Download The 1920`s and the Great Depression

The WW II ERA (1940 - 1945)
WW II changed everything in the USA and the World like
nothing before it or since. (Bigger than 9-11)
“We gave our today for your tomorrow”- WW II Vet
Smart people learn from others mistakes, dumb people learn from making
their own….often over and over again.
1 out of 7 WW II veterans are from PA
WW II United our country, 9-11 united us for 2 weeks.
Twinkies were banana flavored until WW II, bananas were too scarce, had
to go to white filling.
The failures of the WW I peace settlements laid the foundation for another
war.
Germany – resented that “German” lands and $$ were taken away and that
they were responsible for the war.
Russia –
resented that “Russian” lands were taken to form Poland,
Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.
Treaty of Versailles
did nothing to create an environment to rebuild EUR and
provide an opportunity to repay the war debts.
The newly created democracies failed w/o $$$ and dictators
arose and took power.
U.S.S.R. – The Soviet Union
A. Joseph Stalin – changed his name to “Stalin” because it means “man of
steel”. Took power when Lenin died in 1924.
- forced USSR into a total social state. Focused on massive, state
owned farms, then molding USSR into world industrial power.
B. third largest industrial nation by 1939….GER was second.
C. He crushed all individual rights and created a police state.
D. his opponents were arrested and shipped off to labor camps in Siberia.
E. he executed between 8 – 25 million people in his reign.
Italy p.545
A. Mussolini - rose to power in 1919, created a fascist state.
B. wanted to build Italy into a world power.
C. “Il Duce”/Fascism –
D. Focused on building anew Roman Empire, 1935 invaded Ethiopia.
E. The League of Nations did nothing.
Germany
A. after WW I Hitler was a unemployed ex-soldier floating around GER.
B. Had massive unemployment due to post-war Treaty.
C. Young unemployed men spent time in bars complaining about GER.
D. Hitler joined the “National Socialist German Workers Party”
E. Hitler gradually became the party’s leader…… “furher”
F. 1936 Olympics – Hitler did not allow Jews on team.
G. USA Head of Olympics took bribe from GER to permit this.
H. John Woodruff – 1936 Gold Medal winner, ran track at Pitt but was
not allowed to play football there.
Nazism –
A. Mein Kampf –
B. Hitler explained Nazism in three parts:
1. Extreme Nationalism – Germany above all.
2. Aryan Supremacy – master race and inferior races
3. National Expansion – to secure more “living space” for GER
C. 1932 – 6 million Germans were unemployed and turned to Hitler for
answers……
D. 1932 election Nazis won more votes than any other party but not the
majority. Hitler was appointed Chancellor to appease the party.
Hitler
A. he dismantled the GER democratic gov’t and established the “Third
Reich”, to last a 1,000 years……
B. 1933 – quit the League of Nations
C. 1935 – began a military build up which violated the Treaty of V.
D. sent troops into the Rhineland which was demilitarized by T. of V.
E. signed the Rome-Berlin Axis Pact – a formal alliance w/ Italy, also a
violation of the League of Nations.
F. Dr. Porsche designed the Volkswagon (“people’s car”) for Hitler.
G. He was held for two years for pro-Nazi activities.
Japan
A. militarists took control of Japan and shared Hitler’s idea of “living
space”
