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America In World War II

America In World War II. World War II: On The Home Front. Allies. Britain Led by Churchill United States After Pearl Harbor Led by Roosevelt Soviet Union Germany broke non-aggression pact and invaded Russia Led by Stalin. Industrial Production.

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America In World War II

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  1. America In World War II

  2. World War II: On The Home Front

  3. Allies • Britain • Led by Churchill • United States • After Pearl Harbor • Led by Roosevelt • Soviet Union • Germany broke non-aggression pact and invaded Russia • Led by Stalin

  4. Industrial Production

  5. Agencies to mobilize US economic and military resources for wartime • WPB – War Production Board • Manage war industries • OWM – Office of War Mobilization • Set production priorities • Controlled raw materials • Cost plus system • Cost of production plus a percentage for profit

  6. US out of Depression • Business is booming • Unemployment disappears • Outdid even the 1920s

  7. Efficient production • Astonishing production • Twice all of Axis powers combined • Henry Kaiser • Turned out a new ship every 14 days

  8. Wages, Prices, Rationing • OPA – Office of Price Administration • Regulated civilian lives • Freezing prices • Freezing wages • Freezing rents • Rationing commodities • Meat • Gasoline • Tires • Other products

  9. Unions • Agreed no strikes while war was on • Freezing wages not popular with unions • Lewis calls for a few strikes

  10. Smith-Connally Anti-Strike Act • Over FDRs veto • Allowed government to take over war related businesses whose operations were threatened by strikes • FDR did use to run railroads for a while

  11. Financing The War • Over $288 billion dollars • How • Increased income tax • Most Americans pay • Deducted from payroll • Selling war bonds • $135 billion sold • Lack of consumer goods made it easy to save • Very patriotic

  12. The War’s Impact On Society

  13. Every group in America adjusted • Millions leave rural areas for factory jobs in Midwest and Pacific • New communities arose around military factories • Many located in South because of climate and low labor costs

  14. African Americans • 1.5 million leave South for jobs in North • Served in army • Segregation • Discrimination • Double V • Victory over fascism • Victory for equality

  15. Civil Rights Groups • NAACP membership rose • CORE – Congress of Racial Equality • Militant work for civil rights • Smith v. Allwright • Unconstitutional to deny membership in political parties to African Americans as way to keep them from voting

  16. Mexican Americans • Worked in defense industries • Served in military • Braceros • Mexicans allowed to migrate to help with crop harvest • Zoot Suit Riots • Mexican immigrants stir white resentment • Battle on streets of Los Angeles - 1943

  17. Native Americans • Defense industries • 25,000 in military • Navajo code breakers

  18. Japanese Americans • Suffered from association with enemy • 20,000 loyally serve in military • Suspected of being spies and saboteurs • 100,000 into internment camps • All on west coast

  19. Korematsu v. U.S. (1944) • Supreme Court upholds government internment in time of war • 1988 government says injustice had been done and paid them $20,000 each that were still alive

  20. Women • Changes women’s lives • Took jobs vacated by men • “Rosie the Riveter” • Paid less than men • Most left after war • 200,000 serve in military

  21. Propaganda • Government’s war propaganda everywhere • Posters, songs, news bulletins • Movies made • Office of War Information • Controlled news about troops and battles • Most patriotic war ever

  22. Election of 1944

  23. Again FDR • Many felt there should be no change in leadership during war • 4th nomination • Changed VP • Henry Wallace to radical • Harry Truman – Missouri

  24. Thomas Dewey • Republican nominee • Governor of New York • Could not offer anything different • Not very interesting election • Republicans did attack FDR’s dog Falla

  25. Results • FDR • 53% • 432 • Dewey • 47% • 99

  26. World War II: Battlefronts

  27. Two “theater” war • 1942 Japanese have huge empire • Philippines • Dutch East Indies • Islands of South Pacific • 1942 mostly about war on eastern front • Desperate attempt to save Russia from conquest

