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World War II
Herbert Hoover’s Foreign Policy
o Isolationism
 Supported the belief that the US should not enter into
firm commitments to preserve the security of other
nations.
 Viewed peace conferences and treaties as moral
efforts.
 Opposed using economic sanctions against aggressors.
Felt it would lead to military involvement.
Japanese Aggression in Manchuria
o September 1931
 Japanese troops march into Manchuria renaming it
Manchuko and establish puppet government.
 League of Nations only passed a resolution
condemning Japan for its actions.
 Japan then walked out of the League of Nations –
never to return.
 League showed its inability to maintain peace.
o Stimson Doctrine
 Response to violation of Open Door policy
 Sec of State Stimson declared in 1932 that the US
would honor its Nine-Power Treaty of 1922 and refuse
to recognize legitimacy of Manchuko.
 League supported this and issued a similar statement.
o Latin America
 Hoover pursued relations with Latin America.
 As president elect he went on goodwill tour in 1929.
 Ended interventionist policies of Taft and Wilson.
 Arranged for troops to leave Nicaragua by 1933.
 Negotiated treaty with Haiti for troops to leave by
1933.
Franklin Roosevelt’s Policies, 1933-1938
o Good-Neighbor Policy
 Pan-American Conferences
1933 – Montevideo, Uruguay – vowed to never
intervene in Latin American internal affairs.
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 Cuba
o Repudiated teddy Roosevelt’s previous
policies.
1936 – Buenos Aries – pledged to submit future
disputes to arbitration.
Stated that if there was European aggression
that they would find the hemisphere prepared.
1934 – President persuaded Congress to nullify
the Platt Amendment.
Only retained the right for the US to have a
Naval base there – Guantanamo Bay.
 Mexico
1938 –resident Lazaro Cardenas seized oil
properties owned by US companies.
FDR did not intervene and encouraged US
companies to negotiate a settlement.
o Economic Diplomacy
 London economic Conference 1933 – League
supported at end of Hoover. When wanted to stabilize
currency FDR pulled out. No agreements reached.
 Recognition of the USSR – FDR did this in 1933 to
increase trade and boost the economy.
 Philippines –
Tydings-McDuffie act in 1934 – provided
independence by 1946 and gradual military
removal.
1935 Philippines elected a new president even
though US was still in control.
 Reciprocal Trade Agreements
1934 – Congress enacted a plan by Cordell Hull
to give the president power to reduce tariffs up
to 50% for any nation that reciprocated.
o Events Abroad: Fascism and Aggressive Militarism
 Italy
1922 Benito Mussolini seizes power with Fascist
party. “Il Duce”.
 Germany
Rise of Nazi’s during the 1920’s.
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Hitler gains control of legislature in early 1933.
 Japan
Increases power in 20’s and 30’s.
Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere
Persuaded Hirohito to engage in war to increase
natural resources.
o American Isolationists
 Revisionist history of World War I
Early 1930’s widely accepted view was that WWI
was a poor choice that only served greed of
bankers and manufacturers.
Congressional investigating committee led by
Sen. Gerald Nye of North Dakota.
 Neutrality Acts
To ensure neutrality if war broke out in Europe.
Neutrality act of 1935 – authorized president to
prohibit all arms shipment. Forbade US citizens
from traveling on ships from belligerent nations.
Neutrality Act of 1936 – cut extensions of loans
to belligerent nations.
Neutrality act of 1937 – forbade shipment of
arms to the opposing sides in the Spanish civil
war.
 Spanish Civil War
1936 outbreak of civil war.
Fascism (General Francisco Franco) and
Republicanism (Loyalists)
Most agreed with Loyalist but could do nothing
due to acts.
Fascism won.
 America First Committee
In 1940 isolationists formed to push public
opinion against pro-British FDR policies.
o Prelude to War
 Appeasement
Ethiopia 1935
Rhineland 1936
China 1937
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o Full scale war in 1937 erupted.
o US gunboat (panay) was sunk by
Japanese planes but apology was quickly
accepted by US.
