Transcript Chapter 15

Chapter 15
Prelude to Another
World Conflict
(1920-1941)
~Japan is not yet curbed by WWII
and is seeking expansion
~Many dictators are rising to
power: Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin,
and Tojo & the Japanese Military
~Americans do not want to be
involved in WWII
A. U.S. DIPLOMACY – HARDING TO HOOVER
INTER-WAR YEARS DOMINATED BY:
1. Isolationism:
- Desire to avoid alliances
or getting involved around
the world.
Ex. Opposition to joining the
Ex. Neutrality Act of
League of Nations & not ratifying
1935- authorized
the Treaty of Versailles
president to ban arms
sales to warring nations
* Events in Asia and Europe, however, will
make this position difficult to maintain…
*We did not, however, stay completely out of world affairs following WWI…
2. Examples of Involvement in World
Affairs During the 1920’s
a. 1922 Washington Naval Conference:
Dealt with the naval arms race in Pacific, especially Japan’s
goal of empire, by limiting the number of warships
countries could build, recognizing each other’s
territories, and agreeing to submit differences to a
conference for resolution
c. Dawes Plan - when
Germany’s economy falls apart:
- US loans money to Ger.
b.1928 Kellog-Briand
Pact:
- Outlawed war except in
self-defense
* 65 nations sign it
* Unenforceable - no
organization to back it up
**Still actually in effect today…
- Ger. Pays WWI debts to
Allies
- Allies pay back loans to the
US
* If this had not happened,
Ger. would have gone
bankrupt
** Could have led to a new
war
d.GOOD NEIGHBOR POLICY (toward Latin
America in the 1930’S)
~DIPLOMACY RATHER THAN MILITARY INTERVENTION
(OF 1910’S AND 1920’S)
•Repudiated the Roosevelt
Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine
• Nullified the Platt Amendment
• Went so far as to say we didn’t
have the right to intervene in the
internal affairs of other nations
e. Japanese takeover of Manchuria:
- In 1931 Japan invades & occupies this Chinese province
- Sets up puppet state called “Manchukuo”
-U.S. declares its opposition
* Japan continues
but is unwilling to intervene
seeking a Pacific Empire
**Internationalists in U.S. warn that American inaction would
only encourage more aggression…
B. INTERNATIONAL CHALLENGES IN 1930’S
1.. Rise of Totalitarian Dictatorships
*Totalitarianism – the State or the government is supreme,
few individual rights exist, and no opposition is tolerated
a. Italy – Mussolini and his Fascist followers
promise a return to earlier period of glory and a
Mediterranean/African empire
* ATTACKS ETHIOPIA IN 1935
AND ALBANIA IN 1939
“Ill Duce”
b. Japan – Tojo and the military gain control,
reducing Emperor Hirohito to a
political figurehead
*Japan was in an ultra-nationalistic era at the time, desiring to be a
Nation considered a “great power” …
*Limited in size and raw
materials, Japan pursues
expansion with the goal
of becoming a Pacific
empire and great power
** ATTACKS:
-MANCHURIA 1931
-ALL OF CHINA 1937
-INDO-CHINA 1940
c. GERMANY - HITLER
~1923 FAILED MUNICH (or “Beer Hall”) PUTSCH AND HIS
AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL BOOK, MEIN KAMPF (MY STRUGGLE)
~CRITICIZES TREATY OF VERSAILLES, BLAMES JEWS FOR
GERMANY’S WOES, GLORIFIES ARYAN RACE, IS ANTI-COMMUNIST
~HE AND HIS NAT’L SOCIALIST OR NAZI PARTY
GAIN CONTROL IN 1933
~MILITARIZES AND BEGINS POLICY OF TERRITORIAL EXPANSION
THAT LEADS TO WWII
2. Economics:
- Worldwide depression and high tariffs has
international trade at a minimum
- Many nations find themselves unable to pay off
their debt from WWI
- U.S. stop loans to Ger.
(under Dawes Plan) so
they stop paying
reparations to Allies
* We only collect about ¼
of what we were due from
WWI
**In America this causes resentment
and the strengthening of Isolationism
C. THE THREAT OF WAR
-Japan renews
attacks on China in
July of 1937
1. Japanese Militarism in Asia:
-US sympathizes with
China, but sells arms
to both sides.
-FDR suggests action
but isolationism
prevails
1938 RAPE OF NANKING
*1937 Panay Incident – U.S. gunboat sunk by Japanese in China,
an incident that pushed us toward war with Japan
*Ludlow Amendment: would have required a national vote
before U.S. could go to war.
