World War II

Prelude to war: Policy of neutrality

• 1920s America embraced isolationism, disarmament

• Neutrality Acts-US would not get involved in any foreign war

• Nye Committee-Munitions companies and loans forced WWI

• Washington Naval Conference-Limits on navies

Debt

• European countries owed US $16 billion-want forgiven

• Dawes Plan-US business loaned Germany money

• Stabilized Europe Kellog-Briand Pact (politically)

• Eventually replaced by Young Plan, ended by depression

Italy, Germany, Japan expansionist policies

• World did little to nothing-Appeasement

• Munich Conference• Russia Not invited

• Quarantine speech-• Roosevelt wants to isolate

aggressor nations• Stimson Doctrine-No recognizing

territorial gains by force• American public refuses

(Isolationism)

Outbreak of War

• Non-Aggression Pact• Germany invades Poland 1939-WWII

begins• Neutrality Act 1939

• Selling of weapons to Allies on cash and carry basis

• US economy began to improve• Arsenal of Democracy Speech-US

would help Allies

Appeasement Consequences• Axis countries win big early

• FDR orders construction of Two Ocean Navy, air force

• Destroyer Bases Deal-US began giving aid to Britain

• Election of 1940 Roosevelt wins, now able to become more engaged

• Lend-Lease Act-Provide military aid to any country deemed vital to American defense-Economic declaration-of War against Axis

• Neutrality Patrol-US would locate U-boats, engage?

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Roosevelt's International Policies

• Roosevelt proposes 4 basic freedoms for the world

• Speech, Worship, from want, from fear

• Good Neighbor Policy-Stop Invading Latin America

• Havana Conference- (1940) US will share responsibility with Latin American countries to enforce Monroe Doctrine

Setting the terms

• Atlantic Charter-When Allies win the war, no territorial changes

• Creation of UN after the war

• Free trade, reduction of poverty, Disarmament of aggressors

Pearl Harbor• Embargo on Japan-Seen as a

declaration of War by Japanese• Pearl Harbor-Huge Japanese

success, followed by a string of victories (Wake, Philippines, Singapore)

• Germany and Italy declare war on US

The Home Front during the War

• Selective service Act expands to all men 18-65• Double V campaign- (AA)Civil Rights at home,

victory abroad• War labor Board-Maintain standard of living

• Limits strikes• Office of Price Administration-Rationing of

goods• Families received coupons• Controls prices and wages-Employee sponsored

healthcare• Taxes were increased-First time many had to

pay taxes

Disney Propaganda12

Total War

• All aspects of society supported the war how they could

• Women served in WACs and WAVES• All Women worked in factories (Rosie

the Riveter)

• Civil Rights movement• War Production Board-Regulate

use of raw materials• 1943 US producing 2x as all countries

combined

Urban migration, demographic changes• Migration toward California and -other

Sunbelt states• Bracero Program-Need for farm laborers

led to issuing short term work permits to Mexico

• Zoot Suit Riots-Attack on young Mexican-Americans

• Massive migration of AA to Northern cities (Detroit Race Riots)Civil Rights During the war

Civil Rights Gained

• Philip Randolph-Father of Civil Rights movement

• Equal access to defense jobs• Desegregation of armed

forces (Truman does after war)

• End segregation in federal agencies

• Fair Employment Practice Committee (FEPC)

• NAACP grows by 10x

Civil Rights Limited• Prejudice against Japanese Americans after Pearl Harbor• Seen as “the enemy” • February 19, 1942 Roosevelt issued an executive order calling for the

interment of Japanese Americans because they were considered a threat to this country

• Japanese were shipped to relocation camps • Thought that they might be spies• Some sons fought on American front lines• Japanese Internment-Order 9066

– More than 110,000 relocated and questioned, 0 were convicted or further detained

• Korematsu v. US-Interment is legal but have to be released once loyalty was established

Special Fighting Forces• Tuskegee Airmen

• formation of an all African-American pursuit squadron based in Tuskegee, Alabama

• 442nd Regiment Combat team• Highly decorated Japanese Unit• More than 10,000 form Hawaii• Most decorated Unit in American

History• Navajo Code Talkers

• Used Native language to send messages

• Front lines

The war• Roosevelt declares Germany first strategy, no separate peace

• Had to focus on Japan first {Doolittle Raid)

• Battle of Midway-Turning Point in the Pacific• Island hoping to Japan, Bombing Japanese cities

• Japanese resort to kamikaze tactics• Battle of Stalingrad-Turning point in Europe• Battle of El Alamein-Turing Point in Africa

• Operation Torch-US invades Africa, moves up through Italy

• Allies use convoys to win battle of Atlantic• Casablanca Conference (1943)-Allies will only accept unconditional

surrender, no separate peace.

US in Europe

• Around the Clock Bombing of Germany

• Tehran Conference- (1943) Agrees to open up Second Front

• Disagreement over Eastern Europe

• D-Day-"Operation Overlord” • Establishes a second Front

• Battle of the Bulge-Germany's last offensive

Conclusion

• Yalta Conference (1945)-Setting up postwar world

• Conference is considered the start of the Cold War

• VE Day-Germany surrenders unconditionally-Cold War Begins

Victory in the Pacific

• Japanese Retreat – Guadalcanal turned the tides against the Japanese

• Iwo Jima was captured in March of 1945 after a moth of fighting (760 miles from Tokyo)

• Of the 22,060 Japanese soldiers entrenched on the island, 21,844 died either from fighting or by ritual suicide.

• Only 216 were captured during the battle. • The 36-day (Iwo Jima) assault resulted in more than 26,000

American casualties, including 6,800 dead.

Okinawa

• From April-June • one of the bloodiest land battles of the war• Japanese lost over 100,000 troops• US casualties were over 62,000 with 12,000 troops killed or

missing

Japan’s Surrender

• Only place left to go was to Japan• Potentially cost ½ million US lives if we invaded• Other solution – use of a new weapon:• The Atomic Bomb

Atomic Bomb• Manhattan Project

– General Leslie Groves and chief scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer

• 1st test was in a New Mexico desert in July 1945

• Truman told them that if they did not surrender, they could expect “rain of ruin from the air”

• Truman dropped 2 bombs– Hiroshima – August 6 (80,000 people died)– Nagasaki – August 9 (70,000 people died)

Japanese Surrender

• General Douglas MacArthur• September 2, 1945• The war had officially ended