EQ: How did US foreign policy evolve from isolationist to actively involved in WWII whilst mobilizing for war?

Many Americans were shocked at the Japanese brutality toward the Chinese.

Roosevelt spoke against what the Japanese were doing.

Roosevelt’s solution was to form an informal alliance with peace loving nations

France and Britain made an alliance with Poland in case Hitler decided to attack them.

Hitler was more concerned about war with Soviet Union and didn’t want to fight on two fronts.

Nazi-Soviet Nonaggression Pact- Aug. 23, 1939. Agreed not to attack one another and to divide Poland and recognize each others territorial ambitions.

September 1, 1939 Germany invaded Poland.

September 17, Soviet Union invaded Poland from the east.

France and Britain declared war on Germany but did not help Poland. PHONY WAR

By the end of September Poland was defeated.

• GERMAN MILITARY TACTICS OR “LIGHTING WAR”

• The key to blitzkrieg is … SURPRISE!

• It is designed to attack many different targets with

overwhelming numbers so as to simply devastate the enemy.

•Attack with the Luftwaffe (Airforce)–Fighters (air superiority)–Stuka (Dive bombers)–Bombers

•Destroy Communications (radio…)•Destroy Transportation (bridges, RR)•Destroy Military Targets (bases, supply)

Step One

•Next come the PANZERS (tanks)

•Hitler’s military designers had developed extremely advanced tanks.

•Their tanks were light years ahead.

•Advance very quickly, and destroy any remaining targets that the Luftwaffe had left behind. (Comm, Trans, Military)

Step Two

•Finally come the infantry (footsoldiers)

•They had been training for several years and these troops were VERY ready.

•Hitler’s troops were already battle experienced b/c of the Spanish Civil War.

•Their job was to MOP UP anything left.

Step Three

•The Blitzkrieg was a style of battle, that had never been seen before.

•It was extremely successful, it was so overwhelming that no one had a defense to it.

•When other nations saw this attack they were not sure if Hitler was THAT good, or was Poland THAT bad……

Conclusion

Axis Powers

Germany

Italy

Japan

Allies

Britain

France

Soviet Union

China

United States

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The goal of the Axis Powers was to rule the world…..

The world would “rotate”around them.

The Axis believed democratic nations were weak.

And they would conquer them as a “knife slices

through butter”.

April 9, 1940 Germany attacked Denmark and Norway

May 10, 1940 Hitler sent forces into Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg.

These smaller nations did not stand a chance against Hitler’s powerful forces.

France set up Maginot Line along German border and had armies along Belgium border to defend off German forces.

German forces went through the Ardennes and was trying to push them to the English Channel and trap British and French Troops.

338,000 British and French troops escaped to Britain

The armies escaped but the Germans took over Paris and forced the French to surrender.

France was broken into two parts. Northern France= Occupied by Germans Southern France= Unoccupied but still had to follow Nazi rules.

France fell to Germany in 35 days.

•Hitler crushes France in June 1940

•Hitler’s last enemy in the West was Great Britain, who along with France had been defeated at the battle of Dunkirk

•Battle of Britain, largest air battle ever fought in the history of warfare.

•July to November 1940 and was won by the Royal Air Force(RAF or British Air Force).

•First major German loss in WWII and forced Hitler to change his strategy

•British people fought for their country and a possible Nazi invasion (Operation Sea Lion).

•Hitler wanted to gain air supremacy.

Now Britain Is All Alone!

•Winston Churchill, the Prime Minister of

Great Britain.

•The “Lion of England”

The Royal Air Force

Battle of Britain

London’s Casualties 43,000 Killed

51,000 Seriously injured 88,000 Slightly injured

•Nearly 500 (RAF) pilots and aircrew had been killed, 500 wounded and 915 aircraft were destroyed.

•The once undefeated Luftwaffe (Nazis) had been beaten and lost 1733 aircraft and crews in the process.

•Their immortality (RAF) was guaranteed when Churchill in a speech made on the 20th August said

"Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few".

•Americans wanted to remain neutral.

•America First Committee

•Committee to Defend America by Aiding the Allies

•Feb. 21, 1940: If Germany is defeating England & France,

should the U.S. declare war on Germany and send our Army and Navy to Europe to fight against

Hitler?

Yes: 23% No 77%

December 16, 1940: Do you think it was a mistake

for the U.S. to enter the first World War?

Yes: 39% No 42% No opinion 19%

•1935: prohibited arms shipments to all belligerent

countries.

•1936: forbid loans to all belligerents

•1937: “Cash and Carry” principle: all nations must pay for nonmilitary purchases and

ship the goods in their own vessels

•1939: prohibited Americans from traveling

on ships of belligerent nations

•1940: Lend Leaseprogram offered to Great Britain…. U.S. becomes

the “arsenal of democracy”

•FDR responds to Fascist aggression in Europe by protecting democracies and preparing the US

for war…..

Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis:The Tripartite Pact--Sept., 1940

Selective Service Act- 1940 Provided 1.2 million troops trained and 800,000 reserve troops a year.

FDR gave Britain 50 WWI battleships in exchange for 8 British defense bases.

Britain needed the battleships to convoy goods across the Atlantic.

Lend-Lease Act- Authorized FDR to sell, transfer title to, exchange, lease, lend, or otherwise dispose of to any government when he thought it was in the best interest of his country.

By 1945 the U.S. had given more than $40 billion of aid to the Allies.

Economic declaration of war against the Axis Powers

Atlantic Charter- Document that endorsed national self –determination and an international system of general security.

This happened in a secret meeting with FDR and Prime Minister of Britain Winston Churchill in the Atlantic ocean, aboard a ship.

Fall of 1941 German U Boats attacked American Ships.

The attacks killed more that 100 Americans.

Americans were angered and this moved them more into a position of declaring war on Germany.