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WWII. And the US. Pre-1941. Little interest in events in Europe Disgust with Munich Agreement Mounting anger towards Japan But no public desire for war, or even sanctions FDR, however, enlarges navy in 1939. The Anglo-American accord.
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WWII And the US
Pre-1941 • Little interest in events in Europe • Disgust with Munich Agreement • Mounting anger towards Japan • But no public desire for war, or even sanctions • FDR, however, enlarges navy in 1939
The Anglo-American accord • Neutrality Act of 1939 permits selling of weapons to Allies • “Arsenal of Democracy” speech, 1940 • 1940 Selective Service Act • The big one: 1941’s Lend-Lease Act—allowed FDR to sell, exchange or lease arms to any country whose security to the US was deemed vital
Lend-Lease, cont’d • "Suppose my neighbor's home catches fire, and I have a length of garden hose four or five hundred feet away. If he can take my garden hose and connect it up with his hydrant, I may help him to put out his fire.... • ...I don't say to him before that operation, "Neighbor, my garden hose cost me $15; you have to pay me $15 for it."... I don't want $15--I want my garden hose back after the fire is over. "
A convoy crossing the Atlantic during the Battle of Britain, 1940
President Roosevelt was a gifted communicator. On January 6, 1941, he addressed Congress, delivering the historic "Four Freedoms" speech. At a time when Western Europe lay under Nazi domination, Roosevelt presented a vision in which the American ideals of individual liberties were extended throughout the world. Alerting Congress and the nation to the necessity of war, Roosevelt articulated the ideological aims of the conflict. Eloquently, he appealed to Americans' most profound beliefs about freedom.
In the future days which we seek to make secure, we look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms. The first is freedom of speech and expression --everywhere in the world. The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way-- everywhere in the world. The third is freedom from want, which, translated into world terms, means economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy peacetime life for its inhabitants --everywhere in the world. The fourth is freedom from fear, which, translated into world terms, means a world-wide reduction of armaments to such a point and in such a thorough fashion that no nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical aggression against any neighbor --anywhere in the world.
Norman Rockwell turned these words into the most reprinted Saturday Evening Post covers ever!
After winning public approval, the paintings served as the centerpiece of a massive U.S. war bond drive and were put into service to help explain the war's aims…
The accord, cont’d • The Atlantic Charter, August 1941 • All people have the right to live in freedom without fear, want, or tyranny
Japan • Very quietly, compared to Europe, the US was moving towards war with Japan • --1937—conquest of Nanking • --1939—US support for Chiang Kai-Shek • --1940—Japan signs Tri-Partite Pact w/ Germany • --1940 US sanctions against Japan, freezing of assets • --Tojo gov’t, October 1941
Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941 “I praise the Army for cutting down like weeds large numbers of the enemy…” --Emperor Hirohito
Japanese Victories 1941--1942: Pearl Harbor Hong Kong The Philippines Malaya Borneo Burma Singapore Hideki Tojo
Despite their claims to be liberating Asian people from European imperialism, the Japanese army left a trail of corpses throughout their new empire. These are Filipino children after the “liberation” of Manila.
The Allies Regroup: --the Battle of Midway, June 5, 1942 --Guadalcanal, 1942-1943 --”Island Hopping”
Guadalcanal--the US’ first land victory against the Japanese Army
FDR—another progressive president at wat Creates: War Powers Act: reorganizing fed gov’t creating new agencies authorization to suppress civil liberties seizure of foreign-owned property award gov’t contracts w/o competitive bidding Office of War Information It would end up costing 250 million dollars per day to fight the war
Wartime production solved the problems of the Depression Created new industries and began emigration of people and capital to the West The need for uniforms industrialized and enriched the South Same for large-scale farmers But it finished the monopolization of America essentially, as small producers disappeared. Labor signed a no-strike deal, tho’ wildcat strikes cont’d despite FDR’s threat to draft strikers Women entered the workforce, as did migrant Mexican labor and black labor
WORLD WAR II: A HISTORY IN POSTER ART
“The Good War” ‘Nuff Said?
Masculine strength was a common visual theme in patriotic posters. Pictures of powerful men and mighty machines illustrated America's ability to channel its formidable strength into the war effort. American muscle was presented in a proud display of national confidence.
Under their system, the individual is a cog in a military machine, a cipher in an economic despotism; the individual is a slave. These facts are documented in the degradation and suffering of the conquered countries, whose fate is shared equally by the willing satellites and the misguided appeasers of the Axis.--Government Information Manual for the Motion Picture Industry,Office of War Information
Many of the fear-inspiring posters depicted Nazi acts of atrocity. Although brutality is always part of war, the atrocities of World War II were so terrible, and of such magnitude, as to engender a new category of crime--crimes against humanity. The images here were composed to foster fear. Implicit in these posters is the idea that what happened there could happen here.
The Sowersby Thomas Hart Benton, 1942Artist Thomas Hart Benton believed that it was the artist's role either to fight or to "bring the bloody actual realities of this war home to the American people." In a series of eight paintings, Benton portrayed the violence and barbarity of fascism. "The Sowers" shows the enemy as bulky, brutish monsters tossing human skulls onto the ground.
Lidice was a Czech mining village that was obliterated by the Nazis in retaliation for the 1942 shooting of a Nazi official by two Czechs. All men of the village were killed in a 10-hour massacre; the women and children were sent to concentration camps. The destruction of Lidice became a symbol for the brutality of Nazi occupation during World War II. This is Nazi Brutalityby Ben Shahn, 1942
Time magazine, Dec. 22, 1941 “HOW TO TELL YOUR FRIENDS FROM THE JAPS: Virtually all Japanese are short. Japanese are likelier to be stockier and broader-hipped than short Chinese. Japanese are seldom fat; they often dry up and grow lean as they age….The Chinese expression is likely to be more placid, kindly, open; the Japanese more… dogmatic, arrogant. Japanese are hesitant, nervous in conversation, laugh loudly at the wrong time. Japanese walk stiffly erect, hard heeled. Chinese, more relaxed, have an easy gait, sometimes shuffle.”
Chinese immigrants in this country, previously scorned by the public, and often homesick, found themselves caught up the war. 40% of New York Chinatown’s population was drafted, the most of any national grouping (most Chinese immigrants were young, single men.) As a reward for this and amazingly lucrative war bond drives, and as a slap in the face to Japanese propaganda stressing anti-Asian racism in the U.S., Congress finally repealed the Chinese Exclusion Laws, and Chinese immigrants could actually gain civil rights in America.
This poster was part of a general line in the “Know your allies” collection—as the following items suggest…
“Words are ammunition. Each word an American utters either helps or hurts the war effort. He must stop rumors. He must challenge the cynic and the appeaser. He must not speak recklessly. He mustremember that the enemy is listening.” --Government Information Manual for the Motion Picture Industry Office of War Information
A woman--someone who could resemble the viewer's neighbor, sister, wife, or daughter--was shown on a "wanted" poster as an unwitting murderess. The viewer was to conclude that this woman's careless talk resulted in the death of American soldiers.
How can any one of us here at home sleep peacefully tonight, unless we're sure in our hearts that we have done our part? --Who Died? Treasury Department motion picture
Rationing was a feature of wartime life, even if it wasn’t all that painful in reality…