World War II

1. World War II America and the World

2. Underlying Themes • Nationalism • Economic Situations in every country pretty bad • Civil Unrest • Radical Measures • Propaganda

3. Italy • 1919: Benito Mussolini creates Italy’s Fascist Party • Fascism: Nationalistic movement that considered the nation to be more important than the individual • Believe order in society comes through a strong government/dictatorship • Largely anti-communist…big role in getting support • 1922: Mussolini threatens a march on Rome with the Fascist militia the Blackshirts • Leaders resign, Mussolini named premier

4. Soviet Union • Communistic Party in charge • One-party rule, suppressed individual liberties, and punished opponents • Joseph Stalin: Soviet Dictator in WWII • Massive industrialization; Huge loss of wages • Collectives: Government-owned farms • Usage of concentration camps • 2 million people by 1935 • Most in Arctic and used as slave labor • By 1953 (End of Stalin’s rule), between 8 and 10 million people died

5. Germany • Many Germans disliked Allies and German government that approved peace terms • Creation of National Socialist German Workers’ Party • Nationalist and Anti-communist • Nov. 1923: Nazis tried to seize power (failed) • Hitler arrested—writes Mein Kampf in prison • New Strategy: Nazis in Reichstag • Works! Hitler named Chancellor in 1933, President by 1934

6. Japan • Very little economic growth…reliance on imports • Military leaders and civilian supporters believe seizing territory the only option to get resources • 1931: Manchuria invasion • Japanese Prime Minister assassinated for negotiating with China • Nationalist policy of expansion begins

7. US Stays Neutral • Americans begin to support isolationism • Nye Committee: Investigated allegations that arms manufacturers had tricked the US into entering World War I • Report shows huge profits by arms factories • Impression that gov’t was influenced by business • Neutrality Act of 1935: Illegal for Americans to sell arms to any country at war • Neutrality Act of 1937: “Cash-and-Carry” for non-military supplies

8. Franklin Delano Roosevelt • 1933: Takes office as US President • First job: end the Great Depression • Views: Internationalism • Idea that trade between nations creates prosperity and prevents war • US should preserve peace in the world • Believed “Neutrality Acts” could drag us into war • Sold weapons to China in 1937 to stop Japan • Claimed to not violate Neutrality Act since no war was technically declared • Warned US could not let an “epidemic of lawlessness” infect the world

9. Major Players in the War

10. The Path To War • 1935: Hitler announces German military expansion • Violation of Treaty of Versailles; European appeasement • Why? Avoid war, demands reasonable, belief that peace could be reached • 1937: Unification of All German-speakers? • Targets: Austria, Czechoslovakia, etc. • Hitler thinks force only means to unification • 1938: Anschluss—unification of Germany and Austria • Hitler threatens to invade if Nazis not given gov’t posts • Austrian chancellor gives in, asks to let democracy work • Hitler sends in troops in fear of results

11. Sudetenland • Germany claims Sudetenland (Czechoslovakia) • Czech resistance • France threatens to fight, Soviet Union promises aid to Czechs; Britain says they will back France • Munich Conference (1938) • Britain, France, Italy, Germany meet • Appeased Hitler; told Czechs to give land to Germany or fight on their own • Failed to protect peace as Germany sends troops to Czech by 1939

12. Danzig and the inevitability of war • Hitler demands Danzig (city in Poland) • 90 percent German, but part of Poland since WWI • Requested a highway and railroad across Polish Corridor, which connected Germany and East Prussia • Britain and France realize demands not ending • Attack Poland, we back Poland in war • Poland refused to cede lands, Hitler prepares for invasion • Hitler asks foreign minister to speak with USSR

13. Nazi-Soviet Pact • We all know the Soviets eventually fought the Nazis…but at first Hitler needed a non-aggression pact with the USSR to fight Britain and France • USSR agrees to non-aggression pact (reason: turn capitalism against capitalism) • Secret pact to divide Poland between USSR and Germany • One week after pact, Germany invades Poland (1939); Britain and France declare war

15. German War Ideas • Blitzkrieg: Lightning War • Massive amounts of tanks to break through enemy lines and encircle enemy positions • Support tanks with bombings of enemy positions and paratroopers cutting supply lines • Strategy used to defeat the Polish military in roughly 1 month

16. Maginot Line • Maginot Line: Line of bunkers and fortifications along the German border with France

17. Fall of France • France opts to wait for Germany to approach Maginot Line • Problem: allowed Germany to focus solely on Poland first (no two front war) • Germany avoids Maginot Line with new blitzkrieg • Sent tanks into Belgium and Luxembourg • France and Britain goes to Belgium to stop attack; believes Ardennes Mtns natural defense • Germans plowed through lines, roll through France, and trapped British and French in Belgium

20. Operation Dynamo • Evacuation of Dunkirk • 338,000 British and French forces saved • Goal was 45,000 troops • Loss of almost all weaponry • French surrender; Petain leader of Vichy France (puppet gov’t of Germany) • Neutral, but not actually • De Gaulle (Free France) resists Vichy France gov’t and works with Allies

21. Battle of Britain • Germany had few transport ships, thus crossing the Channel was difficult even after the fall of France • Strategy: Defeat the Royal Air Force • Luftwaffe (German Air Force) attacks shipping vessels in Channel; then focus on RAF • Aug 23, 1940—Germans accidentally bomb London • Britain responds by bombing Berlin; Hitler responds by stopping strategic bombing and attacking London

22. Battle of Britain (continued) • Hitler believed he could scare Britain into surrender • Advantages: • Germany: Number of Bombers • Britain: Radar • October 12, 1940: Hitler ends invasion of Britain

23. Quiz • Name the 3 Major Axis Powers • Name the 3 main leaders of the Allied Powers • What was the fortified area along the France and Germany border known as? • Which term means “lightning war”?

