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American Foreign Policy Between the World Wars. Adolf Hitler, who came to power in 1933, the same year as Franklin Delano Roosevelt, was just one of the totalitarian leaders who posed problems in the 1930s. I. Economic Pressures.
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American Foreign PolicyBetween the World Wars Adolf Hitler, who came to power in 1933, the same year as Franklin Delano Roosevelt,was just one of the totalitarian leaders who posed problems in the 1930s.
I. Economic Pressures • Many European nations urged the United States to forgive the huge reparation debts they had accumulated during World War I • Germany paid some of its reparations ($33 billion), but fell behind in payments • American banks & investors loaned millions to Germany to help keep it solvent (Dawes Plan) • finally, the Allies paid back only $2.6 billion out of over $14 billion owed to the U.S. They defaulted on the rest B. American economic influence expanded during World War I. By 1929, the U.S.: 1. produced one-half of the world's industrial goods 2. led the world in exports ($5.4 billion)3. private investment in overseas ventures increased 500% C. Many Europeans saw American economic expansion as a form of imperialism & resented the fact that America did not share in the devastation of Europe (60,000,000 casualties from war, epidemic & famine)
II. International Disarmament & Peace Efforts A. Washington Naval Conference (1921) set a ratio of naval tonnage among the 5 leading naval nations in an attempt to limit naval armaments. Participants also agreed not to build new bases in the Pacific (opposite of Mahan’s theory) B. Kellogg-Briand Pact (1928) signers among 62 nations: agreed to renounce war as a solution for international disputes (no war declarations) III. Good Neighbor Policy: Latin America A. Franklin D. Roosevelt adopted policies that reduced American domination of Latin American diplomatic affairs while still providing economic assistance & greatly increased American popularity in the region (…overriding dollar diplomacy) B. American investment in Latin America grew from $1.3 billion in 194 to $3.5 billion in 1929. American exports also increased substantially C. U.S.-trained national guards helped protect pro-American leaders, several of whom were dictators D. Pan-Americanism:under FDR's direction, Americans endorsed nonintervention in Latin American affairs in the 1930s. This was a rejection of the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine& increased support from Latin American nations
Important Terms to Know… authoritarian state: complete obedience to the authority of the state as opposed to individual freedoms dictatorship: one person holds all the power in the state totalitarian state: government controls political, social, economic, intellectual & cultural lives of citizens Fascism (Italy): political ideology where the state (& dictator) was glorified above the individual Nazism (Germany): political ideology of extreme German nationalism…mixed with strong anti-Semitism, strong anti-communism & the Social Darwinian theories of social struggle
IV. Rise of Totalitarianism • Adolf Hitler was invited to join the German government as Chancellor in 1933. He quickly consolidated power & ruled as a dictator, proclaiming the racial superiority of Aryans ("pure" Germans), the need for lebensraum & anti-Semitism 1. Germany's military was rebuilt in defiance of the Treaty of Versailles (rearmament) 2. Civil liberties were restricted for many, with Jews facing particularly drastic new rules that attempted to reduce Jewish influence (Nuremberg Laws 1935) 3. German expansion into neighboring areas began with a retaking of the Rhineland (a French-controlled region) in 1936 & the annexation (Anschluss) of Austria (Hitler’s homeland) in 1938 4. France & Great Britain appeasedHitler at Munich in 1938 by agreeing not to oppose Germany's seizure of German-speaking region of Czechoslovakia (Sudetenland). British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain proclaimed that this ensured "peace in our time.“(appeasement at the Munich Conference 1938)
Adolf Hitler (Germany) Hitler's Imperial March Nuremberg Rally & Parade
Hitler’s Ambitions & Appeasement • Adolf Hitler believed the Aryan Race (Germany) needed lebensraum “living space” • wanted the land to the East…will lead to an eventual war with the Soviet Union • Great Britain & France saw Hitler prepare: • but did nothing…as to avoid another WWI • policy of appeasement • giving into the demands of aggressive powers, in order to maintain peace & stability…& avoid war!
Appeasement September 1939 invasion of Poland, ---start of World War II 1938 Hitler demanded land in the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia…Great Britain & France sent leaders to the Munich Conference (Neville Chamberlain: “peace in our time”) 1939 Germany took over all of Czechoslovakia 1940 1940 Japan demanded the right to use Southeast Asian resources ---US said it would apply economic sanctions (restrictions to enforce international law) 1940-41: Japan decides to attack US & European colonies in Southeast Asia 1938 1939 1939 Hitler demanded the Polish port of Danzig 1939 Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact
B. Benito Mussolini seized power in Italy as the leader of the Fascist Party in the 1920s & began expanding militarily in the 1930s with attacks on Ethiopia in 1935. When the League of Nations protested, Italy resigned &joined Germany in the Axis alliance. Axis Powers = Germany, Italy & Japan C. A Civil War in Spain in 1936-7 pitted Fascist forces led by Francisco Franco & supported by Italy & Germany versus Republicans favoring the existing government, which was a moderate constitutional monarchy. Some Americans (Abraham Lincoln Brigade) supported the Republican cause, but America officially remained neutral. D. Japan, led by increasingly influential military factions, seized Manchuria in 1931 & northern China in 1937. (…direct opposition to American influence in Asia) 1. Franklin Delano Roosevelt responded by calling for a "quarantine" of aggressors like Japan but was criticized extensively by Americans fearful of possible entanglements 2. Japanese planes sank the American gunboat Panay on the Yangtze River in 1937, a deliberate attack. Once again, American isolationist sentiment pressured the U.S. to accept the Japanese explanation that this was an accident.
