Moving from Isolationism to War

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

President at the start of World War II Elected to four terms as President

*Other important events during presidency:• Great Depression

Dictatorship a country, government, or the form of

government in which absolute power is exercised by a dictator.

EUROPE - DICTATORSHIPS

ITALY– Benito Mussolini

GERMANY– Adolf Hitler

SPAIN– Francisco Franco

Good Neighbor Policy

The United States wanted to become better friends with their American neighbors.

Why?• Rise of dictatorships in Europe and Asia worried U.S.

about a possible rise in Latin America

• U.S. had to establish friendlier relations with Latin America or else risk creating hostile neighbors.

Montevideo Conference (Uruguay)

U.S. pledges NOT to interfere in the affairs of its neighbors

Constant intervention by U.S. was thought to breed anti-American sentiment among Latin Americans

Montevideo Pact

“No state has the right to intervene in the internal or external affairs of another state”

– U.S. foreign policy change: no longer one of armed intervention in Latin America

Trade Friendly Partners

Canada, France, and Great Britain

Laid groundwork for political cooperation in WWII

REVIEW

What was the Good Neighbor Policy?

Who were our trading partners?

Define “Dictatorship.”

Name three, threatening dictators.

Rise of Fascism

System of government concentrating all political, economic, and cultural power in the state.

Dictatorship What type of power does a dictator

have?

Who were the three dictators in Europe?

DICTATORSHIPS

Hitler

Mussolini

Franco

What countries?

Economic Situation

What were the economic situations in these countries?

How did that aid the rise of dictatorship?

One last Dictator:(U.S. friend before the Cold War)

Joseph Stalin (Soviet Union/Russia)– Friendly to U.S.

• U.S. – suspicious of Stalin (Communism)

PROPOGANDAForm of advertisement meant nobilize the

home country and demonize the enemy.

Propaganda and War

Governments use propaganda during times of war

• Why?

Anti-west (Post WWII)

Anti-western Propaganda (Cold War)

Dictators

Mussolini• Wanted Middle-East and Mediterranean Sea

Japanese War Lords• Complete control of East Asia

Hitler• World conquest

Stalin• Spread communism

Franco• Less aggressive than the other dictators• Came to power in Spain after a bloody civil war

Dictators

AGAINST– Free Speech– Free Press– Individual Freedom

FOR– Glorifying FORCE– Strong military

On the Move

ITALY– 1935 invades Ethiopia

• Use bombers• Poison Gas• What kind of defenses did Ethiopia have?

Japan 1934-35

Rapidly build up military and navy• Break pledges made in Washington

Conference– Washington Conference

» Conference where naval powers of the world agreed to a set ratio limiting their naval power in a step toward peace and limiting future arms races.

Germany 1936

Invade Rhineland

Break Treaty of Versailles

AXIS Powers

Why called Axis?

Which countries were in the Axis?

Axis

Term developed by Mussolini, the line from Rome to Berlin formed the “axis” on which the world would turn thereafter.

Japan / Germany / Italy

American People’s Feelings About the War

Disillusioned that WWI did not bring peace

Did not bring disarmament

Did not bring democracy worldwide

Failure to reduce armaments

Quarreling among European powers

Tariff wars

Failure of the League of Nations

Not an effective instrument of peace

U.S. wise not to join because it was designed to fail

How?

Would U.S. joining have helped?

League of Nations fail to check the aggressions of the Axis powers

What did the League lack? WHY did it fail?

U.S. Argument Against War #1Atlantic and Pacific

A natural protection

Improved relations with Latin America gave even more protection/even if dictators won Europe and Asia

U.S. Argument Against War #2 Depression

Many Americans felt the U.S. priority was fixing the depression

(What did the depression influence in the 1930’s?)

U.S. Argument Against War #3 Pacifism

Belief that ALL war was unjustified

Backed isolationists

Why?

U.S. Argument Against War #4Money

Unpaid war debts from WWI Money from WWI benefited banks and

business– It is typically viewed as a bad thing to make money

off of something tragic (like war)

Johnson Debt Default Act

Forbade American Government and private American companies from lending money to any country that defaulted on their loans from WWI

How is this a victory for the isolationists?

