World War II

MAST High SchoolUS History – Period 4

Ms. Richardson

United States: World War I Statistics

• # of causalities:– approximately 323,018

• Cost of war:– Approximately $32 billion

The wars end bought widespread disillusionment in the early 1930s and the belief that the United States had been drawn into the war through loans and trade with the Allies. The media blamed bankers & munitions (weapons) companies for the war.

Isolationism a policy of

remaining apart from the political affairs and interest of other countries.

Internationalisma political principle which supports a greater political or economic cooperation among nations and peoples.

Allies Powers

• Great Britain

• Soviet Union

• France

Axis Powers

• Germany• Japan • Italy

Territory Controlled by the Axis Powers (1941)

Neutrality Acts Congress enacted the Neutrality Acts, as follows:

• No sale or shipment of arms to belligerents • No loans or credits to belligerents• No travel by U.S. citizens on belligerents' ships

– Neutrality Acts 1939• Purchase of nonmilitary goods by belligerents to be paid in cash

and transported in their own ships (cash-and-carry)

• Purpose: to limit U.S. involvement in future wars

Lend-Lease Act 1941• Ended U.S. neutrality! – U.S. becomes “arsenal of

democracy”

• Britain had no $$ to pay for war goods. – U.S. would lend or lease

arms & other supplies to “any country whose defense was vital to the U.S.”