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The Second World War

Recognition of the Soviet Union

Not recognized because we didnt support communism

1933- granted diplomatic recognition of the Soviet Union
U.S.- desired foreign trade

Philippine Independence

Tydings-McDuffie Act (1934)- promised the Philippines complete independence within a

decade

The Good Neighbor Policy

U.S.- would be the neighbor who respects himself and the rights of others
Became the label for his Latin American Policy

Totalitarian Aggression
Totalitarian- centralized control by an autocratic authority

The political concept that the citizen should be totally subject to an absolute state
authority

Japanese in China:

1931- Seized Manchuria

1937- Attacked China; Rape of Nanking
December 12, 1937: US gunboat Panay Sunk by Japanese bombs on Yangtze river- 3
dead, 43 injured

Italians in Africa

1935- Italy invaded Ethiopia

Dreamed of another Italian (Roman) empire, Il Duce (ill doo-chay)
Abolished democracy, destroyed liberty, all on the promise of jobs and glory

German Expansion

Germany- building an enormous new army, making weapons quickly, and menacing
neighbors
March 1936- Militarization of Rhineland
March 1938- Seized Austria
Sept. 1938- Munich Pact- an attempt to appease Hitler: Dismember Czech and give a
piece to Germany (Sudetenland)
March 1939- Hitler seized the rest of Czech.; appeasement was a failure

Sept. 1, 1939- Germany invaded Poland, WWII begins

Sept. 3, 1939- G.B. and France declare war on Germany

FDR: Foreign Policy

Recognition of the Soviet Union

1933 Granted diplomatic recognition of the Soviet Union

U.S Desired foreign trade

Philippine Independence

Tydings Mc Duffie Act (1934) Promised the Philippines complete independence within
a decade

Good neighbor policy

US Would be the neighbor who respects himself ad the rights of others

Because the label for his Latin American Policy

Totalitarian aggression

Rise of Isolationism in the United States

Most govt. officials and citizens in the 1920s were isolationists.
Felt U.S should avoid alliances and agreements with other nations

Nye Committee-investigated US entry into WWI

-Findings:
a. international bankers drew US into WW1
b. Munitions Industry-Pressed for Am. Entry into war.
- isolation dominated US foreign policy in 1930s
Neutrality Legislation

Neutrality Act. 1935 Authorized the Pres. to her arms sales to warring nations
1936- Extended neutrality legislation- put limits on sale of arms to belligerents
Cash and Carry A country had to pay cash for goods before they lef our shores
The country at war had o carry the goods on its own ships

Destroyer Base Deal

FDR: traded 50 old destroyers for the use of 8 British naval bases
Legally tried to help allies secure supplies
Lend-Lease

US would lend or lease whatever war supplies we would make

Supplies sent to any nation Pres. considered vital to defense of the US

Atlantic Charter
-FDR and Churchill met- Wanted a better future for the world
- US and G.B were seeking no territorial gain
- Real reason for the meeting Churchill wanted American troops to join FDRs
answer is no.

Effect of the war on 1940 election:

Republic nominee Wendell L. Willkie

Opposed the New Deal
Democratic nominee FDR
Both wanted to aid G.B
FDR won
First person elected President for a third term

The battlefield is everywhere

New Warfare: Blitzkrieg lightning war Adolf Hitlers new strategy

Depended heavily on air power; struck like lightning from the sky
Used the fastest new vehicles: airplanes, tanks, trucks, motorcycles
Struck quickly at the heart of enemy territory, overwhelming them
1940- In England, Winston Churchill became prime minister

US Prepares for War

FDR warned the US to rearm

Wanted billions of dollars to create a two-ocean navy
Also, size of the air force greatly increased

Battle of the Atlantic

German submarine wolf packs sunk tons of allied supplies; main years: 1942-1943
Subs had to be beaten and soon
Radar and Sonar were invented; both could destroy subs

Japanese-American Relations

1931-1940- Japanese military aggression was militarily unopposed by the US

1940- Japan joined axis powers, became a partner of Germany and Italy
Japan attacked and expanded through China- July 1941
U.S. response: embargo on all trade with Japan, (stopped all trade w them)
US supplies oil to Japan and Japan struggled
US and Japan met; sticking point: China

Japan- wanted US to cut off aid to Chinese

US- demanded Japanese to withdraw from China
Japan had choice: give up dream of an empire or go to war, they chose war

America at War- Attack on Pearl Harbor

Sunday Dec. 7, 1941: Japan attacked the airfield and naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
Surprise attack- 180 am. War planes destroyed (120 crippled), 18 naval vessels were sunk
or heavily damaged
More than 70 civilians and 2403 serviceman were killed
1177 crewmen of the USS Arizona died in the attack (1103) went down with ship)
Next day- FDR- Japans Day of Infamy plunged the US into war

War on the Home Front

Selective Service
Draft was started in 1940
By pearl harbor 1.6 million in army
Millions more volunteered as a result of the attack

Internment of Japanese Americans

March 1942 close to 120,000
camps
-

Jap. Americans were rounded up and confined to

Were placed in camps because of the threat of possible acts of espionage and sabotage

Wartime Agencies

1940- Industry: just emerging from depression

1942- American production: equal to Ger., Italy, and japan combined
1944- Production was double of Germany, Italy and japan combined
During WWII , the govt regulated the industry and controlled the econ to achieve max
production and efficiency
Full employment- inflation occurred

Role of Women and Minorities

Women

1945- 258,000 women were serving in the armed forces

18 Million were part of the American workforce
Women were needed as workers
Took a wide variety of jobs in industry
Ex: shipyards, airplane factories, ammunition factories, rail yards, truck drivers, ex.

