HIST 1302 Part Three

27: America and the World

Prelude to War

1933-1939

In 1922, Fascist leader Benito Mussolini, became the ruler of Italy.

What is Fascism?

Fascism is a governmental system led by

a dictator (“Il Duce”) having complete

power, forcibly suppressing opposition

and criticism, regimenting all industry,

commerce, etc., and emphasizing

aggressive nationalism and often racism.

“Il Duce”

Mussolini envisioned a restoration of the ancient Roman Empire

and himself as a modern Caesar.

3 min. 48 sec.

In 1933, Nazi leader Adolf Hitler became the ruler of Germany.

What is Nazism?

Nazism is the body of political and economic

doctrines held and put into effect by

the Nazis in Germany from 1933 to 1945,

including the totalitarian principle of

government, predominance of especially

Germanic groups assumed to be racially

superior, and supremacy of the Führer.

“Der Führer”

Under Hitler’s rule, laws were passed that stripped German Jews

of their citizenship and made it difficult for them to earn a living.

Nazi persecution of German Jews

peaked on November 9-10, 1938--

“Kristallnacht” (the Night of Broken

Glass), following the shooting of a

German official in Paris by a Polish Jew.

Many Jews had already fled

the country. After 1938,

many more tried to leave.

Contrary to popular belief, Hitler was not an

atheist. Born a Roman Catholic, he saw Nazi

persecution of Jews as “the work of the Lord.”

During WWII, German soldiers went to war

wearing belt buckles that read “Gott mit uns”

(“God is with us.”)

“Today I believe that I am

acting in accordance with the

will of the Almighty Creator: by

defending myself against the

Jew, I am fighting for the work

of the Lord.”

--Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf

Like Mussolini, Hitler envisioned an empire, a

“Grossdeutschland” or Greater German “Reich.”

5 min. 37 sec.

Together, the two dictators were seen as a threat to world peace.

The Neutrality Acts Enacted to prevent American involvement in any future overseas wars.

• 1935 – Prohibited the sale of arms to belligerent nations &

warned against sailing on the ships of nations at war

• 1936 - Banned loans to belligerent nations

In 1935-1936, Italy invaded and

conquered Ethiopia. This was part

of Mussolini’s plan for a new

“Roman Empire.”

1 min. 24 sec.

During the 1936 Spanish Civil War,

both Germany and Italy helped the

right-wing Generalissimo Francisco

Franco seize power.

9 min. 29 sec.

In 1938 Nazi Germany used military force to

annex Austria and Czechoslovakia.

1 min. 48 sec.

In 1939 Germany and the Soviet Union signed a Non-

Aggression Pact, dividing Poland between them.

World War II Begins

World War II began when Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939.

In response, Britain and France declared war on Germany.

2 min. 29sec.

November 1939: FDR convinces

Congress to allow Britain and France

“Cash and Carry” war materials.

In early 1940 Germany conquered Norway,

Denmark, the Low Countries, & France.

In June, Paris fell to the Germans.

When France fell, thousands of British

troops had to be evacuated from Dunkirk.

2 min. 29sec.

Hitler’s “Final Solution”

At first, the Germans put Jews in urban

“ghettoes.” Warsaw, Poland had the largest.

Later, Hitler’s “Final Solution” led to the

“The Holocaust”--6 million Jews & 3

million other people systematically

murdered.

4 min. 35 sec.

Britain Stands Alone

1940-1941

British Spitfire Fighter Plane

German Bombers

2 min. 27 sec.

From 1940 to 1941 the British people fought the Battle

of Britain and endured the Blitz.

2 min. 36 sec.

In the “Battle of the Atlantic” German U-

Boats sank supply ships bound for Great

Britain.

“We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight

on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the

fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the

hills; we shall never surrender!” -- Prime Minister Winston Churchill

Britain remained defiant but it

needed America’s help.

3 min. 31 sec.

The Arsenal of Democracy

FDR makes “Destroyers for

Bases” deal with Britain (rights

to 9 overseas bases in exchange

for 50 old destroyers).

FDR persuades

Congress to increase

defense budget from

$2 billion to $10

billion and to institute

a peacetime draft.

1940: The President

Prepares for War

November 1940: FDR wins

unprecedented third term.

In December 1940, FDR

said the U.S. must be an

“Arsenal of Democracy.”

34 sec.

March 1941: In a mostly partisan

vote (Democrats for; Republicans

against), Congress passes “Lend-

Lease” bill, allowing U.S.

financial and military aid for

Great Britain and China (and

later, the Soviet Union).

1 min. 34 sec.

June 1941: “Operation Barbarossa”

Germany invades Soviet Union

U.S. begins aid to U.S.S.R.

