LECTURE #20: WORLD WAR II ERA (1940-1945)

1. LECTURE #20: WORLD WAR II ERA(1940-1945) Derrick J. Johnson, MPA, JD Advanced Placement United States History, School for Advanced Studies

2. Prelude to War • In the years 1935 to 1938, a series of aggressive actions by Fascist dictatorships made democratic governments like Great Britain and France extremely nervous. • The outbreak of civil war in Spain in 1936 was viewed in Europe and the U.S. as being an ideological struggle between the forces of fascism, led by General Francisco Franco, and the forces of republicanism, called loyalists. • FDR supported the loyalists, but because of the Neutrality Acts, he could do nothing. • Ultimately, Franco’s forces defeated the loyalists in 1939. • It was known that Hitler was creating an air force more powerful than anything they could match.

3. Prelude to War: Ethiopia (1935) • Hoping to avoid open conflict with Germany, the democracies adopted a policy of appeasement in the face of fascist aggression. The following events showed how unprepared the democracies were to challenge fascist aggressions. • In a bid to prove facism’s military might, Mussolini ordered Italian troops to invade Ethiopia. The League of nations and the United States objected but did nothing to stop the Italians. After a year of fighting, the Italians conquered Ethiopia.

4. Prelude to War: Rhineland (1936) • Rhineland (1936) – According to the Treaty of Versailles, this region in western Germany was supposed to be permanently demilitarized. Hitler openly defied the treaty by ordering German troops to march into the Rhineland.

5. Prelude to War: China (1937) • A full scale war between Japan and China erupted in 1937, as Japan invaded China. A U.S. gunboat in China, the Panay, was bombed and sunk by Japanese planes. Japan apologized for the sinking and the U.S. government accepted it quickly.

6. Prelude to War: Sudetenland (1938) • Sudetenland (1938) – Hitler insistedthat Germany had a right to take over a strip of land in Czechoslovakia, the Sudetenland, where most people were German-speaking. To maintain the peace, FDR encouraged British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and French President Edouard Daladier, to meet with Mussolini and Hitler. At the Munich Conference, the French and British governments agreed to allow Hitler to take over the Sudetenland.

7. American Foreign Policy: 1930 - 1940 • As Italy, Germany and Japan all expanded their empires in the 1930s, the U.S. continued the policy of post WWI isolationism. • An isolationist group called the America First Committee attracted nearly 820,000 members by 1940. Isolationists believed that it was in America’s best interest. • A congressional committee led by Senator Gerald Nye investigated the U.S.’s entry into WWI and found that bankers and arms manufacturers did much to influence America’s entry into the war. • This revelation added fuel to the notion that the U.S. should remain out of future foreign disputes. • The Neutrality Act of 1935 stated that if countries went to war, the United States would not trade weapons with them for six months and they would have to agree to abide by a policy of “cash and carry.”

8. American Foreign Policy: 1930 - 1940 • Cash and carry was a system whereby any nonmilitary goods sold to nations at war would have to be paid up front and would have to be transported in non American ships. • Despite the public neutrality policy of the U.S. Government, FDR knew that at some point, the U.S. would have to confront Germany and join with Britain. • Roosevelt recognized the dangers of Fascist aggression but was limited by isolationist feelings of a majority of Americans. When Japan invaded China in 1937, FDR tested public opinion by making a speech proposing that the democracies act together to “quarantine” the aggressor. Public reaction was overwhelmingly negative and FDR dropped the idea. • Like Wilson in 1916, FDR managed to argue for neutrality and U.S. Security at the same time by proposing an arms buildup. Congress went along with his request in late 1938 by increasing the military budget by nearly two-thirds.

9. The Outbreak of War in Europe • In March 1939, Hitler broke the Munich agreement by sending troops to occupy all of Czechoslovakia. After this, it became clear that Hitler’s ambitions had no limit and war was inevitable. • Now that they recognized the failure of appeasement, Britain and France pledged to fight if Poland was attacked. • They assumed that they could count on the Soviet Union to oppose Hitler, since communism and fascism were ideological enemies. However, the Soviet leader, Joseph Stalin, and Hitler signed a nonaggression pact in August of 1939. Secretly, the Soviet and Nazi leaders agreed to divide Poland between them.

10. The Outbreak of War in Europe • News of rapid German advances in Europe began to change American attitudes. More and more Americans began to accept FDR’s position that the country should prepare for war. • On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland, and two days later, England and France declared war on Germany. Soon there afterwards, they declared war on with Germany’s Axis allies (Italy and Japan). • Within three weeks, FDR asked Congress to pass the Neutrality Act of 1939, which would allow the “cash and carry” sale of arms to countries at war. • FDR pushed through the Selective Training and Service Act which registered all American men between the ages of 21 and 35 and called for the training of 1.2 million troops in just one year. • FDR made cleverly secret deals with the British to obtain the rights to build U.S. bases on British islands in the Caribbean in exchange for old but serviceable U.S. naval destroyers.

