The London Economic Conference
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Recognition of the Soviet Union
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Roosevelt thought this would improve trade and open
new markets, ideology often takes a back seat to
economics
The Philippines
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This was meant to stabilize world currencies (Germany),
but failed to reach any significant progress due to lack of
US support
The US passed a bill to grant the Filipinos independence
by 1946
Reciprocal Trade Agreements
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The US would lower tariff rates for any country that also
lowered theirs.
 Military
dictatorships arise in Italy, Japan and
Germany
 All pursued expansionist policies to get more
land or natural resources
 America responded with neutrality acts
 Sen. Gerald Nye led a commission to
investigate why we entered WWI
 They
found that it was largely based on the
interest of manufacturers and bankers
 The
America First Committee was developed
to sway public opinion toward islationism
•
Neutrality Acts of 1935
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If countries went to war, the US would not
trade arms or weapons with them for 6 months
Any nonmilitary goods sold to nations at war
would have to be paid for up front and would
have to be transported in non-American ships
(aka. “cash and carry”)
1939: FDR asks Congress to pass this to allow
the cash and carry sale of arms to countries at
war, (Britain, France)
 the
policy of giving in to the demands of a
potentially hostile nation in the hope of
maintaining peace
 Did
this work?
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Ethiopia (1935)
 Mussolini invaded the African nation and
conquered it as a show of fascist might
Rhineland (1936)
 A DMZ according to the Versailles Treaty, Hitler
marched troops in open defiance
China (1936)
 Japan invades China, Japan sunk a US vessel,
we quickly accepted an apology
Sudetenland (1938)
 Hitler asserts Germany’s right to take over this
strip of Czechoslovakia because of its German
speaking population
An agreement in Munich, Germany permitting the Nazi
German annexation of Czecholslovakia’s Sudetenland
among the major powers of Europe without the
presence of Czechoslovakia.
 The Sudetenland were areas along Czech borders,
mainly inhabited by ethnic Germans.
 Today, it is widely regarded as a failed act of
appeasement toward Nazi Germany.

 Roosevelt
was limited in his
responsive capabilities by
American isolationist
sentiment
 Like Wilson in 1916,
Roosevelt argued and got a
build-up of military budgets
and material
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In March of 1939 Hitler violates the Munich Treaty
(Sudetenland) and occupies all of Czechoslovakia
In August of 1939 Germany signed a non-aggression
pact with Soviet Union (agreed not to attack each
other)

In September of 1939, Germany invades Poland with
their blitzkrieg tactic (a swift intensive military attack,
especially using tanks supported by aircraft, designed to
defeat the opposition quickly) starting WWII

Britain & France declare war on Germany & the Axis
powers
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Axis: Germany, Italy, Japan
Allies: British, French, US (later), USSR
The war resumed full scale in 1940 as the Germans
overwhelm the French in a week
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Most Americans were stunned and
alarmed at the quick success of the
German military
Britain remained the only Allied
nation free from German troops
Roosevelt felt that keeping Britain
free was vital to Allied success
He arranged a less restrictive
neutrality act that said that
belligerents could pay cash and buy
American weapons if they would pick
them up
This policy greatly favored Britain
In 1940 Congress enacted the
Selective Service Act for compulsory
military service

Roosevelt breaks with tradition and runs for a 3rd term

His opponent is Wendall Wilkie, whose main opposition to
Roosevelt stemmed from the 2 term limit

Roosevelt won with 54% of the popular vote
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He was aided by a recovery based on defense spending,
validating Keynesian Economics and a fear of war which led
voters to the more experienced Roosevelt
Results of the Presidential Election 1940
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The Four Freedoms
 Speech, Religion, Want, Fear
Lend-Lease Act
 Permitted Britain to obtain all
resources on credit, signed in 1941
Atlantic Charter
 Agreed to free trade, selfdetermination and no territorial
expansion
 There’s a need for another world
organization to replace League of
Nations—one to “secure” the world
Shoot on Sight
 American ships should sink German
ships/U-Boats on sight
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The US cut off Japan from key raw
materials after they joined the Axis
powers
Negotiations regarding the embargo
proved fruitless
Japan felt that a quick strike
against unprepared and limited
American forces in the Pacific
would be the best tactic
American military officials felt the
attack would come in the
Philippines and Hawaii was caught
off guard
Japanese planes sunk and disabled
the entire American fleet in the
Pacific