MR. LIPMAN’S APUS POWERPOINT CHAPTER 34

The Road to World War II

Keys to the Chapter• Isolationism• Nationalism• Totalitarianism• Tripartite Pact• Spanish Civil War• Neutrality Acts• Germany Starts War 9/1/39• Lend-Lease• Atlantic Conference• Japanese Embargo

Isolationism -Nationalism• London Conference- USA first agrees to go to

help world economic crisis then backs away

• Philippines Independence- We agree to their independence in 12 years (1946) –Tydings-McDuffie Act of 1934

• Recognize Russia to help trade and have allie against Germany (1933)

• Good Neighbor Policy – To reduce hatred and increase trade with Latin America - make S.A. an ally against Europe:– Endorse non-intervention in domestic issues in

Latin America (renouncing Roosevelt Corollary)

– Withdraw from Haiti

– Reduce enforcement of Platt Amendment

– Not intervene in Mexico when it nationalizes oil companies (tells companies to negotiate)

• 1934 – Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act

– FDR could lower tariffs if others did the same No approval of Senate to avoid

politics & time delays – By 1939 – 21 countries had trade agreements with

US; US trade increased as a result

BELIEF IS THAT INCREASED TRADE REDUCES THE CHANCE OF WAR AND IMPROVES ECONOMIES OF ALL PARTICIPATING NATIONS

Totalitarianism

• USSR – Joseph Stalin• Germany – Adolf Hitler• Italy – Benito Mussolini

They rise to power from chaos caused by WWI and in 1936 Hitler aligns with Mussolini in the Rome-Berlin Axis.

Mussolini and Hitlerfollowing

the Rome-Berlin Axis

of 1936

• Nationalist militarists in Japan – Resented Europe/America limit on growth – 1934 – Japan terminated Naval Treaty that had set a limit of ships on 5:5:3– 1935 – Naval conference in London • Japan demanded equality with US and

Britain (5:5:5) but is refused and walks out– Japan begins crash naval build-up of ships– 1935 – Japan withdrew from League of Nations– 1940 – Tripartite Pact between Japan,

Germany, and Italy

• Isolationism in the US increased in response to problems in Asia and Europe – Believed oceans protected the US– Disillusionment from false hopes of “democracy”

after World War I – Anger at Allies who had defaulted on WWI debts – Many support amendment requiring people vote

for War directly • Neutrality Acts – Isolationists were majority in Congress

through 1938 –3 separate laws (1935, 1936, 1937)

• Neutrality Act of 1935– President authorized to prohibit all arms shipments and

forbid US citizens to travel on ships of belligerent nations

• Neutrality Act of 1936– Outlaw extension of loans and credit to belligerents

• Neutrality Act of 1937– Ban shipment of arms to opposing sides in Spain civil war

No Foreign Entanglements

-------------A False Hope

• US and the Spanish Civil War 1936-39

– At first, because this was a civil war, US could ship munitions to Loyalist government

– 1937 Neutrality Act forbade shipment to either side and Loyalists will loss war

– US stays out but Germany and Italy don’t so dictators are encouraged by their victory and the placement of Francisco Franco as Spain’s dictator

• 1937 – Japan invades China; FDR says not a war – Allowed the US to continue shipping small amount of

munitions to China (which US wanted to help) – Japan could purchase war material (because the US

had to be neutral, even though US opposed to Japan fighting and winning this war)

– Japan commits atrocities against the Chinese people

October 1937 FDR makes Quarantine Speech: OK’s use of Economic Embargoes against aggressor nations - angers isolationists

Germany Gets Aggressive• Hitler’s violates Treaty of Versailles claiming he only

wants what “rightfully belongs to Germany”:– 1935 – introduced draft in Germany – 1936 – troops marched into demilitarized Rhineland – 1930s – progression of attacks on German Jews – 1930s – built German mechanized army and air force – 1938 – The bloodless takeover of Austria – 1938 – Munich Conference and British appease Hitler

who promises he wants no further land. Chamberlain “we have achieved peace in our

lifetime” {Churchill ridicules this in Parliament)

Neville Chamberlain: “Peace in Our Life Time” after Munich Sept. 1938

March 1939 – Hitler takes Rest of Czechoslovakia So much for “Peace in our Life time”

August 1939 they sign non-aggression pact

• Late August 1939 – Hitler demands German land given to Poland after WWI

– Poland refuses and asks for help

– Britain and France promise to defend Poland

– Hitler no longer fears Russia & their pact allows Russia a little of Poland while Hitler grabs the rest

• September 1, 1939 – Hitler attacks Poland (blitzkrieg – lighting war) and WWII Starts

– Britain and France declare war against Germany

– Poland defeated in 3 weeks (brutal massacre of tanks against horses)

– USSR entered from east to split Poland with Germany • part of a secret agreement Hitler & Stalin made

Why is Poland surprised at

what was the obvious result of Hitler/Stalin

Pact?