Sudetenland 1938 –
o GB Chamberlain and French Daladier met
in Munich with Hitler.
o Munich has become synonymous with
appeasement.
US response
o Idea of quarantine thought but dropped by
FDR.
Preparedness
o By 1938 while preaching neutrality
increased military budgets by 2/3.
o Isolationists accepted for defense.
From Neutrality to War – 1929-1941
o Outbreak of War in Europe
 Nonaggression pact of August 1939
 Invasion of Poland 9/1/39
 Blitzkrieg
By June 1940 all of Europe had fallen except
Great Britain.
o Changing U.S. Policy
 FDR believed British survival was crucial.
 FDR chipped away at neutrality laws.
 By 1940 most Americans accepted need to strengthen
defense but still debated direct aid to Great Britain.
 “Cash and Carry”
Belligerent nations could buy arms is they used
their own ships.
Favored GB.
 Selective Service Act (1940)
Selective Training an Service Act of September
1940
o 21-35 registration for 1.2 million trained.
o Opposed by isolationist but outnumbered.
 Destroyers-for-bases deal
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FDR gave 50 older destroyers to GB for the right
to build military bases on British islands in the
Caribbean.
o Election of 1940
FDR
o Pronounced no war
Wendell Wilkie
o Never for public office before
o Agreed with need to be prepared for war
with FDR.
Results
o FDR wins w/ 54%
o Broke Washington two-term tradition.
o Arsenal of Democracy
 Four Freedoms
Aid to GB in defense of 4 freedoms
o Freedom of speech, religion, from want,
from fear.
 Lend Lease Act
1941 signed
o Permitted GB to all it needed on credit
o End of cash and carry.
 Atlantic Charter
Agreements for after the war.
Self determination, no territorial expansion, free
trade.
 Shoot-on-sight
Escorted GB ships carrying lend lease materials.
FDR ordered all German ships shot on sight.
Undeclared level of war.
o Disputes with Japan
 1940 entry into axis powers
 Occupation of Dutch East Indies
 US Economic Action
Prohibited export of steel to all countries except
GB.
1941 – Japan occupied French Indochina
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o Cut off credits to vital materials – especially
oil.
 Negotiations
Agreements were unable to be reached.
FDR hoped to hold off conflict until forces were
ready
Japan wanted to act quickly
o Pearl Harbor
 December 7, 1941
 2400 Americans killed (1100 on Arizona)
 20 warships sunk or damaged and 150 planes
destroyed.
 Partial Surprise
New attack was imminent but not when due to
code breaking
 Declaration of War
December 8 on Japan
December 10, Italy and Germany on US
WWII The Battlefronts
o Two theaters of war.
o Fighting Germany
 Defense at sea and air attacks
Submarine warfare
Bombing Germany
 North Africa to Italy
Operation Torch in Africa – November 1942
o Led by Ike and Montgomery
o Pushed out by May 1943
Sicily then Italy until the end of the war in 1945
 D-Day to Victory
June 6, 1944
o Operation Overlord
December of 1944
o Battle of the Bulge
 Surrender
Hitler suicide April 30, 1945
Surrender May 7, 1945.
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 Holocaust
Discovery as troops advanced through Europe.
o Fighting Japan
 In Germany it was a group effort to defeat Germany.
US, GB, USSR.
 Japan was primarily the U.S.
 After Pearl Harbor Japan controlled most of East and
Southeast Asia.
Korea, eastern China, Philippines, British Burma
and Malaya, French Indochina (Vietnam,
Cambodia, and Laos), Dutch East Indies
(Indonesia), and most of the Pacific Island west
of Midway Island.
 Turning Point, 1942
Two major naval battles.
o Battle of the Coral Sea May 7-8
 Aircraft carriers stopped invasion of
Australia.
o Battle of Midway June 4-7
 Interception and decoding of
Japanese messages led to US
destroying four Japanese aircraft
carriers and 300 planes.
 Island Hopping
Strategy adopted by Admiral Chester Nimitz.
Seizing small strategic islands one at a time and
putting air power and supplies.
Enabled the to make a more sustained attack on
the main island of Japan and other battles
before.
