Download America during the Second World War

Diplomacy and the Second
World War
Foreign Policy: 1920-1941
#1: How did US foreign policy change
between 1920 and 1941?
• From isolationism to involvement in
world affairs
#1a: Where can one see the isolationism of the
interwar years?
• American opposition to the Versailles Treaty
and League of Nations
• Feared it would limit freedom of action and
obligate involvement in foreign wars (like WWI)
• Nye Committee (1934-36)
• Senate committee that said US entered WWI to
make $ for bankers, munitions makers
• America First Committee (1940)
• mobilized US public opinion against war (used
Lindbergh as speaker)
• Grew after Lend-Lease
• Defunct after Pearl Harbor
• Neutrality Acts of 1935, 1936, 1937
#1b: For what reasons did the US start to become
involved in world affairs in the interwar years?
• Security concerns
• Washington Conference (1921): naval limitations; ratios
• Japanese aggression
• Manchuria (China, 1931)
• Rape of Nanking (China, 1937)
• Pearl Harbor (1941)
• German aggression
• Invasion of Poland (1939)
• Fall of France (1940)
• Threat to Britain
• Economic concerns
• Dawes and Young Plans (1920s): German reparations
• Maintain trade
• Monroe Doctrine and Good Neighbor Policy (nullified Platt Amendment)
• Recognize USSR (1933)
• Great Britain (cash and carry in 1939, destroyers for bases in 1940, Lend-Lease
1941)
• Political concerns
• Maintain democracy
• “arsenal of democracy”
• Special relationship with Britain and France
The Rise of Aggressor States and
the US Response
#2: What nations became increasingly aggressive in
the 1930s?
• A) Japan
• B) Italy (Mussolini)
• C) Germany (Hitler)
#2a: Japan
• Motivation for aggression
• Raw materials for growing population
• Racism
• Targets (“Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity
Sphere”—to “liberate” from colonial powers)
• China
• Manchuria (China), 1931 (Manchukuo)
• China, 1937 (full-scale invasion)
• Panay incident: US gunboat sunk by Japan; US accepts
Japanese apology
• Korea (since 1910)
• Southeast Asia (after 1941)
#2b: Italy
• Motivation for
aggression
• Prestige and empire
(denied by Treaty of
Versailles)
• Target
• Ethiopia, 1935
• Mild sanctions by
League of Nations (not
oil)
Mussolini and
Hitler: BFF
#2c: Germany
• Motivation
• Prestige and empire (denied by Treaty of
Versailles)
• Targets (where should we start)
• Rhineland, 1936: re-militarized
• Austria, 1938: annexed (invaded)
• Sudetenland (in Czechoslovakia), 1938
• Munich Conference: Britain (Chamberlain) and France
(Daladier) APPEASE Hitler
• Bohemia and Moravia (Czech lands), 1939:
annexed (invaded)
• NOT GERMAN SPEAKING
• Britain and France pledge to stop Germany’s next move
Neville Chamberlain
was labeled an
“appeaser” for
giving in to Hitler at
Munich. He
wouldn’t give in
when Hitler made
his next demand for
a portion of Poland.
#3: How did the US respond to the aggressive
actions of Japan, Italy, and Germany until 1939?
• Isolationism and neutrality (strongest in
Midwest and among Republicans)
• Isolationism
• Why?
• Memories of WWI fresh
• Nye Committee
• US entered WWI to make $ for bankers, munitions
makers
• America First Committee: mobilized US public opinion
against war (used Lindbergh as speaker)
• Neutrality Acts (applied to nations at war)
• Neutrality Act of 1935: no arms shipments to
belligerents; no US citizens on belligerent ships
• Neutrality Act of 1936: no loans to belligerents
• Neutrality Act of 1937: no arms to belligerents in
Spanish Civil War
The Outbreak of War and the
US Response
#4: What event started World War II in
Europe?
• The German invasion of Poland,
September 1939
• Hitler demanded Polish corridor
• He knew this meant war with Britain/France
• Had to neutralize USSR
• Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact, August 1939
• Would not attack each other for 10 years
• Divided Poland
• Germans invade Poland; Britain and
France declare war
Read FDR’s speech: 3 September 1939
#5: What major events in the war took
place in 1939-1940?