American Annoyance

Only Finland repaid war debt

NOW countries who had defaulted on loans were pouring money into building up armaments

ENTANGLING INVESTMENTS

Neutrality Acts

Prevented shipment of munitions to belligerents• belligerent

Authorized President to list things other than munitions that could be sold to belligerents only on a “Cash and Carry” basis

• Cash and Carry

Against the law for Americans to travel on warring vessels

• Lusitania Sinking 1915• Restricted U.S. citizens on where and how they could travel

The Other Side

Not ALL Americans were isolationists

Neutrality Acts made it difficult for U.S. to help victims of aggression– Moral duty to help victims

Don’t act, may find ourselves surrounded by powerful enemies

Quarantine Speech

Compared Axis aggression as a disease

Disease needs to be quarantined (like sick patients)

U.S.S. PanaySUNK!

Gunboat and 3 U.S. oil tankers

Yangtze River

Several Americans killed, many wounded

Secretary of State Cordell Hull Demands full apology from Japan

Compensation

Promise not to have any future similar incidents.

STILL Isolationist Attitude Prevailed – even after Panay Incident

54% of Americans believed U.S. should withdraw completely from China

Aggression Continues

How long will the U.S. hold out?

Europe and the Axis Advance

1938– Hitler moves his forces into Austria– Announces a German-Austrian union

under Germany

Hitler invades Sudeten Land

Sudetenland – western part of Czechoslovakia (1938)

Why?• Large area of Germany speaking people

Hitler – Uniting the Germans

Hitler saw his conquest of Austria and Czechoslovakia as uniting German Speaking peoples (Germans).

Did not want to “unite” with Germany Had a well trained army Fellow democratic nations backed them

• Who?

Czechoslovakia

Hitler

Demands Sudetenland Czechoslovakia refuses

• WHY?

Munich Conference

Hitler and Mussolini attended Great Britain and France attended

• Great Britain forges a policy of appeasement• Will allow Hitler to invade as long as he will not

move any farther• Hitler agrees• Appeasement?

Prime Minister Chamberlain

Believed a step toward peace

Munich Conference

Appeasement

"The settlement of the Czechoslovakian problem which has now been achieved is in my view only the prelude to a larger settlement in which all Europe may find peace."

Appeasement Why dangerous?

What did it encourage?

What did it show Hitler?

Appeasement

Hitler has the power to make demands

Nation’s see the writing on the wall: begin to build up armaments at a faster speed.

American Concern

July 1938 Roosevelt asks Congress for

appropriations to build up defenses• Appropriation

Congress approves $1 Billion for a two ocean navy.

Roosevelt

Contacted Mussolini and Hitler Asked them to settle differences with

negotiations and international cooperation

Why did Mussolini and Hitler ignore the U.S.?

• Isolationism

Roosevelt

Extends Monroe Doctrine to Canada

Buenos Aires Conference of 1936 (threat to one is a threat to all)

• Reaffirmed• 1938 Lima, Peru • 21 nations – Protect Western Hemisphere

Pan-American Union To protect Western Hemisphere

– Western Hemisphere

Roosevelt’s Annual Message to Congress

January 1939

Need appropriations for National Defense

Reconsider Neutrality Legislation

Axis Aggression

Germany takes rest of Czechoslovakia– March 1939

Italy takes Albania– April 1939

Verge of World War

Great Britain France

• If Germany invades Poland, it means war.

• What happens?

• What does G.B. and France do?

Soviet Union

Great Britain and France

Sign non-aggression pact with Germany– What does this mean for Germany?

• No two front war• Cleared way for invasion of Poland

Soviet Union

Invades Poland from the east

Germany invades Poland from the west

Germany and Soviet Union split Poland

Review

What drew Britain and France into WWII

Appeasement

Why did Hitler invade Poland when he did?

Great Britain and France

Need military equipment

U.S.A. can supply it

Germany has plenty of armaments

Neutrality Acts – How are they hurting Great Britain and France?

Roosevelt

“I regret that Congress passed the act”

The Neutrality Acts favored Germany Britain and France really needed the

military equipment

Neutrality Laws Amended

Anyone can buy munitions/arms from U.S.

Must be transported on foreign ships.

Declaration of Panama

Pan American Union warns belligerents to keep war vessels out of a safety zone surrounding the continent (300-1000 miles wide)

Disagreement

Germany, France, Great Britain argue that no nation of group of nations had the right to close the high seas to their ships.