 Major Battles
Leyte Gulf - October 1944
o Largest Naval battle in history.
o Japanese navy virtually destroyed.
o First time kamikaze warriors were used.
 Kamikazes also inflicted damage in
the Okinawa battle in April to June
1945.
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 Okinawa resulted in 50,000 US
deaths and 100,000 Japanese.
 Atomic Bombs
Manhattan Project 1942
o Robert Oppenheimer
o 100,000 employed - $2 billion to produce.
Successfully tested on July 16, 1945.
o Almagordo, New Mexico – Trinity
Truman and others urged Japan to surrender
unconditionally or face “utter destruction”.
August 6th dropped on Hiroshima – Little Boy.
August 9th dropped on Nagasaki – Fat Man.
o 250,000 would die immediately or soon
after.
 Japan Surrenders
Within a week after the second bomb, Japan
surrenders.
US allowed Hirohito to stay in the throne but
powerless.
MacArthur received the official surrender on the
USS Missouri on September 2, 1945 in Tokyo
Harbor.
The Home Front
o Industrial Production
 1942 War Production Board
Mange war industries.
 1942 Office of War Mobilization
Set production priorities and controlled war
materials.
 Cost plus system
Government paid contractors cost plus a certain
percentage profit.
 Industries did great business.
By 1944 unemployment had basically
disappeared.
 By 1944 US production was twice of all the Axis
powers combined.
Instead of autos it was tanks and planes.
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Efficiency could turn out a ship in 14 days in
California shipyard’s.
 Wages, prices and rationing
Office of Price Administration (OPA)
Regulated most civilians lives
Freezing prices, wages, and rents.
Rationing meat, sugar, auto tires, and gasoline.
 Unions
Unions and Corporations agreed to no strikes
during war.
Workers became disgruntled.
Smith-Connally Anti-Strike Act of 1943 passed
over FDR veto
o Gave government the power to take over
war-related businesses threatened by
strike.
o FDR used this to take over RR in 1944.
 Financing the War
Increased taxes
Selling war bonds
o $135 billion
1944 automatic withholding in pay checks
started.
US spent $100 billion in 1945 alone.
o Impact on Society
 African Americans
Northern and Westward migration for industrial
jobs.
Resulted in many race riots in NY and Detroit in
1943.
NAACP membership increased.
CORE congress of racial equality formed in 1942.
 Mexican Americans
Moved to industry
Braceros entered US for agriculture without
immigration issues
LA riots between whites and Hispanics 1943.
 Native Americans
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25, 000 served in military
o Navaho code talkers
Others served in industries.
 Japanese Americans
Executive Order 9066
o West coast
o Interned over 100,000 in the Midwest and
west.
o Did not affect other parts of US.
o 1988 Korematsu vs US (1944) granted
reparations to internees of $20,000.
 Women
200,000 non combatant military.
5 million entered the workforce.
o Rosie the Riveter
Were paid well below what men would have
made.
 Propaganda
Office of War Information
Posters, songs, new bulletins.
o The Election of 1944
 Less interest than usual
 FDR replaces VP Wallace with Truman
 Thomas Dewey had no hope
 FDR wins with 53%
 FDR would serve less than three months mostly to be
served by Truman.
Wartime Conferences
o Casablanca – January 1943
 FDR and Churchill
Agree to invade Sicily and demand
“unconditional” surrender from axis.
o Tehran – November 1943
 FDR, Churchill, Stalin
US and GB would drive to liberate France in 1944
and USSR would invade Germany.
USSR would eventually join fight against Japan.
o Yalta – February 1945
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 Big Three
Divide Germany
Free elections in Eastern Europe?
USSR enter Japan on August 8, 1945
USSR have concessions in some regions of
Pacific.
Formation of UN.
o Death of FDR
 April 12, 1945
 Cerebral Hemorrhage
Warm Springs, Georgia
 Truman assumes presidency.
o Potsdam – July 1945
 Stalin, Truman, Clement Atlee GB.
Unconditional Japanese surrender.
War crimes trials.
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