11. The Election of 1940 • No president in American History had ever served more than two consecutive terms. Just before the Democratic National Convention, Roosevelt quietly stated that if he was nominated, he would accept. The Democrats quickly nominated FDR. • The Republicans had a number of veteran politicians who were eager to challenge FDR. Instead, the Republicans nominated Wendell Willkie, an ex-Democrat, who had never ran for public office before.

12. The Election of 1940 • Although he criticized the New Deal, Willkie largely agreed with FDR on preparedness and giving aid to Britain short of actually entering the war. However, Willkie’s biggest criticism of FDR was his decision to break the two-term tradition set by President Washington. • Despite his criticism, Roosevelt once again emerged victorious with 449 electoral votes (27,313,945 popular votes) to Willkie’s 82 electoral votes (22,347,744 popular votes).

13. Change in U.S. Policy • Roosevelt interpreted his victory as a mandate to continue preparations for the U.S. eventual entry into the war. By the terms of the Lend-Lease Act, Congress gave the President the ability to send aid to Britain; Roosevelt immediately authorized nearly $7 billion in aid. • In August of 1941, Roosevelt secretly met with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill of the coast of Newfoundland. The two agreed that America would, in all probability, soon be in the war and that war should be fought for principles of democracy. • Churchill and FDR authorized the publication of a document called the Atlantic Charter. In this document, the two leaders proclaimed that they were opposed to territorial expansion for either country, and they were for free trade and self determination. They also called for a new world organization to replace the League of Nations, which could guarantee world security. • FDR also agreed to the U.S. would ship lend lease materials bound for Britain as far as Iceland, which brought the U.S. one step closer to full support for the Allied cause.

14. The Attack on Pearl Harbor • The Japanese desire to create an Asian empire was the prime motivation behind their invasion of Manchuria in 1931, attacks on eastern China in 1937, and the occupation of much of French Indochina in 1941. • As a result of Japanese actions in Southeast Asia, FDR froze all Japanese assets in the United States, cut off the sale of oil to Japan, and closed the Panama Canal to the Japanese. • From July 1941 to the beginning of December, near constant negotiations took place between Japanese and U.S. diplomats. Japan desperately wanted to regain normal trade relations with the U.S., but the U.S. would not do so until Japan left China. • Most Japanese leaders believed that they would not be able to achieve their goal of a Pacific empire as long as the United States was militarily active in the region.

15. The Attack on Pearl Harbor • By December 1, 1941, the planning for the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was complete. • On Sunday, December 7, 1941, 190 Japanese war planes attacked the American Pacific fleet anchored at Pearl Harbor. When the attack was done, 150 American airplanes were destroyed, six battleships were sunk, as were a number of smaller ships, and nearly 2400 Americans were killed.

16. The Attack on Pearl Harbor • The next day FDR asked Congress for a declaration of War, stating that December 7th was “a day that would live in infamy.” Congress, for the fifth time in its history, invokes its Article I, Section 8, Clause 11 powers to declare war on Japan. • Italy and Germany had signed a Tripartite Pact with Japan in 1940, and following the terms of the agreement, they declared war on the U.S. on December 11, 1941. Congress reciprocated by declaring war on Italy and Germany on the same day.

17. America Enters the War • In September of 1940, the President had authorized the creation of a system for conscription of men into the armed forces. • Months immediately after the Pearl Harbor Attack, thousands of men were drafted. • In early 1942, the General Maximum Price Regulation Act immediately froze prices and established the rationing system that was also needed to prepare the country for war. • The Revenue Act of 1942 greatly expanded the number of Americans who had to pay federal income tax, thus increasing the amount of federal revenue for the war. • America was forced to fight a war in Europe and a war in the Pacific. In the Battle of the Atlantic, U.S. forces first encounter German forces as they attempted to protect convoys of ships taking critical food and supplies to Britain. • Between January and August of 1942, over 500 ships were sunk by the Germans.

18. America Enters the War • American infantrymen were first involved in actual fighting in North Africa. They were under the command of General George S. Patton. American troops also played a role in the battles that eventually forced General Rommel’s “Africa Korps” to surrender in May 1943. • American and British soldiers also began a difficult offensive into Sicily and Italy two months later. By June of 1944, Rome had surrendered.