• 9-10/39: Blitzkrieg (“lightning war”) in
Poland
• 10/39-4/40: Sitzkrieg (“sitting war”) in
Europe
• April 1940: Blitzkrieg begins (“lightning
war”)
• Denmark, Norway, Netherlands, Belgium,
France invaded
• Brits evacuate at Dunkirk
• France falls, June 1940 (au revoir!)
• Vichy France installed (pro-Nazi govt in southern
France)
#6: How did the US respond to the
outbreak of war in Europe?
• FDR declares US neutrality, BUT chips away at
Neutrality Acts in order to favor Britain (make
US “arsenal of democracy”)
• A) “cash and carry”, 1939: pay cash, use own ships
(favored Brits)
• B) Selective Service Act, 1940: registered all men 2135
• C) Destroyers for bases, 1940: Brits got 50 ships; US
got bases in Caribbean
• D) Lend-Lease, 1941: Brits got all weapons they
needed; US got bases
• E) Atlantic Charter, 1941: affirmed US-British
goals/alliance
• F) Shoot on sight, 1941: US would shoot any German
subs on sight in Atlantic
The US enters World War II
#7: What events strained relations with
Japan?
• Japans aggressive actions in the Far
East
• Invasion of China (1931; 1937)
• Invasion of French Indochina, 1941
• US response
• FDR prohibits sale of steel/scrap iron/oil to
Japan
#8: What event drew the US into the
war?
• Pearl Harbor (7 December 1941)
• Why did the Japanese attack?
• US had cut off oil; Japan needed to invade
other nations for raw materials; only US
fleet could stop
• How did the attack impact the US?
• Killed 2,400 Americans
• 20 warships sunk
• 150 planes damaged
• Why was it such a surprise?
• Expected attack in Philippines and SE Asia
Google Earth Pearl Harbor!
#9: When did the US declare war?
• 8 December 1941
• Congress declares war after FDR’s “a date
that will live in infamy speech”
• http://www.radiochemistry.org/history/video/f
dr_infamy.html
• 11 December 1941
• Germany and Italy honor treaty with Japan
and declare war on US
#10: Once war was declared, which “theater”
of war did the US focus on most?
• The European
theater
• FDR saw the most
dangerous
immediate threat to
be Nazi Germany
• June 1941: Operation
Barbarossa
• German invasion of
USSR
The Century: Over the Edge
World War II: The Home Front
(Economy, Labor, Finance)
#11: How did the war effect the US
economy?
• It lifted the US out of the Depression
• Unemployment practically disappears
• Production skyrockets/consumption keeps up
(army needed stuff)
• GNP rose 15% or more in each war year
• Government’s role in economy expands
• Bureaucracy quadrupled
• War Production Board
• Converted/expanded factories
• Office of Price Administration
• regulated prices to control inflation; rationing
• Department of War (later called Defense Department)
#12: How did the war effect labor?
• Took away some gains from 1930s
• Wages were frozen by OPA
• Ability to strike limited
• Anti-Strike Act of 1943: enabled govt to take
over industry threatened by strike
#13: How did the war effect business?
• Large corporations became more
powerful (esp. if they were “essential”
to victory, like oil corporations)
• Wage freezes allowed them to maximize
profits
• Coca-Cola
• Wrigley’s Gum
When the US Army landed in north Africa, along with
them came materials for 3 full-scale Coca Cola bottling
plants.
#14: How did the US finance the war?
• Increased income
tax
• Highest tax bracket
in 1944: 94% of
everything over
$200,000
• Withholding tax
started in 1944
(payroll deduction)
• Sold war bonds
World War II: The Home Front
(Social Issues)
#15: Who coordinated propaganda and
censorship?
• Office of War
Information
• US fighting for
“American way of
life”
• NOT “democracy” or
“better world”
• Why not?
• Enlisted famous
contributors
• Frank Capra (film
director)
• Norman Rockwell
(artist)
#16: How did the war impact AfricanAmericans?
• Continued Great Migration
• 1.5 million migrated North and West to
jobs
• 1 million served in armed forces
• Continued discrimination
• Segregated in armed forces
• Double “V” slogan
• Congress of Racial Equality formed
(CORE)
• Non-violent resistance to segregation
#17: How did the war impact MexicanAmericans?