Minorities

About 1 million African-Americans served in WWII

African-Americans served in segregated units in the early stages of WWII
Many migrated to industrial areas (cities) for jobs
Over 500,000 Latin-Americans served and were not segregated

Conservation and Rationing

Rationing was used to assure availability of scarce items to all citizens

Individuals received coupons for a share of the rationed items
The US and allies needed everything the US could produce

American Strategy

Get Hitler First

If Germany won in Europe, US would face aggressor nations alone
Second Front
Russians wanted a second front in Europe
Wanted allies to invade lands held by axis powers
Instead, July 1942, allies decided to invade North Africa

Invasion of North Africa

Germany- led by desert fox general Erwin Rommel

British- led by general Bernard Montgomery
Montgomerys army broke through Rommels Africa Korps: Nov. 4 1942
US and British Force struck from west and North- Nov. 8, 1942

Invasion of Italy

July 10, 1943- 250,000 US & British troops land on Sicilian coastlines
Germans- escaped to the Italian main land
Italians- sick of war; Mussolini forced to resign
Allied troops- tied up thousands of German troops; weakened them elsewhere

Control of the Air

British & U.S. forces heavily bombed Germany, but used different strategies
British- Saturation bombing- bombed whole areas
US- Pinpoint bombing- attacked in the daylight; could focus bombs on crucial factories

Attack on the European Continent

D-day:

US & Great Britains invasion of France

Objective: second front in Europe

Directed by American Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of Allied

Forces in Western Europe
June 6, 1944- D-day invasion began
Conditions needed: low tide, half-moon (some light for paratroopers), Good fighting
weather, morning invasion
D-day code name: Operation overlord
Allies- achieved a tactical surprise; landings were a success
Secured beachhead- one off the greatest allied achievements of the war
Generals Montgomery (Britain) & Eisenhower lead allied forces through Europe towards
Germany

Re-conquest of France

By the end of July, 1944 the allies controlled 1500 sq. mi. of France
Paris liberated on Aug. 25, 1944
By mid-sept. all of France had been cleared of Germans

FDR- elected to a fourth term

WWII- taking its toll on FDRs health

Battle of Germany

Dec. 16, 1944- Battle of the Bulge- Germany final bid to break the allies
Germans penetrated 60 miles creating a bulge in the allied lines
foul weather aided to the Germans
Patton and Montgomery stopped the advancing Germans
We couldnt use air power (for supplies and backup)
By the end of Jan. the bulge was pinched off
German losses - 120,000 of their best remaining men
It was also the single most costly American battle of the war

Yalta Conference

Pres. Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin met at Yalta to discuss the Nazi surrender
Stalin- tough and clever bargainer: most of Stalins promises were lies
Western democracies- needed Stalins armies

Death of FDR

Worn down by wartime burdens, health continued to decline

Died April 12, 1945 while resting in Warm springs, Georgia
The nation grieved

Collapse of Germany

March 1945- allies were closing in US & GB from west, Russia from east

Churchill- Shake hands with the Russians as far east as possible.

Concerned with soviet domination of Eastern Europe
Russia and US troops met at the Elbe River April 25, 1945
Hitler committed suicide in his Berlin bunker, Apr. 30
May, 8 1945- Germans surrendered; celebrated as V-E day

The War in the Pacific

Extent of Japanese Conquest:

Controlled a 4500 mile area of the pacific

Allied policy in pacific-active defense

Island hopping

Gen. MacArthur & Admiral Nimitz- commanders of the allied forces in the Pacific
The allies invaded strategic islands, and bypassed others

May 3-8, 1942- Battle of the Coral Sea Result; Draw

First naval battle where the opposing ships never saw one another
No American aircrafts hit

June 4, 1942- Battle of Midway US victory

Japans first great naval defeat; a big turning point

Aug. 7, 1942- Battle for Guadalcanal US Victory

Our troops first exposure to land battle with the Japanese

The fighting was fierce and brutal the Japanese would not surrender

October 20, 1944 re-conquest for the Philippines begins

Led by MacArthur, the US crushes the Japanese and knocks their navy out of the water

Feb.-Mar. 1945 Iwo Jima (650 miles from Tokyo) US victory- operation detachment

Goal- secure airfield

Heavy loses: 6,821 US deaths

Flag raised: Mt. suribachi

March 9-10- Tokyo Firebombing- Operation Meetinghouse

Targeted industrial sites, but was a very populated area

Utilized 334 B-29 super fortress airplanes

100,000 died in the attack 1 million homeless

April-June, 1945- Okinawa- US Victory

Brutal fighting- Japan considered it a home island

12,513 Americans died, Kamikaze planes hit ships

Within striking distance of Japan: Victory is in sight!

The Atomic Bomb

Developed after Germans and Italians surrendered; Manhattan project, top secret
Potsdam Declaration: (Ultimatum) Allies warned the Japanese: the alternative to
surrender is prompt and utter destruction
August 6, 1945 A bomb is dropped on Hiroshima 75,000 dead instantly tens of
thousands dead soon after
August 9, 1945- a bomb is dropped on Nagasaki, 60,000 dead
V-J Day- August 14, 1945