Download World War II (1940s)

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20
Century Texas
Unit Survey
Modern Era (1900s) – World War II (1940s)
World War II
• Military leaders in Germany, Italy,
and Japan took control and began
wars of expansion. They signed a
treaty promising not to attack each
other and became known as the
Axis Powers because they thought
the earth “revolved around them.”
• When Germany invaded Poland in
1939, and continued invasions of
several smaller countries, European
democracies like France and
England were forced into action, and
World War II began.
Axis Powers
Hitler
(Germany)
Hirohito
Mussolini
(Japan)
(Italy)
U.S. Supports the Allies
• Roosevelt favored the Allies–nations at
war with the Axis powers–although the
United States was officially neutral.
• To assist the Allies,
Roosevelt made
military equipment
available through
the Lend-Lease Act.
U.S. Goes to War
• December 7, 1941 - Japan attacked the
U.S. troops based at Pearl Harbor in
Hawaii, and the United States officially
entered the war.
• World War II would not end until 1945 with
a victory for the Allied forces.
“A day that will live in infamy”
• On December, 8,
1941, President
Roosevelt asks
the United States
Congress for a
Declaration of
War against
Japan.
Roosevelt Signs the Declaration
• All but one
congressman
approved the
Declaration of War
• That same day,
President Roosevelt
signed the declaration
officially entering the
United States into
World War II.
Texas Leaders in World War II
• General Dwight Eisenhower, who was
born in Denison, Texas, commanded
Allied forces in Europe, while
• Admiral Chester Nimitz of Fredericksburg
was one of 12 navy admirals from Texas.
• Colonel Oveta Culp Hobby of Houston,
organized and served as commander of
the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps
(WAAC).
U.S. Forces Train in Texas
• Texas’s favorable climate, location
between the two coasts, and wide open
spaces made it ideal for military bases.
• More than 100 military bases were built or
enlarged.
Industrial Production in Texas
• World War II depended heavily on tanks,
ships, airplanes, gasoline, explosives, and
other supplies. Texas had large supplies
of natural gas, water, timber, and sulfur
and supplied 80% of the oil needed.
• From 1942 to 1944, Texas industries
boomed, resulting in a large population
growth.
New Methods of Production
• Wartime needs encouraged development
of improved products and methods of
production.
• Scientists invented synthetic rubber from
petroleum, and plants were built in Texas.
Home Front Workers
• Between 1940 and 1943,
about 450,000 rural
Texans moved to cities to
work in wartime factories.
• There were new job
opportunities for women,
African Americans, and
Mexican Americans, but
discrimination was still a
problem.
Texans Support the War at Home
• Food items, gasoline, tires, and other
scarce supplies were rationed.
• Texans supplemented their food by
planting “victory gardens.”
• They collected scrap iron for use in
manufacturing war supplies.
• Texans contributed to the Red Cross
and other agencies serving the military.
Texas After the War
• Airplane and ship plants either closed or began
producing consumer goods.
• Women who worked in factories generally were
fired so that returning servicemen could have
their jobs.
• Since farming had become mechanized and
required fewer workers, most tenant farmers
never returned to work on farms.
New Attitudes of Minorities
• Many African Americans and Mexican
Americans realized the unfairness of fighting
and dying for democracy and freedom when
many of their civil rights were denied at home.
• Many Mexican American veterans joined
LULAC, while others formed the American GI
Forum of Texas.
• The NAACP also became more active during
and after the war.
Texans Return to Civilian Life
• After the war, many factories closed down and
there were not enough consumer goods for
everyone.
• 1944 - Congress passed the GI Bill of Rights
which helped veterans in various ways, including
paying college tuition.
• As a result, the United States economy grew and
prospered.
Foreign Affairs
• U.S. troops served in Germany and Japan as
armies of occupation.
• New threats emerged when the Soviet Union set
up Communist dictatorships in several Eastern
European nations.
• The United States was committed to stopping
the spread of Communism and became involved
in the Cold War.
VS.
New Threats
• 1950 - Communist North Korea invaded South
Korea and the United States was again at war –
the Korean War.
• This was would not end until 1953.