• 300,000 served in military/defense
• Braceros (farm workers) allowed to
enter during harvest season out west
• Sudden influx into Los Angeles led to “zoot
suit” riots of 1943
• Whites and Mexicans fought in streets
#18: How did the war impact JapaneseAmericans?
• 20,000 served in US military
• Targeted for segregation (for fear of
disloyalty—RACISM—esp. in California)
• Executive Order 9066: internment camps
ordered
• 130,000 interned on West Coast; none in
Hawaii or elsewhere
• 66% were native-born US citizens
• Korematsu v US (1944) upheld this policy
• 1988: reparations paid to those interned
Manzanar relocation camp: the largest
of the Japanese internment camps
#19: How did the war impact women?
• 200,000 served in military (non-combat)
• 5 million entered workforce at home
(narrowed gap b/w “masculine” and
“feminine”)
• “Rosie the Riveter” (defense jobs)
• WASP: Women Airforce Service Pilots
• Pro baseball
• Gap narrowed b/w “masculine” and
“feminine” and it widened too
• War makes men macho (increases libido)
The gender gap narrows
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
There’s no crying in baseball.
None. Zippo.
Warning: The Following images
are adult in nature. You may want
to cover your eyes. I’m only
showing you these because they
are part of your heritage—and
because they demonstrate how
the gender gap widened during
the war.
Images of
Grandma
The War in Europe
#20: Who were the three major Allies, and what was
their strategy for defeating Nazi Germany?
• Allies: USA, Great Britain, Soviet Union
(invaded by Germany, June 1941)
• Strategic agreement
• primary focus: Europe
• Strategic disagreement
• Where to start
• USSR wants immediate 2nd front in western
Europe (for relief)
• Churchill wants 2nd front in north Africa; then
attack Europe’s “soft underbelly” (Italy)
• At Casablanca Conference, US sides with GB
#21: What was the 1st major land
campaign for the US and British?
• Operation TORCH: Allied invasion of
north Africa (11/42) to prepare for
attack on “soft underbelly” of Europe
• British drove from east, Americans drove
from west—Germans defeated by 5/43
• US forced led by Dwight Eisenhower (Ike)
#22: Where did the US and Britain attack
the “soft underbelly?”
• Sicily and Italy
(7/43)
• Not a “soft
underbelly”
• Rome not liberated
until June 1944
• Northern Italy not
liberated until May
1945
#23: Where and when did the opening of
the western front truly take place?
• Northern France, 6 June 1944
• Operation Overlord (D-Day)—Turning
point on western front
• Directed by Ike
• Germans expected invasion near Calais
(narrowest point)
• Largest amphibious assault in history
• 5 beach landings
• Brits/Canadians/Free French: Gold, Juno, Sword
• USA: Utah, Omaha
• Heaviest casualties at Omaha (2,400)
• Paris liberated by August 1944
When Hitler did this . . . (his
only trip outside of the
German-speaking lands in
his life) . . . It made made
Parisians do this . . .
Peter Jennings: The Century
(Total War, Overlord)
#24: What major events brought the war
to an end in Europe?
• US, Brits, Canadians, Free French
move east
• Battle of the Bulge: German
counteroffensive (12/44-1/45)
• US stabilized
• Discover concentration camps
• Soviets move west
• Berlin falls to Soviets: April 1945
• Discovery of concentration and death
camps
#25: What were the consequences of the
war for Germany?
• Full occupation by
Allies
• 4 zones (US, Soviet,
British, French)
• Decided at Yalta
Conference
• Arrest and trial of
highest-ranking
Nazis
• Nuremberg Trials
The War in the Pacific
#26: What did the Japanese do after the
attack on Pearl Harbor?
• Invaded
• More of China
• Burma and Singapore
• French Indochina (Vietnam, Laos,
Cambodia)
• Dutch East Indies
• Philippines, Guam, Wake Island
• Bataan Death March: 70,000 Americans forced
to march 60 miles w/o food, water for
shipment to prison camps; 7,000 die
#27: What battles turned the tide of the
war in the Pacific?
