Part One: America and World War II

(1939-45)U.S. Entry 1941

Section 1: American Policies Toward War in

Europe

Isolationism● U.S. returns to isolationism

○ Discouraged at lack of progress after WWI

○ European nations failed to pay war debts during the Depression

Neutrality● Congress passed Neutrality Act of 1935

○ Made it illegal for U.S. to sell arms to any country in war

FDR● First priority: ending the Depression● Second: International relations

○ Believed trade is necessary for wealth & to prevent war

○ No public support

Section 2: Gov’t Actions Leading Up to

War

Neutrality Act of 1939● U.S. remains neutral, but can sell arms to

nations at war○ Must pay cash and carry arms on their

own ships

Destroyers for Bases Deal● U.S. gave Britain old destroyers

○ In return, Britain allowed U.S. to build bases on their territory

Lend-Lease Act● FDR needed to find a way to give Britain

weapons● Lend-Lease Act

○ The U.S. can lend arms to nations that are “vital to the defense of the U.S.”

FDR’s Justification● If Britain falls, Italy, Japan, and Germany

will form an “unholy alliance”○ If so, “all of...the Americas will be

living at the point of a gun”

Tensions with Japan● U.S. primary goal is to aid Britain

○ Britain needed to protect territories in Asia

● U.S. needed to discourage Japan○ FDR blocked sale of war materials to

Japan○ Result: Japan signed an alliance with

Germany & Italy○ U.S. sold arms to China to defend itself

a/g Japan

Japan’s Plan● Publicly: striving to reach an agreement

with U.S.● Privately: preparing to attack Pearl Harbor

December 7, 1941: Japan attacks U.S. at Pearl Harbor

December 8, 1941: U.S. declares war on Japan

December 11, 1941: Germany and Italy declare war on the U.S.

Section 3: America Prepares for War

AlliancesAllied Powers:

● Britain● France● The U.S.● China● USSR (Russia, Soviet Union)*

*Eventually abandoned initial alliance

Axis Powers:

● Germany● Japan● Italy*

World War II Divides the World

U.S. Economy● American output was unbelievable

○ 2X German workers○ 5X Japanese workers

Cost-Plus Contracts● U.S. gov’t reimbursed companies for the

cost of making goods○ Plus a profit

● The more war materials a company produces, the more $ they make○ Automobile industry produced

approximately ⅓ of all U.S. war materials

Selective Service Training Act● 1940

○ First peacetime draft

Attitudes Amongst Troops● Sense of camaraderie

○ Soldiers kept on so they wouldn’t fail their buddies

● However, black soldiers still trained and served in separate units

Double V Campaign● Black soldiers fought to end Hitler’s

racism abroad and racism in the U.S.● Blacks played an important role in FDR’s

election○ In return, he promoted black soldiers

Women in the Military● 1943-Women allowed to join the military

○ Women’s Army Corps (WAC)○ Coast Guard, Navy, & Marines followed

suit

Part Two: The United States Enters WWII

1941

Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto● Just after the attack on Pearl Harbor,

Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto remarked, “I fear we have awakened a sleeping giant and filled him with a terrible resolve.”

Which historical event proved his words to be true?

Section 4: The Pacific theatre

World War II was being fought in Europe, as well as the Pacific.

Japan and the U.S. struggled for control over islands in the Pacific, such as the Philippines and Guam.

Japanese Advancements● After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japan was

able to advance and conquer territories in the Pacific

Bataan Death March● Japan took the Philippines

○ 78,000 prisoners of war (POWs) forced to march 65 miles to a Japanese prison camp

Leon Beck’s Words on the Bataan Death March

“They’d halt us in front of these big artesian wells...so we could see the water and they wouldn’t let us have any. Anyone who would make a break for water would be shot or bayoneted. Then they were left there. Finally, it got so bad further along the road that you never got away from the stench of death. There were dead bodies laying all along the road in various degrees of decomposition-swollen, burst open, maggots crawling by the thousands.”

Japan’s New Plan● Attack island of

Midway○ U.S. found out

about the attack● Assaulted Japanese

planes with a blizzard of anti-aircraft fire○ 38 planes shot down

Results of Battle of Midway● Turning point of the war

○ U.S. stopped Japanese advancement in the Pacific

○ 362 Americans killed & 3,057 Japanese○ Japanese navy lost 4 largest carriers

Section 5: Life on the Home Front

War Transforms the Economy● Need for war supplies ends Depression

○ More supplies = more jobs● Federal gov’t put money into the economy

○ Taxes○ Banks○ War bonds- civilians bought over $150

billion● Rise in union memberships

Rationing and Shortages● Rationed sugar, meat, metal, and gasoline● Planted victory gardens

Japanese American RelocationAfter Pearl Harbor...

● Mobs attacked Japanese businesses and homes● Stores wouldn’t cash their checks or sell

them food● Newspapers printed rumors of Japanese spies● U.S. declared a military zone

○ Japanese from the West Coast moved into internment camps

Section 6: Pushing the Axis Back

Two FrontsAllies fought primarily in

● Europe● The Pacific

Island Hopping in the Pacific● Geography in the Pacific made it difficult

to attack○ Americans began to wonder how many lives

would be lost○ Amphtrac used for military purposes for

the first time

Americans Take Back the Philippines● Over 700 ships● Over 160,000

troops● First time

Japanese used kamikaze attacks

Kamikaze Attacks● Means “divine wind”● Dates back to the 1200’s: storm destroyed

the Mongol fleet during the invasion of Japan

● Japanese pilots crashed planes into U.S. ships○ Killed themselves, but caused severe

damage

Kamikaze Attacks

Section 7: World War II Ends

Sad News● FDR died on April 12, 1945

○ Did not live to see Germany’s surrender● Harry Truman became president

Iwo Jima

Iwo Jima● U.S. marines captured Iwo

Jima in one of the most violent horrific battles of the war

● Photographer Joe Rosenthal won the Pulitzer Prize for his portrayal of 5 marines and a navy medical corpsman raising the flag on Iwo Jima.

Firebombing Japan● U.S. began dropping bombs filled with

napalm○ Jellied gasoline that started fires

● Wind spread fires, sucked oxygen out of air, asphyxiating thousands

● Killed over 80,000● Destroyed Japan’s 6 most important

industrialized cities

Japan’s Surrender● U.S. captures

Okinawa● Japan won’t

surrender unconditionally○ Want emperor

to stay in power

The Manhattan Project● Leo Szilard & Einstein warned FDR of a

possible German atomic bomb● U.S. learned Britain was working on one● Scientist convinced FDR to create a program

to build one○ The Manhattan Project

Decision to Drop the Bomb● U.S. threatened Japan with “prompt and

utter destruction”○ No response

● Enola Gay dropped “Little Boy” on Hiroshima○ Killed 80,000-120,000 instantly

● Three days later…○ USSR declares war on Japan○ U.S. drops “Fat Man” on Nagasaki○ Kills 35,000-74,000

Japanese Surrender● V-J Day

○ August 15, 1945

The Trolley Car Problem

Section 8: Building a New World

The United Nations● The United Nations is an intergovernmental

organization to promote international cooperation. ○ A replacement for the ineffective League

of Nations