The Rise to World Power: World War II

1. The Rise to World Power: World War II PO 326: American Foreign Policy

2. American Involvement in WWII • US declares war on Japan after attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941 • Germany, as per Axis alliance agreements, declares war on US, and US reciprocates • US begins North African campaign, Fall 1942 • British success at El Alamein • Issue of the second front; conflict with Russians • Defeat at Kassarine Pass, February 1943 • Counteroffensive bottles up Germans in Tunisia, March 1943 – surrender in May

3. American Involvement in WWII • Invasion of Sicily by Patton’s 7th Army, July 1943 • Fall of Messina, August 1943 • Invasion of Italy, September 1943 • Italy had attempted surrender but invaded by Germans • After heavy losses (Anzio), Rome falls in June 1944 • Engaged German forces that were necessary for the defense of France

4. American Involvement in WWII • Operation Overlord (6 June 1944) and the war in Western Europe • Followed massive air campaign; attacked German defenses at point of greatest strength • Operation DRAGOON – invasion of Southern France • After establishing northern beachhead, Allies take ports in Brittany, drive toward Seine, swing eastward toward Low Countries and Germany • Last-ditch German counterattack fails – Battle of the Bulge (December 1944) • Weakened by Allies and Soviets, Germany collapses; Berlin falls in May 1945

5. American Involvement in WWII • The Pacific Theater • Japanese control majority of Pacific • Carrier Battles • Coral Sea and Midway (mid-1942): Allies check and defeat Japanese, successfully defending Australia • Fierce fighting at Guadalcanal and Solomons • Counteroffensive: “Island-Hopping” • Advance through central Pacific, late 1942-early 1944 • Invasion of Marianas, early 1944: fall of Saipan, Guam, Tinian (destruction of Japanese navy and carrier aircraft • Introduction of US airpower to Pacific; bombing of Japanese home islands • Invasion of Okinawa, early 1945 • Japan Surrenders • Soviets declare war • Nuclear Attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, August 1945

6. The Politics of War: The Second Front Issue • In 1942, Soviets bearing brunt of German onslaught (“sitzkrieg” in west); sought opening of second front • Churchill against immediate front; sought gradual encirclement • FDR initially wanted full alliance with USSR and opening of second front, but deferred to Churchill • First Allied assault came later in North Africa, which was unsatisfactory to Stalin • This approach engendered mistrust in Soviets that would last throughout and after war • Stalin withdraws ambassadors to London, DC • Fears of separate peace • Solo Soviet victory in East convinces Stalin that USSR is entitled to postwar rule of Eastern Europe

7. The Politics of War: The Polish Issue • As the tide of war turned in late 1943, the issue of how the Allies would rule the postwar world came to the fore • In Poland, USSR saw essential buffer against future aggression • Polish government in exile opposed Soviet influence • FDR, though pressured domestically, decides not to press the Soviets regarding Poland; by the Tehran conference, the Allies had essentially allowed USSR a free hand in Poland • Before USSR retakes Poland, Stalin allows remnants of Nazi occupation to crush resistance, easing the way for Soviet control

8. The Politics of War: Yalta • By the end of the Yalta conference (February 1945), the fate of Eastern Europe was seemingly sealed • Though FDR sought assurances from Stalin regarding the right of Eastern European countries to self-determination, circumstances (especially Soviet occupation) precluded US and other Allies from meaningfully intervening • As with the Polish question, the USSR achieves its goals

9. The Politics of War: Truman • Upon FDR’s death in April 1945, Truman assumes presidency • Truman wishes to renew pressure on USSR about Eastern Europe • However, Truman’s main goal is to get the Soviets to declare war on Japan and help end the conflict – he must therefore take caution in his approach

10. The Politics of War: Potsdam and “Spheres of Influence” • By the Potsdam Conference, however, Truman felt he could afford to press USSR • Successful atomic test means that war could possibly be ended without Soviet involvement in Japan, and that US could bring USSR to heel on other issues • With this leverage, Truman sought to renew Eastern Europe pressure and advocated the postwar economic rehabilitation of a unified German state • Stalemate develops concerning German question; USSR fearful of a unified Germany administered by former Nazis, and demands reparations • Truman suggests that reparations should be drawn by each of the Allies from their postwar occupation zones • Cements the division of Europe into “spheres,” sets stage for conduct of postwar competition

11. The Immediate Political Aftermath of WWII • The USSR, substantively unchallenged by other Allies, maintains occupation-based dominance of Eastern Europe • Stalin sticks with “spheres of influence” approach, refusing to intervene in domestic politics of the regions clearly in Western sphere • Stage set for conflict between East and West over unaligned areas • Mutual distrust between USSR and West, which festered during war, becomes hallmark of postwar world