• Coral Sea 5/42: Japan’s 1st defeat
• Midway 6/42
• US destroys 4 Japanese carriers, 322
Japanese planes
• Japan loses offensive capability
• Guadalcanal 8/42
• Relieved threat to Australia
• Continued offensive
#28: What was the US strategy in the
Pacific?
• Island hopping
• Adopted by Admiral Nimitz (central Pacific) and
General MacArthur (up from Australia)
• Offensive through small islands of Pacific
• Isolate strongly held islands with naval power
• Utilized Navajo Signal Corps (enemy unable to break
Navajo language)
• Largest battle
• Battle of Leyte Gulf (destroyed Japanese navy)
• Japanese use kamikaze pilots (suicide)
• Closest occupations
• Okinawa (48,000 US casualities) and Iwo Jima
#29: How did the war in the Pacific differ
from the war in Europe?
• More racial and thus brutal
• Japanese
• Saw themselves as superior race
• China: Rape of Nanking
• USA
• Saw Japanese as racially inferior
• Propaganda reflects this
#30: The fire bombings : Was it worth
killing so many civilians?
• Fire bombings (incendiary bombs)
• Hamburg and Dresden (Germany)
• 25,000-35,000 killed in each
• Tokyo
• 185,000 killed (more than atomic bombs;
caused most Japanese casualties)
• Arguments for and against?
#31: What pushed the US toward building
an atomic bomb?
• Albert Einstein’s urging FDR to do so in
1939
• Einstein knew of the German project
• US project called Manhattan Project (Los
Alamos, NM)
• FDR dies 13 April 1945
• Harry Truman assumes Presidency
• Ill-informed: met three times with FDR b/w March
1944 and April 1945
• Didn’t know about Manhattan Project until
inaugurated
• July 1945: 1st bomb tested
#32: What were the arguments for and
against using the atomic bomb?
• FOR
• Truman and advisors
• Save US lives
(remember Okinawa?)
• Keep USSR out of war
in Pacific
• Intimidate USSR
• Force Japanese
surrender
• Others
• Demonstrate it for
Japanese, and thus
cause no loss of life
• AGAINST
• Some Manhattan
Project scientists
• Too destructive
• Robert Oppenheimer
(lead scientist in
Manhattan Project)
#33: When and where were the bombs
dropped?
• 6 August 1945: Hiroshima, Japan
• 9 August 1945: Nagasaki, Japan
Atomic Explosion Facts (don’t copy)
• Temperature at epicenter of explosion:
3,000-4,000 degrees celsius
• Winds after initial shock: 440 meters
per second (just under 1,000 mph)
• 250,000 killed in both combined (either
immediately or by radiation)
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=v5OI9xrJ8Zw&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R
qyBzXYZPoM&feature=related
Wartime Conferences
#34: At what conferences did the Allies
confer during the war?
• Casablanca, 1/1943
• US and Britain demand unconditional surrender of Axis
powers
• Teheran 11/1943
• Big Three (FDR, Churchill, Stalin) agree to
• liberate France in spring 1944
• Soviets would invade Germany
• Yalta 2/1945 (most important)
•
•
•
•
Germany would be divided into 4 zones
Free elections in eastern Europe
USSR would enter war against Japan
New world organization would be formed at conference in
San Francisco (United Nations)
• Potsdam 7/1945 (FDR and Churchill gone)
• Demanded unconditional surrender of Japan
• War-crimes trials of Nazi leaders
Results of the War
#35: What were the major results of
World War II?
• Casualties
• 300,000 US dead; 800,000 US wounded
• Increased federal spending
• Federal govt spending up 1,000% during
war
• 1945: national debt reached $250 billion
• Creation of United Nations
• Agreed to at Dumbarton Oaks (1944)
• Charter drafted at San Francisco (1945)
#36: What was the structure of the United
Nations?
• General Assembly: each nation had 1
vote
• Security Council: 5 permanent
members w/ absolute veto (US, USSR,
GB, France, China) and 6 rotating
members
• primary responsibility for peace
#37: Why did the US accept the UN?
• US power so dominant, felt it couldn’t be
controlled by international body
•
•
•
•
Largely untouched by war (no fighting on US soil)
Relatively few casualties
Huge economic power
Atomic bomb
• WWII was partly result of lack of coordinated
response to German/Japanese aggression
• UN would provide coordinated response to future
aggression