• US response to Germany attack on Poland:

– Roosevelt issues statement of neutrality

– US opinion overwhelmingly anti-German, but did not want to be sucked into the war

– US debated whether to assist Britain and France • Neutrality Act of 1936 barred US from sending

these countries arms or other assistance

• Neutrality Act of 1939 favors European democracies– Set up “cash-and-carry” policy• Europeans could buy US war materials, but

would have to pay cash and transport them in their own ships to avoid attacks on US ships

• Effects of cash-and-carry is to help allies because they control the seas but hurts China since Japan controls the Pacific

• October 1939 to March 1940 Hitler “quiet” as he realigns troops to attack France while at the same time “hinting” he would like to achieve peace.

1933-40 as seen

through the eyes of an America

isolationist

War Heats Up• April 1940 – Hitler attacks Denmark and Norway

• May 1940 – Hitler attacks Netherlands and Belgium

• May/ June 1940 – Germans attack and defeat France, with Italy attacking from the

South

– British evacuate most of their troops in frantic transport across English Channel at Dunkirk

• Chamberlain resigns and Winston Churchill elected as prime minister of England

British Evacuation at Dunkirk

• America takes action with fall of France because fear that if British fall Germany would become master of Europe and Oceans:

• Congress appropriates $37B for military build up–5X larger than New Deal annual budget

– June 1940 – conscription (draft) started for first time ever during peacetime

-August 1940 Battle of Britain begins &Royal air force prevents quick German invasion

-America agrees to help British by any means short of war

German Bombers over London During the Battle of Britain - 1940

“America First”

the fight for isolationism

• September 2, 1940 – Destroyers for bases– US transferred 50 old destroyers to Britain– Britain gives US 8 valuable defensive bases in Western

Hemisphere (99-year rent-free leases) – Americans okay anything “short of war”.

FDR says he wants to retire but instead runs for third term because of war threat----

Promises that “our boys will not fight”---beats Willkie with slogan “better a third termer rather than a third rater”.

Congress Passes Lend-Lease Law March 1941Defended as law that would keep us out of war: • US sends weapons instead of soldiers • US would be “arsenal of democracy”• Britain to give used weapons or equivalent back

when war was over

– Criticism from isolationists or anti-Roosevelt Republicans– FDR compares it to lending a hose to a neighbor when his

house is on fire – just give it back when fire over– Isolationists argue it is more like lending chewing gum

• no one will want it back

• Effects of the Lend-Lease Law– Billions worth of supplies sent to Allies – Abandonment of even pretense of neutrality – Increased production in factories; helped prepare for war – Germany began sinking US merchant ships

• June 22, 1941 – Hitler attacked USSR – (Operation Barbarossa) – a three prong attack– Hoped to knock USSR out and use their supplies (oil) to

defeat Britain

• Roosevelt used lend-lease to give USSR $

• Hitler held back at Moscow in December 1941 by Soviet army and early Russian winter

The world’s view of Hitler’s

attack on Russia

• August 1941 – the Atlantic Charter –Roosevelt secretly met Winston Churchill

on ship off Newfoundland; USSR agreed to it later that year–8 points outlined plans for postwar world • Self-determination for former colonies • Restoration of govt’s taken by dictators • Disarmament • New League of Nations (eventually U.N.)

DEALING WITH JAPANESE WAS DIFFICULT:• Mid-1940 – Roosevelt bans sale of aviation

fuel and scrap metal to Japan • September 1940 – Embargo extended to

steel and other materials • July 1941 – Freeze all Japanese assets and

bank accounts in US and impose total trade embargo with Japan

• Fall 1941 talks with Japan to negotiate trade and peace but Japan unwilling to back away from territory gained

AMERICA KNOW’S ATTACK COMING BECAUSE CODE BROKEN BUT DIDN’T KNOW WHERE IT WOULD BE

• December 7, 1941 – attack at Pearl Harbor– 3 hour attack on Sunday morning– 2,400 Americans killed & 200 planes destroyed – 3 aircraft carriers out of harbor and not hit– Roosevelt – “a date which will live in infamy “

• December 11, 1941 – Italy, Germany declared war on America