19. The D-Day Invasion • Ever since 1941, the Soviet Union had been the only power to consistently engage the Nazi army. The Soviet Union lost 20 million people in WWII. • Stalin had asked for a second front to be opened in Western Europe. By early 1944, an invasion of France by the Allied Forces was being planned by General Dwight D. Eisenhower, commander of all Allied Forces. • The D-Day invasion took place on the morning of June 6, 1944. The initial Allied losses on Omaha Beach were staggering, yet the D-Day invasion was the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany. By the end of July, over 2 million Allied soldiers were on the ground in France, and the final squeeze of Germany began. As the British and U.S. forces pushed eastward towards Germany, liberating many French cities in the process, the Russians were pushing westward on to Germany. • By August of 1944, all of France had been liberated.

20. The Battle of the Bulge • The last major German offensive of the war was the Battle of the Bulge. Nearly 85,000 Americans were killed, wounded or captured. • The German attack moved the Allied forces back into Belgium. But reinforcements, led by General Patton, again forced the Germans to retreat. • The German defeat at the Battle of the Bulge was the turning point in the Europe campaign of the war.

21. The War’s Social Impact • Every group in the United States adjusted in different ways to the unique circumstances of wartime. • African Americans • Over 1.5 million African Americans left the South to take jobs in the North and in the West. • A million blacks joined the armed forces during WWII. However, despite their service, they all faced discrimination. • White resentment in urban areas led to dozens of blacks dying in race riots in New York and Detroit during the Summer of 1943. • Civil Rights leaders encouraged blacks to adopt the “Double V” slogan to symbolize victory against fascism abroad and inequality at home. • The membership of the NAACP grew during the WWII era.

22. The War’s Social Impact • Smith v. Allwright (1944) - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that it was unconstitutional to deny membership in political parties to African Americans as a way of excluding them from voting in primaries. • Japanese Americans • More than any other ethnic group, Japanese Americans suffered from their association with a wartime enemy. • Almost 20,000 native-born Japanese Americans served loyally in the military. Nevertheless, following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese Americans were suspected of being potential spies for a Japanese invasion of the West Coast by many. • In 1942, fueled by fear, the U.S. Government was prompted to order over 100,000 Japanese Americans on the West Coast to leave their homes and reside in internment camps.

23. The War’s Social Impact • Korematsu v. the U.S. (1944) – The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the government’s internment policy as being justified during wartime. Years later, in 1988, the federal government agreed that an injustice had been done and they awarded financial compensation to those still alive who had been interned. • Mexican Americans • Over 300,000 Mexican Americans served in the military. • A 1942 agreement with Mexico allowed Mexican farmers, braceros, to enter the United States in the harvest season without going through formal immigration procedures. • The sudden influx of Mexicans into L.A. led to the zoot suit riots in the summer of 1943.

24. The War’s Social Impact • Native Americans • Approximately 25,000 served in the military, and thousands more served in defense industries. • Many Native Americans who left their reservations never returned after the war. • Women • The war also changed the lives of women. Over 200,000 served in the military in non-combat roles. • Almost 5 million women entered the workforce, many working in industrial jobs in the shipyards and defense plants.

25. The Election of 1944 • With the war consuming most of people’s attention, the 1944 Presidential Election was of less interest than usual. • Many felt that, in the war emergency, there should be no change in leadership. President Roosevelt therefore sought and received the Democratic nomination for the fourth time. There was a change, however, in the Democrats’ choice for Vice President. • Party leaders felt that Vice President Henry Wallace was too radical and unmanageable. With FDR’s blessing, he was replaced with Harry S. Truman. • Although FDR publicly denied health problems, those close to him noticed a decline.

26. The Election of 1944 • The Republicans nominated the 42 year old governor of New York, Thomas Dewey, who had a strong record of fighting crime and corruption. Despite his record, Dewey failed to convince voters that a change in leadership was needed. • Once again, Roosevelt emerged victorious with 432 electoral votes (25,612,916 popular votes) to Dewey’s 99 electoral votes (22,017,929 popular votes). • FDR’s victory set a record, in that he became the only U.S. President to be elected to four terms.

27. Wartime Conferences • During the war, the Big Three (the U.S., Britain and the Soviet Union) leaders arranged to confer secretly to coordinate their military strategies and to lay the foundation for peace terms. These conferences included the following: • Teheran (1943) – They agreed that the British and Americans would begin their drive to liberate France.

28. Wartime Conferences • Yalta (1945) – In February 1945, the Big Three met again and they agreed that: • Germany would be divided into occupation zones. • There would be free elections in liberated countries of Eastern Europe. • The Soviets would enter the war against Japan. • The Soviets would control the southern half of Sakhalin island and the Kurile Islands in the Pacific and would also have special concessions in Manchuria. • A new world peace organization would be formed.