> Was only narrowly defeated in Congress
2. GERMAN EXPANSION
*Lebensraum – “living space”
a). 1936 Germany invades the Rhineland
Rhineland - Area between Ger & France occupied by
Germany against the terms of Treaty of Versailles
France, not wanting war, merely protests…
b. In 1938 Austria was annexed or added to
Germany without opposition from the rest of
Europe
> “Anschluss”
* APPEASEMENT
WESTERN EUROPEAN POWERS’ POLICY OF GIVING
IN TO HITLER’S LAND GRABS TO AVOID WAR
“They’ll never act, they’ll only protest, and they’ll always be too late”
Hitler
c) Sudetenland (1938)
~ Western section of Czechoslovakia
~Hitler claimed it was German land, populated by
Germans, and should be part of Germany
*Munich Conference – Western powers agree to the
Sudetenland’s annexation to avoid war with Germany
Neville Chamberlain
~British P.M. who claimed to have found
“peace for our time” when the Sudetenland
was given to Hitler in 1938 at the Munich
Conference
*He thought he’d done the right thing to
avoid war – others were opposed to this
thinking…
d) Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of 1939:
German-Soviet non-aggression pact that said neither
side would attack the other
* Secretly divided Poland
between them and gave
Finland to the U.S.S.R.
3. World War II Begins
POLAND
- Sept. 1, 1939 Germany invades Poland with
“Blitzkrieg” or lightning warfare
-Br/Fr declare war, having pledged to defend Poland
-Soviets invade Poland from the East
*After 5 weeks Poland surrenders
a) U.S. POSITION
1. FDR ISSUES PROCLAMATION OF NEUTRALITY
2. TO HELP ALLIES, HOWEVER, WE CREATE A
POLICY KNOWN AS “CASH AND CARRY”
*This was sort of a compromise between FDR and
the isolationists who wanted to avoid war
~WE SELL ARMS TO ALLIES AS LONG AS THEY
PAY CASH AND TRANSPORT GOODS ON OWN SHIPS
b) GERMAN VICTORIES
~After “Phony War” lull in winter of 1939 *”Sitzkrieg”
1. APRIL 1940 – NORWAY, DENMARK
2. MAY 1940 – BELGIUM & NETHERLANDS
3. MAY/JUNE 1940 - FRANCE
~DunKirk: Coast of France where retreating British soldiers
were just barely evacuated across the English Channel by any
available craft
*Britain now stands alone in Western Europe
**Winston Churchill
Named Prime Minister following Chamberlain
~”We shall never surrender”
~”This will be our finest hour”
U.S.S. WINSTON CHURCHILL
D. BETWEEN PEACE 1. BATTLE OF BRITAIN
“THE BLITZ”
AND WAR
~Late 1940/early 1941
~German attempt to
bomb Britain into
submission or soften them
up for invasion
* LUFTWAFFE VS. R.A.F. ~Air raid sirens, blackouts, subway
stations as bomb shelters, sending
children to countryside or abroad
2. FDR’s Third Term
a) Democrats:Nominate FDR despite reservations about
someone running for an unprecedented third term
b) Republicans:
Nominate Wendell Willkie
Wendell Willkie
~FDR easily wins (54% popular vote)
(When British run out of money for ‘cash & carry’ we create:)
3. Lend-Lease:
FDR says we must become the“Arsenal of Democracy”
-Allowed FDR to sell, lend, and lease war materials to
any nation’s who’s defense was important to U.S.
*British ships transporting goods from the U.S. to
Britain had to avoid German “wolf packs” or subs
4. End of Isolationism
a) June 1941 Germany attacks the Soviet Union
* Operation “Barbarossa” ** violates the 1939 non-aggression pact
*Largest military operation in human history!
Ex. 4mill Ger troops and 600,000 motorized vehicles!!
- U.S. extends Lend-Lease policy to Soviet Union
- U.S./Britain opposed to communist government in
U.S.S.R. but need an ally against Hitler
* U.S. not at war yet, but FDR and
Churchill meet to discuss goals of a
possible alliance
b) Atlantic Charter
U.S./British alliance would:
- seek no territorial gain
-self-determination for
occupied countries
- disarm aggressors
- permanent system of
general security (U.N.)
c) U.S. – Japanese Relations
- worsened since Japan attacked China
in 1937
- U.S. wanted to cut off trade but feared
Japan would attack neighbors for raw
materials
-When Japan sets up military bases in
former European Colonies in S.E. Asia
(Indo-China) we:
*Why didn’t the European countries stop the Japanese??
Sept 1940 – place embargo on oil, metal, etc.
July 1941 – freeze Japanese bank accounts in U.S.
Nov 1941 – meet in Washington D.C. to discuss differences
*Nov 25th – Japanese carriers set out for Pearl Harbor…
d) PEARL HARBOR
Sunday Dec 7th, 1941
Japanese carrier-based planes attack U.S. Pacific Naval Fleet
stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
•Ex. U.S.S. Arizona
~Approximately 2,400 dead
~19 ships sunk or badly damaged
•U.S.S. Oklahoma
~150 planes destroyed – most while still on the ground
The U.S.S.
Arizona
Memorial
Huge blow to U.S. as Japan goes on unchecked
offensive in the Pacific for the next 6 months
Not a total disaster – our aircraft carriers were out to sea and
were, therefore, undamaged
And most of the damaged ships were repaired and put
back into service
On Dec 8th FDR asks for/receives declaration of war from Congress
*Only one negative vote… Jeanette Rankin from MT
“Yesterday, December 7th, 1941, a date which will live in infamy”
FDR