After WWI, the U.S. assumed a selective isolationist foreign policy Americans wanted to maintain the economic boom of the 1920s & desperate for an answer to the depression in the 1930s

But, the U.S. did play an active role in attempts at international disarmament & economic stability

In the 1920s, the most divisive international issue was war debts: European nations owed the U.S. $10 billion; Attempts to reclaim these debts led to anti-American sentiment in Europe

When Germany could not repay $33 billion in reparations, the U.S. negotiated the Dawes Plan

The U.S. Foreign Debt Commission canceled a large portion of these debts, but insisted that some of the money be repaid

In 1924, Hoover negotiated a reduction in German debt, an extended time period to

repay debts, & U.S. loans to help Germany make payments to France & England

The Dawes Plan helped stabilize the German economy, allowed Germany to repay the

Allies, and helped France & England repay their debts to the United States

The USA never joined the League of Nations, but did play a role in attempts to avoid future wars: At the Washington Washington Disarmament ConferenceDisarmament Conference in 1921, world leaders agreed to disarmament, free trade, & collective security

In 1928, almost every nation, including the USA, signed the Kellogg-Briand PactKellogg-Briand Pact, renouncing war as a tool of foreign policy

The USA, England, Japan, Italy, & France signed the Five-Power Treaty & agreed to limit

construction of battleships & aircraft carriers

The Nine-Power Treaty reaffirmed the Chinese Open-Door Policy

England, USA, Japan, France signed the Four-Power Treaty agreeing to collective security

But, neither the Nine- or Four-Power Acts had provisions to enforce these agreements

These agreements did not last: Japan needed raw materials to

continue its industrial expansion Japan began to create an Asian

empire by attacking Manchuria in 1931 & China in 1937

In both occasions, the League of Nations reprimanded Japan but chose no punitive measures

“Peace in our time”

In the 1930s, FDR & Congress were preoccupied with the Great Depression to adequately plan for new world conflicts involving totalitarian dictators

The rising threat of war in Europe & Asia strengthened Americans’ desire to avoid involvement in another world war

The “merchants of death” charges were led by North Dakota Senator Gerald Nye from 1934 to 1936: Reaction to the Nye CommitteeNye Committee report

led to popular support to avoid making the same mistakes that led America to enter WW1

Congress passed 3 neutrality acts to avoid future wars

The Neutrality Act of 1935 banned arms sales to nations at war & warned citizens not to sail on belligerent ships

The Neutrality Act of 1936 banned loans to any warring nation

The Neutrality Act of 1937 made the 1935 & 1936 acts permanent & required all trade to be on a cash & carrycash & carry basis

As Europe headed toward war, FDR openly expressed his favor for intervention & took steps to ready the U.S. for war In 1937, FDR unsuccessfully tried to

convince world leaders to “quarantine the aggressors”

Everything changed in 1939 with the Nazi-Soviet Pact & the German invasion of Poland

But…FDR was able to get $1 billion from Congress to expand the U.S. navy

When WW2 began in 1939, Congress imposed a cash & carry policycash & carry policy to aid the Allies: The U.S. would trade with the Allies but

would not offer loans The U.S. would not deliver American

products to Europe In addition, FDR traded 50 old

destroyers with England for 8 naval bases in Western Europe

“The destroyer-for-bases deal is the most important action in the reinforcement of our national defense that has been taken

since the Louisiana Purchase” —FDR

FDR responded with all-out aid to the Allies but did not call for warBased upon the Neutrality Acts

of 1935-1937

Isolationists Were appalled by

this departure from neutrality & FDR’s involvement of the U.S. in foreign war

Their “fortress of America” idea argued that Germany was not a threat to the U.S.

Interventionists Groups like the

Committee to Committee to Defend America Defend America by Aiding the by Aiding the AlliesAllies called for unlimited aid to England

They argued that the events in Europe did impact the security of U.S.

St. Louis Dispatch headline: “Dictator Roosevelt

Commits Act of War”

“The future of western civilization is being decided

upon the battlefield of Europe” —CDAAA chair, William

Allen White

By 1940, “interventionists” had the majority of American public sentiment on their side: in 1940, Congress appropriated $10

billion for preparedness FDR called for America’s first ever

peacetime draft In the election of 1940, FDR was

overwhelmingly elected for an unprecedented 3rd term

By 1940, England remained the only active opposition to Hitler but was running out of money

FDR called for a Lend-Lease ActLend-Lease Act: U.S. can sell or lend war supplies to

Allied nations Congress put $7 billion to allow England

full access to U.S. arms

U.S. Cash and Carry Program

England desperately needed help escorting U.S.-made supplies through the u-boat infested Atlantic FDR allowed for U.S. patrols in the

western half of the Atlantic German attacks on U.S. ships in 1941 led

to an undeclared naval war between USA & Germany

U.S. Cash and Carry Program

In 1941, FDR & Churchill met to secretly draft the Atlantic CharterAtlantic Charter: The U.S. & Britain discussed a military

strategy if the USA were to enter the war They discussed post-war goals of free

trade & disarmament In 1941, Germany broke the Nazi-

Soviet Pact & invaded Russia

FDR brought U.S. to the brink of war & opened himself to criticism: In Sept 1941, polls showed 80% of

Americans supported remaining neutral in WW2

FDR had to wait for the Axis to make a decisive move…which Japan delivered on Dec 7, 1941

