C H A P T E R 1 7 & 1 8

THE ROAD TO WORLD WAR II

TRANSITION: WWI-WWII

1) Many nations NOT happy with the end of WWI• Germany, Japan, ItalyAxis Powers in WWII• RussiaUS opponent in Cold War

2) England and France• Disagree with Wilson’s 14 Points• Want to punish Germany• War Guilt Clause—blame Germany• Reparations payments $33 billion• Deprives Germany of colonies• Takes away Germany lands

• Czechoslovakia• Alsace-Lorraine

TRANSITIONS, CONT’D…

3) Rise of Dictatorships in European nations• Seek revenge—Nationalism• Blame scapegoats• Minorities• Communists (USSR blames Fascists)• Democracies (US, England, France)

• Act aggressively-build up military forces• Mussolini• Hitler• Franco• Tojo• Stalin

FALL OF DEMOCRACY IN EUROPE

GERMANY

• Adolf Hitler appointed Chancellor of Germany and established a totalitarian government where his power was limitless

ITALY

• Benito Mussolini established himself as dictator of fascist Italy• The Italian government

valued nationalism, corporatism, militarism and anti-communism• Strict censorship and

propaganda

JAPAN

• Hideki Tojo was the Prime Minister of Japan and strong supporter of Italy and Germany

SPAIN

• Generalissimo Francisco Franco was dictator of Spain• While Spain would maintain neutrality

during WWII, Franco aided German troops fighting in the USSR

TRANSITIONS, CONT’D…

4) US return to Isolationism after WWI• Role of Henry Cabot Lodge• Argues against Wilson’s 14 idealism• Doesn’t want to commit US to action• Return to George Washington’s ideas• No permanent alliances

• US does NOT sign Treaty of Versailles• US does NOT join League of Nations• US does NOT join the World Court• US passes “Neutrality Acts” 1930s

TRANSITIONS, CONT’D…

5) Global Depression (1930s)• Economic hardships• People dissatisfied—looking for answers• Helps Nazis (Fascists) come into power againlooking for

scapegoats to blame• Weimar Republic in Germany• Democracy has no chance

TRANSITIONS, CONT’D…

6) WWI was so bad, let’s NEVER fight again• Kellogg-Briand Treaty of 1927 (outlaw, prevent war)• League of Nations will work (yeah, right)• Finally-Appeasement• Maybe if we give into the demands of the dictators, they will

be satisfied and not cause any trouble (yeah, right)• German actions against Austria 1936• Italian invasion of Ethiopia 1935• Japanese invasion of Manchuria 1931• Munich-1938 (Czechoslovakia)• Spanish Civil War 1936• German invasion of Poland 1939

• England and France FINALLY realize appeasement doesn’t work

TRANSITIONS, CONT’D…

• Eventually, US will start to get involved, like WWI• BUT will be too little too late to prevent war• Cash and Carry Laws late 1930s• Lend Lease Program 1941• US embargo on Japan late 1940• Atlantic Charter 1941 with England• Selective Service Act 1940• Destroyer deal with England• ALL BEFORE THE US OFFICIALLY ENTERS THE WAR!!

UNITED STATES REMAINED ISOLATIONIST UNTIL…

• December 7, 1941• Japanese attack on Pearl

Harbor

WAR DECLARED• On Dec. 8, 1941, FDR went before Congress

and asked for a declaration of war against Japan. He started his speech by saying, “Yesterday, December 7, 1941-a date which will live in infamy- the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.”

THINK

• How did the United States mobilize for World War I?