B. 1931 – invaded Manchuria in N. China, resources, size of Alaska.
C. Japan quit the League of Nations
D. In months they control the whole province of Machuria.
U.S. Response
A. 1928 – 62 nations signed an anti-war pact, we were one of them.
B. 1937 – 70% of Americans felt that we should have never went into WW I
C. a desire for isolationism grew across the U.S.
D. 1933 – we officially recognized the Soviet Union
E. 1935 – passed the Neutrality Acts – an effort to keep the US out of war.
F. Spanish Civil War – Hitler and Mussolini aid Spanish dictator Franco.
G. Abraham Lincoln Brigade –
H. Western democracies sent only food and clothing, no military aid.
I. Spain collapsed to Franco.
J. FDR refused to remain neutral when Japan attacked China again in 1937.
K. FDR sent military aid to China, Mitchell Paige went over w/ the Marines
L. Oct. 1 1940 PA Turnpike opened – The nation’s first superhwy.
M. 1940 – PA out produced GER/ITL/JAPAN in steel.
N. PA – 30% of overall coal production - #1 state in USA.
WAR IN EUROPE
Austria and Czechoslovakia Fall
A. “lebensraum” –
B. 1938 – GER invaded Austria, AUS Chancellor resigned. US and rest
of the world did nothing.
C. Sudetenland –German speaking region of CZ, Hitler began making up
stories of Czech atrocities of attacking the German Czechs…..
D. FR and GB promise to help the Czechs.
E. Hitler invites the FR Premier and British Prime Minister to GER
F. Hitler tells them that the Sudetenland will be his last conquest.
G. They sign the Munich Pact in 1938, GER got the Sudetenland w/o
firing a shot. GB celebrates…..
H. Appeasement –
I. Winston Churchill disagrees w/ giving in to Hitler. “war & dishonor”
German Offensive Begins
15 MAR 1939 – GER invades the Czech
Spring 1939 – Hitler states that Germans in POL are being mistreated.
23 AUG 1939 – GER signs a nonaggression pact w/ Soviet Union.
They also sign a secret pact to split Poland.
This protect GER from a two-front war, like WWI! GER lost!
Blitzkrieg –
1 SEPT 1939 – GER invades POL, air war. POL fell in three weeks.
GB and FR couldn’t respond in time but declare war on GER on 9/3.
RUS attacked eastern POL in the last week of the attack.
British and French troops stared at the GER troops across the Maginot
Line on the FR eastern border waiting for something to happen.
K. “sitzkrieg” –
L. Stalin began conquering the lands RUS lost in WWI……Finland
fought back……
M. 7 APR 1940 – Hitler invades Denmark and Norway.
N. He said he had to “protect their freedom”…..
O. May 1940 – Hitler takes Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg…
P. SS A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
I.
J.
France and Britain
A. Since GER took BEL, FR had no defenses. Hitler moved his tanks
into Ardennes in NE FR…
B. Allied (BR & FR) troops were outmanned, out gunned and dominated
in the air……340,000 troops were ferried out of Dunkirk on fishing
boats, recreational boats, etc.
C. Italy attacked S. FR, GER in the north. FR fell 21 JUNE 1940.
D. Vichy France –
E. Charles DeGaulle –
F. Battle of Britain – GER navy couldn’t compete w/British navy.
G. Luftwaffle –
H. GER bombed BR on 15 AUG 1940 w/1,000 planes.
I. R.A.F. J. GER attacked/bombed thru the summer and fall.
K. RAF defended the BR skies, shot down 56 GER planes9/15/40
L. Winston Churchill –
M. War Cabinent –
Reasons the Battle of Britain Failed
A. German twin engined bombers did not have the range or bomb load
capacity required/needed.
B. Luftwaffe forces were worn down from recent campaigns.
C. German fighters lacked the range to provide coverage for their
bombers. (The US will get the P-51’s for this same reason)
The Holocaust (“all burn”)
- If good people just stand by then evil will triumph”
- Carried out by educated supposedly sane people.
A. Hitler believed in GER world dominance.
B. He wanted the “Third Reich” to last “a 1,000 years”
C. He believed that certain people were “inferior” and a “master race”
could control the rest.
D. He believed the Nordic, blond, blue-eyed race was superior.
E. Ethnics, Jews, Catholics, Gypsies, mentally retarded, homosexual,
insane, etc. “non-Aryans” interfered with his views of “racial purity”.
F. The Jews became Hitler’s scapegoat for the GER defeat and economic
failure following WW I and gradually many believed him.