Japan took full advantage of the European war to expand in Asia: Attacked coastal China Seized French & Dutch colonies in East

Indies & Indochina Signed the Tripartite PactTripartite Pact with Germany

& Italy in 1940 FDR retaliated against Japan with

fuel, iron, & oil sanctions

The U.S. now faced a possible 2-ocean war…

…but Germany was still seen as the primary danger

In 1941, the U.S. & Japan were unable to diplomatically resolve their differences, so the USA: Froze all Japanese assets in USA Banned all oil sales to Japan

Hideki Tojo sent an envoy to negotiate for a resolution…but secretly ordered an attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor

U.S. wanted the Japanese removed

from China

Japan wanted an end to sanctions & a free

hand to China

This was really a stall tactic intended to hide Japanese military preparations

for an attack on Pearl Harbor

On Dec 7, 1941, the U.S. naval fleet in the Pacific was crippled by the attack; 8 battleships

were sunk & 2,400 Americans were killed

After Pearl Harbor: Congress declared war against Japan on

Dec 8, 1941 Italy & Germany declared war on the

U.S. on Dec 11, 1941 American public opinion was now

fully behind the war effort to defeat the fascist threat in Europe & to seek revenge against Japan

WW2 impacted all aspects of American life: FDR hoped the U.S. would be the great

“arsenal of democracy” The boost of wartime industry ended the

Great Depression The war altered the lives of women,

African-Americans, Japanese-Americans, & Mexican-Americans

■ To win wars in Asia & Europe & meet civilian demands, the U.S. gov’t grew to its largest size ever:– The War Powers ActWar Powers Act gave the president

unprecedented power– New bureaucracies were formed to direct

the economy, create propaganda, sell war bonds, & prevent enemy subversion

The power to create new gov’t agencies

to censor the press

to limit civil liberties & seize personal property

The Office of War Mobilization coordinated

the draft, consumer prices, & the labor force

The Office of War Information

directed press, print, radio, &

film propaganda

The Office of Strategic Services gathered enemy intelligence & conducted espionage

This is 2x as much as all previous gov’t spending combined

The U.S. gov’t spent $250 million per day from 1941 to 1945

War bonds helped raise $187 billion to support

the war effort

Buy, Buy, Buy, Buy a Bond:Buy, Buy, Buy, Buy a Bond:It Will Lead to VICTORY!It Will Lead to VICTORY!

Buy, Buy, Buy, Buy a Bond:Buy, Buy, Buy, Buy a Bond:It Will Lead to VICTORY!It Will Lead to VICTORY!

■ The most decisive factor for Allied victory was America’s ability to outproduce both Germany & Japan– Heavy industry was converted to war &

was directed by the War Production War Production Board (WPB)Board (WPB)

– 15 million U.S. soldiers fought but 60 million workers & farmers supplied them with supplies

U.S. made 2x more goods than Germany & 5x more than Japan

Ford made one B-24 bomber every hour

The war presented new economic opportunities for women: Dramatic rise in employment (14 million

to 19 million by 1945) Most new female workers were married,

many middle-aged Entered “exclusively male” fields Temporarily redefined “woman’s sphere”

from “just at home”

““Rosie, the Riveter”Rosie, the Riveter”““Rosie, the Riveter”Rosie, the Riveter”

S..t..r..e..t..c..h That Food!S..t..r..e..t..c..h That Food!S..t..r..e..t..c..h That Food!S..t..r..e..t..c..h That Food!

Women’s Army Air Women’s Army Air Corps PilotsCorps Pilots

Women’s Army Air Women’s Army Air Corps PilotsCorps Pilots

Join the Women’s Join the Women’s Army Corps Army Corps

(WACs)(WACs)

Join the Women’s Join the Women’s Army Corps Army Corps

(WACs)(WACs)

Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES)

■ 1 million blacks served in U.S. military but few saw combat

■ Discrimination in the workforce led A. Philip Randolph to pressure FDR to create a Fair Employment Practices Fair Employment Practices CommitteeCommittee

■ Continued black migration into the North & West made race relations a national issue

Banned discrimination in defense industries & gov’t

Segregated units…againSegregated units…againSegregated units…againSegregated units…again

Tuskegee Airmen

A. Philip Randolph threatened a “March on Washington” to

protest war time discrimination

Other groups, like the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), staged sit-ins in restaurants

in major cities to protest discrimination

■ Mexican-Americans:Mexican-Americans:– Served in quasi-segregated military

units, often in the most hazardous branches

– Mexican-American workers found jobs in SW agriculture & west coast industry

– Faced discrimination, especially during the Zoot Suit Riots

Due to Pearl Harbor, many in the U.S. feared Japanese-Americans were helping prepare for a Japanese invasion in the West

Civil liberties were restricted: Issei had their assets frozen Used racial stereotypes (“Japs”) In 1942, FDR ordered 112,000 Japanese-

Americans moved to internment camps

Japanese who were not American citizens living in the U.S.

Families were given one week to close their businesses & homes

In 1944, FDR used the war to strengthen his leadership: “Mr. New Deal” had shifted to “Mr. Win

the War” Opponent Thomas Dewey made

communism & FDR’s health the focus of the election

FDR switched VPs from liberal Henry Wallace to moderate Harry Truman to gain appeal