US MOBILIZATION: TRANSITION FROM PEACETIME TO WARTIME ECONOMY

• Similar to WWI, but more “prep” time in WWII• 1)Production and workers• 2) Great economic boom (ends Depression)• 3) Cooperation: Gov’t/Industry/Workers• 4)Expansion of Gov’t power (no Laissez-Faire)• A. 1940 Selective Service Act• B. 1942 War Production Board• C. 1943 Office of War Mobilization• D. 1943 Office of Price Administration• E. Increase number of tax payers• Selling war bonds

US HOME FRONT

• Most Americans support war—why?• Compare/contrast to World War I• Propaganda to keep up morale/Office of War Information

• Life in America during the war:• Total War: Many involved at home and overseas• Total Causes=Total fighting• Major sacrifices: Major disruptions• Rationing, Black outs

• Yet, in some ways, life did not change too much• A more serious tone—the war was for some very serious

things• “God Bless America”

MAJOR CHANGES FOR WOMEN

• More women in work force (+6 million)• Same old discrimination issues

ROSIE THE RIVETER

OTHER MINORITIES ON THE HOMEFRONT

• African Americans Massive migration• Role of A. Philip Randolph and the Fair Employment

Practices Commission• BUT racial tensions

OTHER MINORITIES ON THE HOMEFRONT, CONT’D…

• Mexican Americans• Many contributions to war effort at home and overseas • YET race riots on Los Angeles

OTHER MINORITIES ON THE HOMEFRONT, CONT’D…

• Japanese-Americans• Again-many contributions• YET Hawaii under martial law and the internment of

many Japanese-American “citizens” who lived on the West Coast• Forced relocation and imprisonment of both Issei (born in

Japan but later became US citizens) and Nisei (born in US)• Supreme Court upholds interments • Korematsu v. US 1944• Official US apology in 1988

KEY MILITARY TURNING POINTS

• 1939-1942: Axis = Offensive/Allies = Defensive• 1942: Allies = Offensive/Axis = Defensive

• Coral Sea (May 1942) and Midway (June 1942)• Stop Japanese advance in Pacific

• British victories in North Africa (1942)• Stop German advance in North African and

Mediterranean area• Stalingrad (Summer 1942-Winter 1943)• Russians defend Stalingrad and begin counter-attack

against Germans = push Germans back into Germany

KEY MILITARY TURNING POINTS

• The Battle of the Atlantic• Allies control Atlantic Ocean • Able to supply England with goods from America (Lend-

Lease)

KEY ISSUES

• 1942-overall tide of war shifts• When to open the “Second Front”• Who gets to go into Berlin first?• Important for US/Soviet Relations

• Holocaust issues• Battle of the Bulge: Germany’s last chance

(Winter 1944)

POST-WAR PLANS

• Yalta Conference (February 1945)• Roosevelt, Stalin, Churchill• 1) Russia into war against Japan• 2)Divide and occupy Germany• 3) New international organization

• May 1945 Germany surrenders

GUESS THE TERM

• Kellogg-Briand Treaty

• Appeasement

• Franklin D. Roosevelt

• December 7th 1941

• Dictator

GUESS THE TERM

• Rosie the Riveter

• Fascism

• Rationing

• Joseph Stalin

• Selective Service Act

ALLIED VICTORY IN ASIA

• After Midway and Coral Sea• US on offensive after Battle of

Guadacanal”Island Hopping”• Recapture of the Philippines and the Battle of Leyete Gulf

(MacArthur)• Capture island = build air fields = launch air attacks

directly against Japanese mainland• Iwo Jima (February 1945) 750 miles from Tokyo• Okinawa (April 1945) 350 miles from Tokyo

WORLD WAR II AND THE A-BOMB

• The Manhattan Project• Wanted to

counteract Germany’s actions• Wanted to create

a viable atom bomb• Encouraged by

Einstein

THE POTSDAM CONFERENCE

• Held in Germany• President Truman made the decision to drop the

bomb on Japan (FDR died in April)• On July 26, 1945, the United States demanded

that Japan surrender (Germany had surrendered on May 7, 1945)

POTSDAM CONFERENCE CONT’D

• Prime Minister Suzuki refuses Japanese surrender• The Soviet Union and Great Britain approve plans

to proceed with the bombing

LITTLE BOY• First A-bomb to be

used offensively• Dropped on

Hiroshima on August 6, 1945• The flat terrain of the

area allowed for more damage• Over 70,000 people

died from the blast alone

HIROSHIMA

ENOLA GAY

• Name for the plane which dropped the bomb on Hiroshima

FAT MAN

• Dropped on Nagasaki 3 days later• Hilly terrain prevented “less” damage• 45,000 immediate deaths

NAGASAKI