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Chapter 35
America in World War II, 1941-1945
Essential Questions
-What role did the United States play in World War II?
-How did the United States prepare to enter WWII?
-What were the effects of WWII?
Vocabulary
Korematsu v. U.S.
War Production Board
Office of Price Administration
War Labor Board
Smith-Connally Anti Strike Act
Potsdam Conference
Fair Employment Practices Commission
Battle of Coral Sea
Battle of Midway
Enigma Code
Battle of the Atlantic
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Casablanca Conference
Tehran Conference
D-Day Invasion
Battle of the Bulge
The Allies Trade Space for Time
-Pearl Harbor caused Americans to forsake isolationist policies
-FDR convinces Americans that Japan will wait; Germany is the more
dangerous foe
-Main American objective was to ensure Britain does not fall to
Germany
-Just enough forces would be sent to keep Japan in check
-Preparing for war proved to be most problematic
-U.S. would have to transition into war mode: Organize
military; transport forces and supplies halfway around
the world; Feed Allies
The Shock of War
-America was unified following Pearl Harbor
-Japanese-American discrimination began
-Rounded up and sent to internment camps
-Official justification: It was for their own protection; Designed
to
prevent Americans from taking frustration out on them
-In reality, there was great distrust towards them; believed to be
spies
-Supreme Court upheld the internment policy in Korematsu v
U.S.
-In 1988, American government formally apologized and
granted $20,000 to any camp survivors
-WWII was not made out to be an idealistic crusade as Wilson had
Building the War Machine
-The Great Depression ended as the war stimulated the economy;
Over $100 million of war supplies were ordered in 1942
-War Production Board took control of industry
-Stopped production of non-essential items
-Rationed gasoline
-Agricultural production increased exponentially due to new
equipment and techniques
-As prices rose, the Office of Price Administration was created to
regulate them
-Critical items were rationed
-War Labor Board set wage limits (Lower wages=lower prices)
-Smith-Connally Anti-Strike Act allowed government to seize and run
industries crippled by strikes
Manpower and Womanpower
-15 million men served in
military
-As most able-bodied men were
at war, the industry needed
workers:
-Bracero program brought
in Mexican workers
-Remained in use until
some
20 years after war
-216,000 women served in the
military
-Primarily in the Army,
Navy, and Coast Guard
-Many women took "war jobs"
-The war opened industry
to
women
-2/3 of women left these jobs
after war
Wartime Migrations
-FDR attempts to stimulate hurting Southern economy through
defense contracts
-African-Americans headed north in large numbers
-African-American leader Philip Randolph initiated "Negro
March
on Washington" in order to promote more jobs in defense and
military; FDR prohibits discrimination against AfricanAmericans
-Fair Employment Practices Commission (FEPC) is set up
to
enforce
-African Americans served in the military in segregated units
-This service promoted racial equality in general, though they
Holding the Home Front
-While U.S. entered the war while still under the effects of the Great
Depression, they were the sole nation to emerge from it economically
victorious
-Gross national product, corporate profits, and disposable
income
doubled, which then caused inflation
-WWII production ended Great Depression, not the New Deal
programs
-The war's cost was 10 times that of WWI: $330 billion
-Four times more people were required to pay income taxes,
mostly
on credit
-National debt increased from $49 to $259 billion
The Rising Sun in the Pacific
-Japan attempts to build empire by capturing multiple islands: Guam,
Wake Island, Philippines, Hong Kong, British Malaya, Burma, Dutch
East Indies, and considerable land in coastal China
-General Douglass MacArthur was forced to retreat from Philippines,
a very embarrassing situation for U.S.
-Japanese forced prisoners to engage in the "Bataan Death
March"
-If one stumbled on the 85 mile trek, they were killed
- U.S. then surrendered Corregidor, a fortified island in Manila
Harbor
Japan's High Tide at Midway
-Battle of the Coral Sea marked the first big U.S.-Japan naval
encounter; Heavy losses were suffered on both sides
-American forces intercepted messages that told of an attack on
Midway Island
-U.S. surprised Japan when Admiral Chester Nimitz sent U.S.
