Download World War II - Mrs. Cronin's APUSH

World War II From
WorldIsolation
War IIto
Involvement
“We must band together to prevent the loss of more American lives in these internal struggles of Europe…Modern war wit
all its consequences is too tragic and too devastating to be approached from anything but a purely American standpoint.
We should never enter a war unless it is absolutely essential to the future welfare of our nation…Our safety does not lie in
fighting European wars. It lies in our own internal strength, in the character of the American people and of America
institutions.” Sept. 15, 1939
Roosevelt opposes Aggression
• Unrestrained Japanese
violence shocked Americans
– FDR lamented the “reign
of terror and
International
lawlessness”, the
bombing of civilian
populations, and the
horrible acts of cruelty.
– He warned that no part
of the world was “truly
isolated” from the rest
• Roosevelt’s solution
involved an informal
alliance of peace-loving
nations, but did not
suggest what steps to
take in quarantining the
aggressive ones.
War Erupts in Europe
• Appeasement failed
• 1939-Hitler absorbed
•
•
Czechoslovakia
France/Britain-acting
proactively signed an
alliance with Poland
Germany-more worried
about the Soviet Union
signed the Nazi-Soviet
Nonaggression Pactpublically promising not
to attack one another
Hitler launches a
Blitzkrieg against Poland
• Sept. 1, 1939-a massive
German blitzkrieg hit Poland
from 3 directions
• Blitzkrieg means “lightening
war”
– Uses speed and power to
penetrate deep into enemy
territory
– Coordinated assault by tanks
and planes
– Followed by motorized
vehicles and infantry
• Sept 17, Soviets attacked
Poland from the East
• A devastated Poland fell
France falls to the Axis powers
• Axis powers:
– Germany, Italy, Japan
• Allies
– Britain, France and
eventually many other
nations including the Soviet
Union & the United States
• April 1940, Germany
•
•
attacked Denmark &
Norway
May-Netherlands,
Belgium & Luxembourg
Next site -- France
• Germans took Paris and
made them surrender in
the same car used for the
German surrender in
1918
The Battle of Britain is Fought in
– Germans bombed civilian
targets (houses, churches,
the Air
factories
• France had fallen in 35 days
• Churchill had no intention of
continuing the policy of
appeasement
– He readied his nation for
battle
– “Operation Sea Lion”
was under way
• Luftwaffe was to
destroy the British
Royal Air Force
• Began July 1940
• British lost 1000
planes/Germans lost
1700
– Month long campaign
which came to be known
as the blitz
– Brit’s held on, and Hitler
made a tactical decision to
postpone the invasion
Americans Debate Involvement
• America Favors Isolation
– FDR shared Churchill’s
concerns
– Majority of Americans
opposed going to war
• Great Depression
• WWI had been a mistake
– Conspiracy Theory
• Congress passed the
Neutrality Acts of 1935,
1936, and 1937
– Imposed restrictions on
Americans during times of
war
• EX: Americans were
• Big business conspired in
order to make money on
weapon making
•
prohibited from sailing on
ships owned by nations at
war
Americans could not make
loans to beligerents selling
arms and munitions
Interventionist Urge Support
for the Allies
• Neutrality Act of 1939
– Included a cash and carry
provision
• Allowed belligerent
nations to buy good and
arms in the United States
if they paid cash and
carried the merchandise
on their own ships
• Britain controlled the seas
– FDR-pro-Ally position
– Committee to Defend
American by Aiding the Allies
• Britain was fighting for
free countries everywhere
Isolationist Argue for Neutrality
• Giving aid to the Allies
automatically harmed the Axis,
and would culminate in war
• Only way to keep America safe
was to follow a policy of
neutrality
• America First Committee
– Held rallies criticizing FDR’s
openly pro-British policy
– Charles Lindberg became
the leading isolationist
voice
• He believed Japan and
the Soviet Union were
the true American
threats
Roosevelt Inches towards
Involvement
• After the Tripartite Pact
•
– Congress passed the
Selective Service Act
– Gave Britain 50 WWI
battleships n exchange
for 8 British defense
bases
America’s response
– Elected FDR for a third
term
America takes steps toward war
• Lend Lease
– Act to send any aid necessary
in the interest of defending
the U.S.
•
• By 1945-$40 billion
Atlantic Charter
– Between US & Britain
• Document endorsing national
•
self-determination
International system of
“general security”
• U.S. Battles German U-boats
– Roosevelt gave orders to
attack German U-boats on site