24. And here comes America… • FDR asks Congress to allow arms sales to nations at war • FDR bypasses the laws? • Churchill needs destroyers to stop Germany • US exchanges destroyers for bases on Newfoundland, Bermuda, and Caribbean islands • Legality: No actual sale, simply a swap

25. Internationalism or Isolationism? • Destroyers for Bases Deal=Great Success in Public Opinion…for most part • Fight for Freedom Committee: Get rid of neutrality laws and use stronger action against Germany • America First Committee: Isolationist group who wanted to US to give no aid to Allies • Committee to Defend America by Aiding the Allies: Give only aid to Allies but no armed intervention

26. Lend-Lease Act • Lend or Lease Arms to any country “vital to the defense of the United States” • Allowed US to give weapons as long as weapons or rent were received • Passed in Congress by wide margin • Ultimately, US lent billions in weapons, vehicles, and supplies to Allies

27. QUESTION TO THINK ABOUT By giving economic and military aid to Great Britain and other Allied powers (notably USSR), did the United States make itself more likely or less likely to enter into the Second World War?

28. The Great Debate • Today, you will be putting yourself into a debate to defend the ideals of either isolationism or internationalism in July of 1941. • With this in mind, you must not discuss any events that happened after July 1941 (Pearl Harbor, US military, etc.)

29. Hemispheric Defense Zone • Questions about how to transfer goods to Britain • U-Boats in Atlantic • Sizeof British Navy • U.S. Navy unable to protect British ships…why? • Neutrality • Hemispheric Defense Zone: entire western half of Atlantic is neutral, thus FDR tells US Navy to patrol and reveal German locations

30. The Atlantic Charter • August 1941: Roosevelt and Churchill meet outside Newfoundland • Plans for postwar world

31. The Atlantic Charter (continued) • Basic Ideas: • Democracy • Nonaggression • Free Trade • Economic Advancement • Freedom of Seas • 15 anti-Axis nations joined US & Britain • Churchill later says FDR pledged to “force an incident…justify opening hostilities” with Germans • 9/4/1941: Greer • “Shoot-on-Sight” • Oct 1941: Reuben James (115 dead)

32. Japan-US Relations • US-Britain relations play key role • British navy v. German U-boats…role with Japan? • British possessions in Pacific • Japan needs US • Strategic Materials: fuel (80% of Japan supply), steel, iron • 1940: Congress gives Roosevelt power to restrict sales • Japan allies with Germany and Italy

33. Japan-US Relations (continued) • Roosevelt aiding China to prevent Japanese expansion (Lend-lease) • Japan expansion continues…FDR sends MacArthur to Philippines, freezes Japanese assets in US, reduces oil exports even more • Embargo only ends with withdrawal from Indochina and peace with China • Japan losing due to oil shortage…attacks resource-rich Dutch and British colonies

34. A Date Which Will Live In Infamy

35. The Home front and Industry

36. Impact of America’s Entrance • Industrial advantage • 2x more productive than Germans; 5x more than Japanese throughout war • 1940: Roosevelt declared emergency and planned on building 50,000 warplanes a year; also requested money for “two-ocean” navy

37. War Production in America

38. Cost-Plus Contracts • Government agreed to pay companies whatever it cost to make a product plus a percentage of the costs as profit • Speed and quantity key to making money • Very expensive for the government, but increased war production in US • Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC) made loans to help companies transition to war production

39. American Industry • Auto industry: producing trucks, tanks, jeeps, aircraft, artillery, mines, etc. • Ford: 8,600 B-24 Bombers • Henry Kaiser: 3,000 Liberty Ships

40. Mobilization Issues • Which supplies and contracts were most important? • War Production Board (WPB): Set priorities and production goals; control raw materials and supplies • Office of War Mobilization (OWM): Settled arguments between government agencies

43. Military Build-up • 1939: Army expanded to 227,000 soldiers • Congress and most Americans oppose peacetime draft • Sept. 1940 (after fall of France in June): first peacetime draft in US history approved • 1941: 60,000+ enlist after Pearl Harbor • Shortages in housing, equipment

44. African Americans in War • Double V Campaign: Victory over Hitler and Racism at home • Tuskegee Airmen: African American Air Force Unit • 1943: Integration of Military Bases and Expanded role for minority groups

45. The Battles of World War II • You are responsible for knowing each of the following battles in some capacity. I will briefly review these in class but you should have taken notes on them from your reading/webquest • Bataan Death March/Doolittle Raid • Battle of Midway • Battle of the Atlantic • Battle of Stalingrad • D-Day Invasion (Operation Overlord) • Battle of the Bulge • Battle of Iwo Jima • Battle of Okinawa

46. Office of Price Administration • Created during WWII to control prices • Price ceilings on most goods • Best known for rationing • Food stamps • Rationing of tires, automobiles, shoes, nylon, sugar, gasoline, fuel oil, coffee, meats, processed foods, etc.

48. Victory Gardens in WWII • Idea: Plant your own fruit, vegetable, and herb garden at home to help the war effort! • Less consumption of goods produced=more ability to send to soldiers • Less processing of foods saved on metal and other wartime goods • Morale booster—everyone doing their share to help the war, even at home • First lady Eleanor Roosevelt even planted one

49. US Debt Accrues during the war… • Over $300 billion in debt • 10 times more than WWI; equivalent to total US spending since 1776 • FDR wants to raise taxes • Congress limits his ability to raise them

50. WWII Propaganda • Consider each of the following: • Message portrayed • Reason poster was created • Effectiveness of poster