Download The Road to War Date Event Significance to the US

The Road to War
Date
Event
Significance to the US
* 1935, 36, & 37 Neutrality Acts
Inspired by attack on Ethiopia, Neutrality
Acts of ‘35, ‘36, and ‘37 set restrictions on travel,
commerce, loans if president declared existence of
war.
Abandoned traditional policies of freedom of
seas, for which US had fought 2 earlier wars.
* 1937 October Quarantine Speech
”Quarantine the aggressors” – From a
speech FDR gives in Chicago – the unofficial
isolationist capital.
Illustrates isolationist impulse
**1939 October Neutrality Act
“Cash & Carry”, but not to belligerent
nations
1939
Franco & his fascists France is surrounded by fascists
win Spanish Civil War - Spanish Civil War was
‘dress rehearsal” for WWII.
- Fascist rebels led by Franco were
supported by Hitler & Mussolini.
- The National Socialist Workers Party
Nazis
- Meager help from USSR of Loyalist
republican govt. hurt US sympathies.
- US staying out in hindsight seen as
aiding the fascists
1939 August
Soviet – Nazi
Non-Aggression Pact
Hitler & Stalin agree not to
attack each other (for selfish reasons
these “enemies” agree)
1939 Sept. 1
Germany Invades Poland War begins! France &
Great Britain declare war
on Germany on Sept. 3
1940 June
Fall of France
1940 Havana Conference
Britain is the only democracy left in Europe
- FDR called for huge air force & 2-ocean navy to check Japan
- Congress appropriated $37B: 5x more than any budget.
Sharing responsibility of the Monroe Doctrine
- 20 Latin Am. nations & US committed to defend orphaned New
World colonies from Germany.
1940 August
Battle of Britain
1940 Sept.
Conscription Law
Bombardment of Britain
- Blitzkrieg used
Isolationists v. Interventionists
Isolationists = America First
Committee
“America Firsters” /
- Charles Lindbergh is the
most famous isolationist.
1st peacetime draft in American History
1940 Sept.
1940 Nov.
Destroyers for
Bases Deal
German subs have sunk over 50 British ships
- need destroyers! Hey! I know! In exchange for using
receiving these ships, we’ll just use these British
naval bases out in the Caribbean and Atlantic. (Deal
right? After all, how much did we pay Demark to
purchase the Virgin Islands from them for a naval
base at the turn of the 20th Century? > $17 mil.)
- FDR gave ships without OK from Congress,
isolationists & Republicans decried his methods.
-“Phony War”: silent period after Poland fell as
Germany moved army toward France.
- Soviets crushed Finland despite $30M from US.
- “Phony War” ended when Hitler overran Denmark &
Norway(4/40), then Netherlands & Belgium (5/40).
Election of 1940
FDR v. Wendell Willkie
- Precedent of Washington? –GONE!
- Don’t change horses in the middle of the stream!
- FDR in an historic 3rd term
1941 January
Four Freedoms speech
Rallying the American people
- What would we be fighting for?!
1941 March
Lend-Lease
1941 May
Robin Moor
Congress proposed lend-lease bill after election: US
would be “arsenal of democracy.”
- Executive Order # 1776 – symbolic
(Does w/o permission of Congress)
- “If your neighbor’s house was on fire, you’d lend them your garden
house…” They’d return it when the fire was out.
Europe’s house is on fire
- Would you lend chewing gum??...
- Lend-lease prepared US factories for later all-out war.
- Due to WWI memories, Germany had avoided sinking
US ships prior to lend-lease. – Not anymore!
Hitler under-stood lend-lease meant war.
- US naval escort of lend-lease ships needed, but would
likely result in war once attacked.
- Hitler had ordered attacks on US ships only in selfdefense.
- German U-Boat torpedoes, but misses ship
1941 June
1941 June
Hitler attacks the
Soviet Union
Double-crosses Stalin
- Hitler & Stalin bickered over control of
Balkans (that’s where the oil is): Hitler
decided to quickly crush Soviets, grab oil,
then freely face Britain.
- Hitler invaded, stroke of luck for democracies.
- US offers Soviets assistance
US strategy suggested lend-lease aid to
Soviets: FDR granted $1B of eventual $11B.
- Red Army, winter halted Germans at Moscow.
US freezes Japanese
assets in America
& stops all shipments
of materials of war
Japan had been military ally of Germany
since 9/40.
Bogged down in China, Japan depended
on US steel, iron, oil, aviation gasoline.
- But FDR feared embargo would drive
Japan to attack oil-rich Dutch East Indies.
- US finally began embargo (late ‘40), then
finally froze Japanese assets and ceased gas,
war materials shipments (mid ‘41).
- Japan forced to bow to US or attack Southeast Asia.
- US demanded pullout from China to end embargo.
1941 August
Atlantic Charter
FDR & Churchill met for 1st time at Atlantic
Conference on warship.
> now called "summit diplomacy."
> The first of these summits took place off the coast of
Newfoundland
> AKA -- Newfoundland Conference
Resulted in 8-point Atlantic Charter:
> a set of guiding principles intended to govern relations among
states with the coming of peace.
> Soviets later agreed.
“Wilsonian” charter promised
- No imperialism
- No territorial change
- Self-determination in govt.
- Disarmament
- Permanent system of collective security
> a new League of Nations.
1941 Sept.
USS Greer
7/41: FDR made fateful decision to convoy to
Iceland.
- Had ships purposefully follow U-Boat
> Calculated risk???
- U-boat unsuccessfully attacked destroyer Greer.
- FDR proclaimed shoot-on-sight policy.
1941
USS Kearny
1941 Nov.
USS Rubin James
U.S. destroyer Kearny damaged in U-boat attack,
Reuben James sunk 2 weeks later.
Congress neutered Neutrality Act of ‘39: merchant
ships could arm & enter combat zones with munitions for
Britain.
- Undeclared shooting war in the North Atlantic
1941 Oct. - Dec. The Kurusu Mission
Kurusu was sent to the US when Gen Hideki Tojo
became prime minister
- there to propose a settlement to US/Japan differences
end embargoes and unfreeze Japanese assets
- Japanese ambassador to US already there K. Nomura
1941 December 7
Japan bombs Pearl Harbor
US code breakers knew in advance.
- But attack expected at Malaya or Philippines, not Hawaii.
- 3000 US casualties in attack on Pearl Harbor, 8 battleships
sunk or crippled.
- Luckily, all 3 US aircraft carriers were outside harbor.
- Next day FDR goes before Congress
“A date that will live in infamy”
- Congress declared war: 1-vote shy of unanimity.
- Germany, Italy declared war on US on 12/11.
- Congress unanimously accepted on same day.
- Japanese attack transformed a divided US
Now all in for the all-out for war.
- US came to understand that no nation was safe:
appeasement hadn’t worked.
- Most Americans were now determined to stand up to
dictators, even if war followed.