  28. Fighting Germany • Stalingrad • Largest battle in history • Millions die • Turning point in war in eastern front

  29. Defense at sea, attacks by air • Must overcome German subs in Atlantic • Battle of the Atlantic • Began using • Radar • Sonar • Bombing naval bases • Begin bombing of German cities

  30. From North Africa To Italy • Had to drive Germans out of North Africa • Operation Torch – 1942 • Led by Eisenhower, Montgomery, and Patton • El Alamien • Tunisia

  31. Sicily • Patton • Occupied in 1943 • Mussolini falls from power • Germany now controls Italy • Soft Underbelly • Anzio • Monte Cassino

  32. From D Day To Victory In Europe • June 6, 1944 – Normandy • Led by Eisenhower • Liberate Paris by August • September into Germany • Counter Attack • Battle of the Bulge winter 1944

  33. German Surrender • Bombing raids in Germany since 1942 • Destroyed industrial capacity • Hitler commits suicide on April 30, 1945 • Unconditional surrender on May 7, 1945

  34. The Holocaust • Nazi program of genocide against Jews • 6 million jews killed, 9 million over all • Shocked world

  35. Fighting Japan • U.S. against Japan alone • Japan controls East Asia and Southeast Asia • Occupied • Philippines • China • British Burma • Malaya • French Indochina • Dutch East Indies • Most of Pacific Islands west of Midway

  36. Turning Point 1942 • Dominated by naval forces • Coral Sea – May – 1942 • First all aircraft naval battle • Midway – June – 1942 • Decoded Japanese messages • Surprise Japanese and destroy fleet

  37. Island Hopping • Get within striking distance of Japan • Seize strategic islands on the way • Bypass strongly held islands and isolate with navy • Admiral Nimitz • Douglas MacArthur • Commanded Southern Pacific fleet • Vowed to return to Philippines

  38. Major Battles • Leyte Gulf • Largest naval battle in history • To pave way for occupation of Philippines • Destroyed Japanese navy • Use of Kamikaze pilots • Very damaging at Okinawa • 50,000 casualties

  39. Atomic Bomb • Manhatten Project • Begun in 1942 • Led by Robert Oppenheimer • $2 billion dollars to develop • Tested on July 16, 1945 in New Mexico

  40. Truman and the Bomb • Truman did not know about Manhatten Project as VP • Would not hesitate to use it to save American lives • Called on Japan to surrender or face “utter destruction”

  41. Dropping the bombs • Hiroshima • Enola Gay • August 6, 1945 • 100,000 die instantly • Does not end war • Nagasaki • August 9, 1945 • Japanese look for peace

  42. Japan Surrenders • Agree to surrender if emperor could remain on throne but powerless • September 2, 1945 • USS Missouri • Douglas MacArthur • Tokyo harbor

  43. Wartime Conferences

  44. Casablanca • January 1943 • Roosevelt and Churchill • Agree to invade Sicily • Demand unconditional surrender

  45. Teheran • Big Three – Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin • November 1943 • Agree liberation of France in 1944 (D Day) • Soviets would invade Germany • Soviets would join in fight against Japan

  46. Yalta • Big Three • February 1945 • Soviet Union • Long Term Agreement • Germany to be divided and occupied • Free elections in Eastern Europe • Soviets enter war on Japan (August 8, 1945) • Soviets control Sakhalin island & Kurile Islands • Agree to form United Nations

  47. Death of FDR • April 12, 1945 • Warm Springs, Georgia • Shocked world • Truman becomes President

  48. Potsdam • Stalin, Truman, Attlee • August 1945 • Issue warning of surrender to Japan unconditionally • Hold wartime trials of Nazi leaders

  49. War’s Legacy

  50. Costs • 300,000 die • 800,000 wounded • $320 billion in costs • 10 times that of WWI • Debt increase 1,000% • $250 billion deficit

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