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The Second World War

FDRs Foreign Policy
Recognition of the Soviet Union
- 1933- Granted diplomatic recognition of the Soviet Union.
- U.S.- desired foreign trade
Philippine Independence
- Tydings- McDuffie Act (1934)- Promised the Philippines complete
independence within a decade.
The Good Neighbor Policy
- US- Would be the neighbor who respects himself and the rights of others.
- Became the label for his Latin American Policy.
Totalitarian aggression
- Totalitarian-
o Centralized control by an autocratic authority.
o The political concept that the citizen should be totally subject to an
absolute state authority.
Japanese in China:
- 1931- Seized Manchuria
- 1937- Attacked China; Rape of Nanking
o Est. 300,000 killed
o 20,000 women raped/ murdered
- December 12, 1937: US gunboat Panay- Sunk by Japanese bombs on Yangtze
River.
o 3 dead, 43 injured

Italians in Africa
- 1935- Italy invaded Ethiopia
- Dreamed of another Italian empire.
- Leader- Benito Mussolini- A.K.A.
o II Duce (II Doo- chay)
o Abolished democracy, destroyed liberty
All on the promise of jobs and glory.

German Expansion
- Germany- Building an enormous new army, making weapons at a frightening
speed, and menacing neighbors.
- March 1936- Militarization of Rhineland.
- March 1938- Seized Austria.
 - Sept. 1938- Munich Pact- An attempt to appease Hitler: Dismember Czech.
And give a piece to Germany (Sudetenland).
- March 1939- Hitler seized the rest of Czech.; appeasement was a failure.
- Sept. 1, 1939- Germany invaded Poland
o WWII begins!
o Germany & USSR sign non-aggression pact.
- Sept. 3, 1939- G.B. and France declare war on Germany.
Rise of Isolationism in the United States
- Most govt. officials and citizens in the 1920s were isolationists.
- Felt US should avoid alliances and agreements with other nations.
- Nye- Committee- Investigated US entry into WWI.
o Findings-
International bankers drew US into WWI.
Munitions indus. Pressed for Am. entry into war.
- Isolation dominated US foreign policy in 1930s.
Neutrality Legislation
- Neutrality Act, 1935- Authorized the Pres. to bear arms sales to warring
nations.
- 1936- Extended neutrality legislation- Put limits on sale of arms to
belligerents.
- Cash & Carry- A country had to pay cash for goods before they left our
shores.
o The country at war had to carry the goods on its own ships.

Destroyer- Base Deal

- FDR- Traded 50 old destroyers for the use of 8 British naval bases.
- Legally tried to help allies secure supplies.
Lend-Lease
- US would lend or lease whatever war supplies we could make.
- Supplies sent to any nation Pres. Considered vital to defense of the US.
Atlantic Charter
- FDR and Churchill met- Wanted a better future for the world.
- US and G.B.- Were seeking no territorial gain.
o Real reason for the meeting- Churchill wanted American troops to join.
FDRs answer is no.
Effects of the war on 1940 election
- Republican nominee- Wendell L. Willkie.
- Opposed the New Deal.
- Democratic nominee- FDR.
- Both wanted to aid G.B.
- FDR won.
- First person elected President for a third term.
The battlefield is everywhere
- New Warfare: Blitzkrieg- lightning war- Adolf Hitlers new strategy.
- Depended heavily on air power; Struck like lightning from the sky.
- Used the fastest new vehicles.
o Airplanes, tanks, trucks, motorcycles.
- Struck quickly at the heart of enemy territory, overwhelming them.
- 1940- In England- Winston Churchill became Prime Minister.
US Prepares for war.
- FDR warned the US to rearm.
- Wanted billions of dollars to create a two-ocean navy.
- Also, size of the air force greatly increased.
Japanese-American Relations
- 1931-1940- Jap. Military aggression was militarily unopposed by the U.S.
- 1940- Japan became a partner of Germany and Italy.
- Japan attacked and expanded through China- July 1941.
- US Response: Embargo on all trade with Japan.
- US and Japan Met; Sticking Point: China.
- Japan- Wanted US to cut off aid to Chinese.
- US- Demanded Jap. Withdraw from China.
- Japan had a choice: Give up dream of an empire or go to war, they chose war.
America at War
Attack on Pearl Harbor
- Sunday Dec. 7, 1941: Japan attacked the airfield and naval base at Pearl
Harbor.
- Surprise attack- 180 Am. warplanes destroyed (120 crippled), 18 naval
vessels were sunk or heavily damaged.
- More than 70 civilians and 2403 servicemen were killed.
- 1177 crewmen of the USS Arizona died in the attack.
- Next day- FDR- Japans Day of Infamy plunged the US into war.
War on the Home Front
Selective Service
- Draft was started in 1940.
- By Pearl Harbor- 1.6 million in army.
o Millions were volunteered as a result of the attack.