G. Himmler – Society is like a garden and the Jews are the weeds.
H. Hitler first took away gov’t jobs, Civil Rights, banned marriage,
property, travel, businesses, forced identification.
I. 9 NOV 1938 – “Kristallnaucht” –
J. Evian Conference – 1938 France: Allies meet to decide how to help
Jews. No country offers to help Jews. USA = 150,000….
K. Hitler interprets this as maybe it OK to go ahead to the next step….
L. 8 Concentration camps built in 1933-1938
M. FR, GB, US all took Jewish immigrants but all limited the numbers.
N. Anti-Semitism –
O. St. Louis – 1939 Miami – “Voyage of the Damned” –
P. FDR – Gets two pieces of advice: Help them/Don’t help them.
Q. Canada – “None is too many”
R. Nov. 1942 – USA knew about the Holocaust
S. All Jewish men – “Israel”; women – “Sarah”
The Final Solution (pp. 554-558)
A. Plan for healthy Jews to perform slave labor, the rest extermination.
B. Genocide –
C. Anyone “inferior” or deemed an “enemy of the state” was sent away.
D. The “master race” had to be “purified and protected”.
E. GER began by individually shooting them but this was slow….
F. 1941 – gas chambers were built, 6,000 a day could be exterminated.
G. Concentration camps –
H. GER actually built mobile gas chambers, trucks with the exhaust
piped into the back.
I. Crematoriums were built to burn the bodies, hide the eveidence.
J. Camps were experimental laboratories for SS doctors.
K. Children, twins, sterilizations, disease, Mengele –
America Prepares for War (pp. 559-562)
A. “Hitler is a madman” – FDR 1939
B. US pop. is deeply committed to staying out of the War, any war.
C. “Cash and Carry” – US stays neutral but can sell goods to warring
nations for cash only and they have to ship it back on non-US ships.
D. Neutrality Act of 1939 –
E. SEPT 1940 – Tripartite Pact –
F. Axis Powers – GER, Japan, Italy agreed to attack the US if any of
them were attacked.
G. Two-Front War –
H. FDR sent 80,000 machine guns, 500,000 rifles and 50 destroyers to
GB.
I. 18 nations had bigger armies than US, Italy had a bigger airforce and
our navy could only operate in one theater.
J. 1940 – the first US peacetime military draft.
K. FDR runs for an unprecedented third term.
L. Lend-Lease Plan –
M. GB was out of cash, US would eventually spend $50B
The War Changes
A. Hitler errs, ignores his pact w/ USSR and invades RUS – 22 JUN 41
B. FDR sends aid to RUS (Communists)
C. Hitler predicts victory in six weeks……RUS fights back.
D. GER U-boats –
E. Wolfpack –
F. Sink 1.2B tons of GB shipping in N. Atlantic
G. June 1941 – FDR orders US Navy to protect shipping and attack UBoats. (Neutrality????)
H. Atlantic Charter The U.S.A. Enters the War
* July 1941 – US cuts off trade w/ Japan. No oil!
* 5 NOV 41 Japanese “peace envoy” flew to Washington for peace talks the
same day the Japanese P.M. ordered plans for an attack on the US.
A. 4 SEPT 41 – US destroyer Greer is torpedoed by the Nazis.
B. FDR orders US Navy to fire on U-Boats “on-sight” (read p.562)
C. 18 SEPT – US ship Pink Star was sunk w/ food, milk, tools.
D. 17 OCT – US destroyer Kearny was torpedoed near Iceland.
E. FDR – “America has been attacked”
F. 31 OCT – US destroyer Reuben James was sunk killing over 100.
G. FDR and Churchill wanted US in the War.
H. 7 DEC 41 – Japan attacks Pearl Harbor
I. Hirohito/Hidecki Tojo –
J. We shot down 29 JP planes, we lost 18 ships, 350 planes and over
2,400 men and women. (read pp. 564-565)
K. M/SGT Abraham is in the Philippines and Japan attacks there too….