Agreement showed cooperation of American countries

Fall of France

• April 9, 1940

Blitzkrieg– Lightning war

Denmark, Norway, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, N. France

Italy declares war on France

June 10, 1940

Sensed France was doomed

Declares war on France

France Signs Armistice

Armistice

June 22, 1940

a temporary suspension of hostilities by agreement of the warring parties

Charles De Gaulle

French National Committee pledges to continue resistance

Rallied parts of French colonial empire against the Nazis

Marshal Petain – new leader of German controlled French government.

Battle of Britain

Britain

France has fallen

Stood alone, and almost defenseless

Winston Churchill

Replaces Neville Chamberlain as Prime Minister of Britain.

Churchill

Rallied the British people Strengthened will to fight British will never surrender If Britain fell, it’s Empire

beyond the seas would carry on the fight.

Churchill

“If we can stand up to him [Hitler], all Europe may be free and the life of the world may move forward into broad, sunlit uplands. But if we fail, then the whole world, including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abuses of a new Dark age… Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, ‘This was their finest hour.’

British

August 1940 – Hitler unleashes blitzkrieg

Royal Navy, Royal Air Force Hopelessly outnumbered Flew day and night Shot down 100 Nazi bombers in 1 day.

Royal Air Force

Hitler’s Reaction

Adviser’s warn Hitler that an invasion of Britain would be suicidal

American Response

Building up defenses

Alien Registration (Smith) Act

Illegal for any person in the U.S. to advocate the overthrow of the government by force or violence, or to belong to an organization that advocated the violent overthrow of the government

America Plans

Act of Havana– Any American colony in danger, the

American republics collectively would take control of the colony and maintain control through a group of trustees from the American republics.

Permanent Joint Board of Defense Plan– Plan to defend the Western Hemisphere– Prime Minister Mackenzie of Canada

Burke-Wadsworth Act

September 1940

– All men 21-35 to register for the draft and made them liable for one year of military training.

Lend Lease Program

War materials flowing to Britain

Britain does not have the cash for war materials

Raise production of war materials so U.S. can LEND or LEASE materials to Allies

Lend Lease Program

FOR– Best hope for

keeping us out of full participation in war

AGAINST– Involve America in a

shooting war

Lend Lease Program

$7 Billion for ships, planes, tanks, and anything else needed for Allies.

Hitler invades Russia

Non aggression pact?

Two front war

Lend Lease available to Russia

The Atlantic Graveyard

Ships being sunk by German submarines

American ships convoy (accompany) merchant vessels carrying supplies

Merchant ships would be armed, ordered to “shoot on sight”

Atlantic Charter

Churchill, Roosevelt

Principals for a lasting peace.• Pledge for a world after war free of aggression• Every nation would have the right to adopt its

own form of government

Threat from Japan Occupied French Indonesia

America’s Response

Freezes Japanese assets Embargo on the shipment of

• Gasoline• Machine Tools• Scrap Iron• Steel

Trade between U.S. and Japan practically ends

U.S. extends Lend-Lease to China.

Japan

America stiffening resistance

Plans an attack Sends a ‘peace

mission’ to U.S.

Peace Mission

November 1941

DEMANDS– U.S. must unfreeze assets– Supply Japan with as much gasoline as it

wants– Cease aide to China

United States

Refuses Japanese demands

Sunday December 7, 1941

Japan- further negotiations were useless

U.S. showed no conciliation

Before message got to U.S. planes were already attacking.

Pearl Harbor

December 7, 1941

Pacific Naval fleet damaged Pacific Air fleet nearly destroyed

2000 soldiers and civilians killed 2000 more wounded

Pearl Harbor

Roosevelt asks Congress for a declaration of war on Japan (Dec 8).

Senate declares war unanimously, House only had one dissenting vote.

American people, completely on board.

December 11, 1941- Germany and Italy declare war on U.S. (U.S. then declares war on them)

Pearl Harbor

The United States enters WWII

Essay

Explain the 3 parts of the U.S. Neutrality Laws. What was the goal of the Neutrality Laws? In explaining the three parts, be sure to include what the Neutrality Laws prevented the shipment of, what they prevented U.S. citizens from doing, and explain the cash and carry policy. Name one country the laws favored? Name two countries the law hurt. How were the Nuetrality Laws amended (changed) and what country did the change favor?

Essay

Explain the Battle of Britain. Who was the Battle of Britain between? What role did Prime Minister Churchill play prior to, and during, the Battle of Britain? What challenge was the Royal Air force facing (think in terms of numbers)? For Hitler to invade Britain, what did he first have to gain control of? What two secret weapons/military intelligence did the British have against the Germans? If Britain fell, what did this mean for the United States?