2 min. 57sec.

The U.S. Enters the War

Americans were also worried about the

growing military might and conquests of

Imperial Japan.

Emperor Hirohito

• 1931 - Japan invades Chinese province of Manchuria

• 1936 - Japan signs alliance with Nazi Germany.

• 1937 - Japan goes to war with China

• 1939 - Outbreak of war in Europe

• 1940 - Japan occupies French Indo-China (Vietnam)

In September 1940,

the Japanese signed a

Tripartite Pact with

Nazi Germany and

Fascist Italy.

The United States responded by

cutting off sales of oil and scrap metal

to Japan.

Japanese planes sink or damage 18 ships

and kill more than 2,400 Americans.

December 7, 1941: Japanese forces launch

a sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

December 8, 1941: Congress declares war on Japan.

3 days later, Germany and

Italy declare war on the

United States.

2 min. 20 sec.

The War in Europe and Africa

An Overview of U.S. Participation in WWII in Europe and Africa

1. Bomb Germany

2. Defeat the Germans in North Africa

3. Invade Italy and defeat the Italians

4. Invade France and drive out Germans

5. Invade Germany and take Berlin

In November 1942 British, American,

and British Commonwealth forces

launched “Operation Torch” against

German forces in North Africa. 1min. 37sec.

By May 1943 the Allies, led by British General Bernard Montgomery

(“Monty”) and American General Dwight Eisenhower, had triumphed over

German General Edwin “Desert Fox” Rommel’s Afrika Korps.

In July 1943, the allies invaded Sicily and Italy.

Italy surrendered in September 1943 and by March 1944

Rome was occupied by the Allies, but German resistance

in Northern Italy continued until 1945.

5 min. 21sec.

From 1942 to 1945 Allied bombing raids

“softened up” Germany for the coming invasion.

4 min. 17 sec.

Russia’s fight against Germany was critical to the success of the war. By the

end of the war some 25 million Russians had died in the effort to defeat Hitler.

The U.S. Home Front

Ironically, arms building for World War II stimulated the

economy, effectively ending the Great Depression.

Women built airplanes, tanks and other armaments.

African-Americans left the South in large numbers

to work in munitions factories in the north and west.

4 min. 26 sec.

In 1942 120,000 Japanese and

Japanese-Americans were relocated

to ten internment centers located in

the Southwest and South. Two-

thirds were U.S. citizens.

2 min. 12 sec.

The Beginning of the End

On June 6, 1944, the Allies launched “Operation

Overlord”--the “D-Day” invasion of Normandy.

By July 19, more than 600,000

Allied troops had been landed in

Northern France.

By August 24, 1944, Paris was liberated.

9 min. 58 sec.

December 1944: Germans attempt to

break through Allied lines in the

“Battle of the Bulge.”

In February 1945, following the “Battle of the Bulge,” the

allies cross the Rhine River. Their objective: Berlin.

6 min. 51 sec.

FDR died at Warm Springs, Georgia, April 12, 1945.

4 min. 13 sec.

Vice-President Harry S Truman

became the new president.

In April 1945 Berlin fell to Soviet and Allied troops.

Before they arrived, Hitler committed suicide. On

May 4, 1945, Germany surrendered.

The War in the Pacific

The war in the Pacific called for retaking

all the islands that Japan had conquered.

From 1942 to 1945, U.S. Soldiers and Marines “island-hopped” their

way across the Pacific, encountering stiff resistance.

The 1942 Battle of Midway was a decisive victory for the

U.S. The Japanese lost 4 carriers and 332 aircraft.

8 min. 41 sec.

March 1945: Marines raise the U.S.

flag atop Mt. Suribachi on Iwo Jima.

7,000 Americans died in the assault.

Nearly 18,000 Japanese died. 9 min. 57 sec.

Feb.-April 1945: Gen. Curtis Lemay sends B-29s to firebomb Tokyo.

On August 6, 1945 an atomic bomb (developed by the secret

“Manhattan” project) was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan and on

August 9, a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki.

2 min. 49 sec.

6 min. 45 sec.

On September 2, 1945, the Japanese formally

surrendered aboard the U.S.S. Missouri in Tokyo Bay.

8 min. 36 sec.

Some WWII Statistics

• Altogether, 70 nations participated

• U.S. participation lasted about 3½ years

• 61 million people died worldwide

• The Soviets lost the most - more than 25 million (civilian and military)

• By comparison, the British lost 388,000 and the United States about 400,000 (mostly military; U.S. civilian deaths were negligible)

• About 16 million Americans served in uniform

• German deaths totaled a little more than 7 million

• China lost 10 million people fighting the Japanese