Internment of Japanese Americans

- March 1942- close to 120,000 Jap. Americans were rounded up and confined
to camps.
Wartime Agencies
- 1940- Industry: Just emerging from depression.
- 1942- American production: Equal to Ger., It., and Japan combined.
 - 1944- Production was double of Ger., It., and Japan combined.
- During WWII, the government regulated industry and controlled the economy
to achieve maximum production and efficiency.
- Full employment- Inflation occurred.
Role of women and minorities.
Women
- 1945- 258,000 women were serving in the armed forces.
- 18 million were part of the American workforce.
- Women were needed as workers.
- Took a wide variety of jobs in industry.
o Examples: Shipyards, Airplane Factories, Ammunition Factories, Rail
yards, Truck drivers, etc.
Minorities
- About 1 million African- Americans served in WWII.
- African- Am. served in segregated units in the early stages of WWII.
- Many African Americans migrated to industrial areas (cities) for jobs.
- Over 500,000 Latino- American served and were not segregated.
Conservation and Rationing
- Rationing was used to assure availability of scarce items to all citizens.
- Individuals received coupons for a share of the rationed items.
- The US and allies needed everything, the US could produce.
American Strategy
Get Hitler First
- If Germany won in Europe, US would face aggressor nations alone.
Second Front
- Russians wanted a second front in Europe.
- Wanted allies to invade lands held by Axis powers.
- Instead, July 1942, Allies decided to invade North Africa.
Invasion of North Africa
- Germany- Led by Desert Fox General Erwin Rommel.
- British- Led by Gen. Bernard Montgomery.
- Montgomerys army broke through Rommels Africa Korps: Nov. 4, 1942
- US and British force struck from west and north- Nov. 8, 1942.
Invasion of Italy
- July 10, 1943- 250,000 US & British troops land on Sicilian coastlines
- Germans- Escaped to the Italian mainland.
- Italians- Sick of war; Mussolini- Forced to resign.
- Allied troops- Tied up thousands of German troops; weakened them
elsewhere.
*Benito Mussolini
Battle of the Atlantic
- German submarine wolf packs sunk tons of allied supplies.
o Main years: 1942-1943
- Subs had to be beaten, and soon.
- Radar and sonar were invented; both could destroy subs.
Control of the air
- British & US forces heavily bombed Germany, but used different strategies.
- British- Saturation Bombing- Bombed whole areas.
- US- Pinpoint bombing- Attacked in daylight; could focus bombs on crucial
factories.
Attack on the European Continent
D-Day:
- US & Great Britains invasion of France.
o Objective: 2nd Front in Europe.
- Directed by American Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of
Allied Forces in Western Europe.
- June 6, 1944- D-Day invasion began.
o Conditions needed: low tide, half moon, good weather, morning
invasion.
- D-Day Code Name: Operation Overload
- Allies- Achieved a tactical surprise; landings were a success.
- Secured beachhead- One of the greatest Allied achievements of the war.
- Generals Montgomery (Britain) & Eisenhower lead Allied forces through
Europe towards Germany.
Re-conquest of France
- By the end of July, 1944 the Allies controlled 1500 Sq. mi. of France.
- Paris-Liberated on Aug. 25,1944.
- By mid-Sept. all of France had been cleared of Germans.
Destruction in Caen. France- July 1944
Hedgerows made The Breakout difficult; this was unexpected.
FDR- Elected to a fourth term.
WWII- Taking its toll on FDRs health.
Battle of Germany
- Dec. 16, 1944- Battle of the Bulge- Germany final bid to break the allies.
- Germans penetrated 60 miles creating a bulge in the allied lines.
- Foul weather aided the Germans.
o American planes grounded, brutally cold temperatures.
- Patton and Montgomery stopped the advancing Germans.
- By the end of Jan., the Bulge was pinched off.
- German losses- 120,000 of their best remaining men.
 - It was also the single most costly American battle of the war.
Yalta Conference
- Pres. Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin met at Yalta to discuss the Nazi
surrender.
- Stalin- Tough and clever bargainer.
o Most of Stalins promises were lies.
- Western democracies- Needed Stalins armies.
Death of FDR
- Worn down by wartime burdens, health continued to decline.
- Died April 12, 1945 while resting in Warm Springs, Georgia.
- The nation grieved.
Collapse of Germany
- March 1945- Allies were closing in- US & GB from west, Russia from east.
- Churchill- Shake hands with the Russians as far east as possible.
- Concerned with Soviet domination of Eastern Europe.
- Russia and US troops met at the Elbe River April 25, 1945.
- Hitler committed suicide in his Berlin bunker.
- May 8, 1945- Germans surrendered; Celebrated as V-E Day.
The War in the Pacific
Extent of Japanese Conquests:
- Controlled a 4,500-mile area of the Pacific.
- Allied policy in Pacific- Active defense.
Island hopping
- General MacArthur & Admiral Nimitz- Commanders of Allied forces in the
Pacific.
- The Allies invaded strategic islands, and bypassed others.
- May 3-8, 1942- Battle of the Coral Sea- Result Draw.
- First Naval battle where the opposing ships never saw one another.
- June 4, 1942- Battle of Midway- US Victory.
o Japans first great naval defeat; a big turning point.
- Aug. 7, 1942- Battle for Guadalcanal- US Victory.
o Our troops first exposure to land battle with the Japanese.
o The fighting was fierce and brutal- the Japanese would not surrender.
- October 20, 1944- Re-conquest of the Philippines begins.
- Led by MacArthur, the US crushes the Japanese and knocks their navy out of
the war.
- Feb.- Mar. 1945- Iwo Jima (650 miles from Tokyo)- US Victory- Operation
Detachment
- Goal- Secure airfield
- Heavy losses: 6821 US deaths.
- Flag raised: Mt. Suribachi
- March 9-10- Tokyo Firebombing- Operation Meetinghouse.
- Targeted industrial sites, but was a very populated area.
 o Utilized 334 B-29 Superfortress airplanes.
o 100,000 died in the attack, 1 million homeless.
- April-June, 1945 Okinawa- US Victory.
- Brutal fighting- Japan considered it a home land.
o 12,513 Americans died.
- Within striking distance of Japan: Victory is in sight!
The Atomic Bomb
- Developed after Germans and Italians surrendered; Manhattan Project.
- Potsdam Declaration (Ultimatum)
Allies warned the Japanese: the alternative to surrender is prompt and utter
destruction.
- August 6, 1945 A-bomb is dropped on Hiroshima.
- August 9, 1945- A-bomb is dropped on Nagasaki.
- V-J Day- August 14, 1945.