JAPAN Japan withdrew from the League of Nations, renamed Manchuria “Manchukuo” December 1937 seized Chinese capital @ Nanjing: “rape of Nanjing” clashes with Guomingdang ---gained control of northern China 1937 battles with united Communist & Guomingdang forces 1931 seized Manchuria: Mukden Incident 1940 1936 troops into the Rhineland 1930 1935 1935 Luftwaffe created 1938 Anschluss (union) with Austria 1935 military draft: army up to 550,000 1935 Mussolini invades Ethiopia, with support from Germany 1936 Spanish Civil War: troops sent to assist Franco 1936 Berlin-Rome-Tokyo Axis with signed pacts with Italy & Japan GERMANY
IV. Growth of American Neutrality • Many Americans in Congress & the nation opposed any American involvement in international crises 1. Nye Committee investigated profiteering by American bankers & industrialists in World War I that helped pressure Wilson to protect loans overseas 2. U.S. refused to join the World Court in 1935 3. Neutrality Acts from 1935-1937 attempted to prevent U.S. involvement in international disputes by restricting arms sales & establishing a "cash-and-carry" policy in which belligerents could only purchase nonmilitary goods, pay cash& use their own ships B. After Adolf Hitler invaded Poland in 1939& Great Britain & France declared war on Germany, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt declared that the U.S. would remain neutral in action, but made it clear that he favored the Allied cause (September 1st, 1939: Germany invades Poland = start of World War II) 1. He asked for a relaxation of Neutrality Act restrictions to allow war materiel to be purchased by Allied forces on a cash-and-carry basis 2. Old American ships were traded to the British in exchange for the right to build military bases on British territory C. America-First Committee urged strict American neutrality as Europe sank into war D. Neutrality was abandoned by the U.S. in 1940 with lend-lease policies that gave FDR permission to give arms to the Allies (lend-lease program: U.S. builds weapons for Allied Powers)
The European Theater (1939-1941) • German blitzkrieg (lightning war) conquered Poland in 4 weeks by using armored tanks with air support • to defend vs. blitzkrieg, the French built concrete & steel fortifications called the Maginot Line • May 1940: Germany attacked through Belgium & Luxembourg (Ardennes Forest) & took the French & British by surprise • Germany trapped the Allied forces around Dunkirk (on coast of France)…saved by the British navy! • June 22, 1940: France signed armistice (6 weeks) • Germany directly controlled most of France…& setup puppet government called Vichyto govern the rest
Battle of Britain (Fall 1940) • Great Britain appealed to the United States, but the U.S. was very isolationist • August 1940: Germany began the Battle of Britain by bombing British airfields & factories • the British retaliated by bombing Berlin, making Hitler so angry that the Luftwaffe switched from bombing military targets to bombing London • the British rebuilt the Royal Air Force (RAF) & regained control of airspace…while people in the “Tube”! • Germany attacked USSR (June 22, 1941) • originally planned for Spring 1941, but delayed • successful, but Soviets regrouped as Germans unable to cope with the Russian winters
The Pacific Theater (1941-1942) • December 7, 1941: Japan attacks the United States’ naval base at Pearl Harbor(territory of Hawaii) • also attacked European colonies in Southeast Asia • Japanese thought that if the American fleet in Pacific was destroyed, the United States would not effectively respond because of their weaknesses • the attack unified U.S. with the Allied Powers! • as part of alliance, Germany declared war on the U.S.! • 1942: Japan controlled all of Southeast & East Asia • U.S. surrenders the Philippines • Bataan Death March (Philippines): 70,000 prisoners (including many U.S. soldiers) captured, beaten & marched to prison camps
The European Theater (1942-1945) • United States, Great Britain & Soviet Union put aside their political differences to concentrate on war efforts • required unconditional surrenderfrom the Axis Powers • Stalin demanded that United States & Great Britain open up a “second front” vs. the Axis Powers • 1942: Gen. Edwin Rommel “the Desert Fox”: Afrika Korps (Germany) controlled Egypt, hoping to cut off oil to Allies • British forces were able to stop Rommel at the Battle of El-Alamein • Nov. 1942-Feb. 1943: Battle of Stalingrad(Soviet Union) • Germany invaded city because major industrial center • the Soviets counterattacked…handing a major loss to Germany’s best regiment
The Turning Point in the European Theater • June 6, 1944 D-Day: Allied Powers (under the command of General Dwight D. Eisenhower) land on the beaches of Normandy, France • August 1944: Allies liberate Paris! • March 1945: Allies invade Germany, with assistance from resistance fighters • April 1945: Soviet troops reach Berlin first • April 30, 1945: Adolf Hitler commits suicide at Eagle’s Nest • May 7, 1945 V-E Day (Victory in Europe): Germany surrenders to Allied forces!