29. The Death of FDR • When FDR returned from Yalta and informed Congress of his agreement with Churchill and Stalin, it was apparent that his health had deteriorated. • On April 12, 1945, while resting in a vacation home in Georgia, an exhausted FDR died suddenly. He became the seventh incumbent president to die in office. • News of his death shocked the nation almost as much as Pearl Harbor. Harry S. Truman entered the presidency unexpectedly to assume enormous responsibilities as commander in chief of a war effort that had not been won.

30. The Harry S Truman Presidency President Harry S Truman Born: May 8, 1884 Died: December 26, 1972 Term in Office: (1945-1953) Political Party: Democrat

31. The Harry S Truman Presidency

32. The Harry S Truman Presidency Supreme Court Appointments by President Truman Harold Hitz Burton — 1945 Fred M. Vinson (Chief Justice) — 1946 Tom C. Clark — 1949 Sherman Minton — 1949 States Admitted to the Union None

33. Holocaust & the German Surrender • Advancing American and British troops were horrified to find concentration camps or the remnants of them. • These camps were a part of Nazi Germany’s “Final Solution” to the Jewish problem. • Between 1941 and 1945, over 6 million Jews were systematically killed. • Recognizing that the war’s end was near, Hitler committed suicide on April 30, 1945. • The unconditional surrender of the Nazi armies took place a week later, on May 7, 1945.

34. The War Against Japan • In the aftermath of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japan advanced against British controlled islands and territories in the Pacific. • By April of 1942, Hong Kong and Singapore were both under Japanese control. • General Douglas MacArthur was forced to abandon a large American and Filipino force in the Philippines. • A large Japanese force landed there, and in March, MacArthur was forced to abandon his troops and go to Australia. • On May 6, 1942, Americans holding out on the Bataan Peninsula were forced to surrender. • About 75,000 American and Filipino prisoners were forced to endure the 60-mile Bataan Death march, during which over 10,000 prisoners were executed or died from weakness.

35. Battle of the Coral Sea • Two days after the fall of the Bataan Peninsula, U.S. forces won their first decisive victory at the Battle of the Coral Sea. • American airplanes launched from aircraft carriers were able to stop the advance of several large Japanese troop transports which were poised to attack Australia.

36. Battle of Midway • This battle took place in early June of 1942. • The Japanese lost 4 aircraft carriers and over 200 planes. • This battle was the turning point in the war. • After this battle, Japan was never able to launch another major offensive. • By mid-1942, American industrial might became more and more a factor, because the U.S. was out producing Japan in terms of aircraft.

37. Battle of Guadalcanal • This battle began in August of 1942 and continued into the following year. • American marines engaged in jungle warfare and even hand to hand combat would fight Japanese units to the last man. • Beginning in 1943, the U.S. implemented a policy of island hoping. • Key Japanese strongholds would be attacked by air and sea power as American marines would push on and around these strongholds. • By late 1944, U.S. bombers were able to reach major Japanese cities and unleash massive bombing attacks on them.

38. Dropping the Atomic Bomb • By 1944, the war had clearly turned against the Japanese. • In late October, General MacArthur returned to the Philippines in an effort to liberate Manila. • The Japanese began to use kamikaze pilots in a desperate attempt to destroy Allied ships. • Ultimately, Americans suffered 25,000 casualties at the Battle of Iwo Jima, and another 50,000 at the Battle of Okinawa. After these battles, nothing was left to stop an invasion of Japan. • The U.S. military, aware of the large causalities from previous battles, began to plan an invasion of Japan. Undoubtedly, such an invasion would have been met by the Japanese with fanatical resistance.

39. Dropping the Atomic Bomb • The death of FDR left Truman as the new commander-in-chief. Truman was only informed of the atomic bomb in July of 1944. The actual planning of the bomb was the purpose of the Manhattan Project, which began in 1942. Construction of the bomb took place in Los Alamos, New Mexico, under the direction of J. Robert Oppenheimer. The bomb was tested on July 16, 1945 in the desert and it proved successful.

40. Dropping the Atomic Bomb • Truman rationalized the situation of executing an invasion of Japan and he concluded that such an invasion would have led to thousands of casualties. Given this, he authorized the use of the atomic bomb. • On August 6, 1945, the airplane Enola Gay dropped a bomb on the city of Hiroshima.

41. Dropping the Atomic Bomb • Over 75,000 were killed in the attack. Three days later, another bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. • Japan surrendered one day later, and V-J celebrations took place. • The bloodiest war that the world had ever seen had concluded. However, a new and different kind of war was about to begin.

42. THE END OF LECTURE #20