fleet
to the island
-The Battle of Midway was a huge victory for America; It was
the
turning point in the Pacific War as it stopped
further Japanese expansion
American Leapfrogging Toward Tokyo
-U.S. used policy called "island-hopping"
-The plan was to capture and fortify the weaker islands
surrounding Japan
-The combination of air attacks and the strangling of resources
would do the rest
-General MacArthur would lead an attack in the South while Admiral
Nimitz would lead a force in the Central Pacific
-Guadalcanal was the first victory as MacArthur headed back to
the
Philippines
-The Gilbert Island and Marshall Island chains were then
captured
-Island-hopping was a slow, laborious process
The Allied Halting of Hitler
-German U-Boats were very effective
-The "Enigma Code" was broken, allowing U.S. to locate large
groups of the U-Boats
-Battle of the Atlantic was fought until the Allies controlled the ocean
in 1943
-This was a narrow victory; German engineers nearly completed
work on a submarine that could remain underwater indefinitely
The Allied Halting of Hitler
-1942 proved to be the year in which the Allies continually gained
momentum
-Britain bombed German forces in France while America
bombed
Germany itself
-German General Rommel was effectively moving towards Suez
Canal in North Africa
-Britain stopped his advance in the Battle of El Alamein,
then
pushed them back from there
-Russians stopped Germany in Stalingrad then began to retake
their
land
A Second Front from North Africa to Rome
-Russia wanted Allies to attack Germany on another front to ease
their burden (Over 20 million Russians were killed during the war)
-Both Britain and America agreed but differed on how to do it
-Britain wanted to attack up from North Africa through
Italy
while America wanted to go through France
-The Allies agreed to follow Britain's plan; General Eisenhower
led
the attack
-Germany was pushed out of Africa by May 1943
-Roosevelt and Churchill met at the Casablanca Conference
-They decided they would accept nothing less than Germany's
unconditional surrender
A Second Front From North Africa to
Rome
-The Allies progressed into Italy, overthrowing Mussolini and
procuring an Italian surrender
-However, German soldiers remained in Italy, causing
considerable
hardship
-Allies eventually took Rome in 1944, but were unable to
progress any further
-While the invasion did result in the defeat of Italy, it also
delayed the D-Day invasion and granted Germany
additional
time
D-Day: June 6, 1944
-Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin met at the Tehran Conference at the
end of 1943 to strategize
-They plan a massive attack: D-Day Invasion with Eisenhower at
the
helm
-The plan was to attack through the beaches of Normandy, a
surprise to the Germans who believed the attack would be at
Calais
-After taking Normandy, General Patton led forces through the
French countryside
-Paris was liberated in August
The Election of 1944
-1944 marked another election year
-Republicans nominated liberal Thomas Dewey who had a
reputation of fighting corruption
-Democrats again nominated FDR for the fourth time; Harry
Truman was to be Vice President
-Roosevelt defeats Dewey 432 to 99 electoral votes
-He received considerable financial support from the Political
Action Committee
-Dewey argued that it was "time for change" after FDR's 12
years
of service
The Last Days of Hitler
-As the Nazi army was largely on the retreat at this point, Hitler made
one last effort at the Ardenne Forest
-Allies were caught off guard and forced backward
-The Battle of the Bulge, fought at Bastogne, was won by the
Americans; They then made steady progress towards Berlin, as
Russia did the same
-The atrocities of the Holocaust were finally seen first-hand; Death
camps were discovered on the trek to Berlin
-FDR dies while vacationing and Truman takes his place
-Russians were the first to enter Germany
-Hitler commits suicide in April of 1945
-German officials surrender on May 7 and 8 of 1945
Japan Dies Hard
-The war with Japan continues
-America causes catastrophic damage through their submarines
and air attacks
-The last large-scale naval battle occurred at Leyte Gulf with an
American victory
-General MacArthur retakes the Philippines, March 1945
-Iwo Jima (March) and Okinawa (June)were taken amid huge
casualties on both sides
The Atomic Bombs
-Truman, Stalin, and British officials meet at the Potsdam Conference
(July)
-They issue a warning to Japan: "Surrender or be destroyed."
-The Manhattan Project, employing the services of German scientists
fleeing from Nazi Germany, was devised by FDR to begin the
creation of atomic bombs
-The bomb was successfully tested in July of 1945
-Atomic bombs were deployed on Hiroshima (August 6) and
Nagasaki (August 9); 180,000 total casualties in Hiroshima, 80,000 in
Nagasaki
-Japan surrendered August 19
The Allies Triumphant
-America suffers one million casualties, a relatively small amount
compared to the other participants
-New drugs played a large part, particularly penicillin
-American homeland was untouched while some European nations
were destroyed
-WWII was America's best-fought war
-Political (FDR), Military (Eisenhower, MacArthur, Nimitz) and
Industrial leaders rose to the task
-America benefited from more resources, money, and manpower
Review
1. ________ ______ were set up to hold Japanese-Americans who
were believed to be spies.
2. The _______ was set up to enforce FDR's new ban on
discrimination of African-Americans.
3. ________ for the war proved to be one of the most difficult aspects
because there were so many parts that had to come together.
Review
4. WWII ended the _____ ___________ because of the massive
production that was required.
5. The _____ _ _____ was a turning point in the Pacific War because
it stopped Japanese expansion.
6. German U-Boats lost some of their effectiveness when the
______ ____ was broken because it allowed the U.S. to find large
groups of them.
Review
7. The __________ ______ created and tested the Atomic bomb that
was later used to destroy ________ and _________.
8. The ______ _ _ _____ was one of the last legitimate efforts of
Germany; The Allies then steadily moved towards Berlin and Hitler
after their victory.
9. The D-Day invasion was a massive attack planned at the
_______ _________. To the Germans' surprise, it was launched at
_______ rather than at ______ where they expected it.