Chapter 25

Americans and a World in Crisis1933-1945

Chapter 25

1.) How did President Roosevelt’s Good Neighbor Policy affect U.S.-Latin American relations?2.) How did the American people and their govt. respond to the international crises of the 1930’s?3.) How did President Roosevelt and Congress mobilize the country for war?4.) What impact did the war have on the U.S. economy?5.) How did the war change American society and affect minorities and women?6.) What were the different goals of the U.S.A., G.B. and the U.S.S.R. and how did these goals affect their combat strategies?7.) Why did President Truman decide to drop atomic bombs on Japan, and was he justified in doing so?

Introduction

IntroductionDuring FDR’s fist 2 terms, he improved relations with Latin

AmericaMeanwhile, aggressive, militaristic fascist regimes came to

power in Italy, Germany, and JapanThe U.S.A. reacted to these developments abroad

ambivalently Torn between dislike of fascism and even stronger desire for peace

The United States in a Menacing World, 1933-1939

The Good Neighbor policyAgreed that no state has the right to intervene in the affairs

of anotherApplied in Latin America

Withdrew forces from Haiti and Dominican RepublicEnded the Platt AmendmentRefrained from using force against left-wing govts. in Cuba

and Mexico FDR did apply economic pressure to influence events

FDR’s restraint in using military force improved U.S.-Latin American relations

Nationalism and the Good Neighbor

The Rise of Aggressive States in Europe and Asia

ItalyBenito MussoliniTook control in 19221938--invaded

Ethiopia


Germany1933Adolf HitlerBecame chancellor of

GermanyAbsolute dictatorship Preached racism,

aggressive nationalism, and anti-Semitism

Hitler Persecuted the JewsMilitary buildupConquest of other countries

1936--Rhineland 1938--Austria 1938--Sudetenland

Munich Conference--appeasement by France and Great Britain1931--Japanese imperialists seized Manchuria from China1937--began a war of conquest to take over all of China


Americans disliked these actions in Europe and Asia but were determined not to be pulled into another war

U.S.A. participation in WWI as a mistakeNye Committee

Reveled the roles played by bankers and weapons suppliers in WWI

In the 1930’s, novelists and playwrights condemned war

The American Mood: No More War

Neutrality Acts1935Prohibited the U.S. from making loans or selling arms to

“belligerent nations”Banned Americans from traveling on the ships of nations at

warU.S. Dept. of State link

The American Mood: No More War

Hitler seized the remainder of CzechoslovakiaThreatened to attack PolandSigned the German-Soviet Non-Aggression pact

Ensured Russian neutrality during the planned German invasion of Poland

Mussolini took over Albania

The Gathering Storm, 1938-1939

Many Americans grew alarmed and started to feel that the U.S.A. should take a more active role

FDR sent messages to Hitler and Mussolini asking them to pledge not to invade any other nation

They were responded with ridiculeRoosevelt asked Congress to appropriate much more

$$$$ to build up U.S. defenses

The Gathering Storm, 1938-1939

Throughout the 30’s, German persecution of the Jews intensified

1935--Nuremberg LawsStripped German Jews of citizenship and rights

1938--KristallnachtA wave of Nazi violence against JewsAttacked their homes, synagogues, and businesses

America and the Jewish Refugees

Tens of thousands of European Jews fled and seek countries that would admit them

Among the refugees were:Distinguished musiciansArchitectsWritersScholars

Many would enriched the cultural life of their adopted nationPhysicists Leo Szilard and Enrico Fermi would play key roles in

developing the atomic bomb for the U.S.


Congress would not amend discriminatory laws to offer a haven to hundreds of thousands of additional Jews needing a safe home

FDR did not exert pressure on Congress to do so eitherThe majority of Americans opposed letting in more Jews

Isolationist Anti-immigrant Anti-Semitic attitudes

1939--the U.S. stopped a ship carrying Jewish refugees and forced it to return to Europe

There the country-less refugees were soon murdered by the Nazis


The European WarSept. 1, 1939

WWII beganHitler attacked PolandGB and France declared war on Germany

They were committed by a treaty to defend Poland

Into the Storm, 1939-1941

The U.S.A. revised the Neutrality ActsNow permitted was the sale of weapons to

“belligerents” on a cash-and-carry basisMany saw this as a way to help Britain and France

without having to fightApril 1940--German armies turned on Denmark and

NorwayMay 1940--they conquered Netherlands and Belgiummid-June 1940--they captured France

The European War

The Battle of BritainJuly 10 to Oct. 31, 1940German bombing raids over cities in EnglandPrime Minister Winston Churchill appealed to FDR for

helpThe majority of Americans favored a stepped-up weapons

shipments to GBAn articulate minority feared that such aid would weaken

U.S. defenses and needlessly pull the U.S.A. into war

The European War

In 1940, FDR decided to run for a 3rd term because of the situation in Europe

Republican opponent was Wendell WillkieDuring the campaign, Roosevelt continued his

interventionist position Signed an executive agreement with Churchill

Gave Britain 50 overage U.S. destroyers in exchange for leases on air and naval bases in British possession in the Western Hemisphere

From Isolation to Intervention

America First CommitteeOrganized by isolationistsPreached that we must not give any aid to “belligerents” or

become involved in the struggle against HitlerRoosevelt was elected to an unprecedented 3rd term


Lend-Lease ActPassed Congress in March 1941Permitted the president to lend or lease military equipment

to any country whose defense he thought vital to American security

June 1941--Hitler attacked U.S.S.R.Roosevelt gave lend-lease aid to the Soviets and

British


Constant sinking by German U-boats sent most of the supplies to the bottom of the Atlantic

To prevent such losses, the U.S.A.:Began to convoy British ships as far as Iceland tracked German submarinesNotifying the British of the location of Germany submarines


By the fall of 1941, the U.S. and Germany were engaged in an undeclared naval war

Atlantic CharterSummer of 1941Meet off the coast of NewfoundlandMoved Roosevelt and Churchill closer to an allianceA joint proclamation declaring that they were fighting the

Axis powers to “ensure life, liberty, independence and religious freedom and to preserve the rights of man and justice."


Japan expanded its aggression from China to the resource-rich British, Dutch, and French colonies in Southeast Asia

Japan wanted to dominate all of AsiaThis clashed with the Open Door policyRoosevelt applied economic pressure on Japan

Pearl Harbor and the Coming of War

By 1940, Washington prohibited the sale of aviation gasoline to Japan

Tokyo occupied northern Indochina and signed the Tripartite Pact with Germany and Italy=Roosevelt placed an embargo on all items Japan needed

July 1941--Japan seized the rest of Indochina=U.S. froze Japanese assets in the U.S.=ended all trade


Japan made a last-ditch effort to persuade Washington to reopen trade and recognize Japan’s conquests

If that failed, Japan would attempt to destroy the U.S. Pacific fleet with a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor

Washington knew its refusal would provoke an attack somewhere in the Pacific

Roosevelt would not yield He sent warnings to all base commanders


Dec. 7, 1941 Japan struck Pearl HarborHistory Channel video

Dec. 8Congress recognized that a state of war existed with JapanRoosevelt speech

Dec. 11 Japan’s 2 allies (Germany and Italy) declared war on U.S. and

the U.S reciprocated


In the months after Pearl Harbor, the United States faced a bleak situationNazi submarines prowled off the east coast and took a heavy

toll on Allied shipsHitler’s armies had pushed to the outskirts of Leningrad and

MoscowGermany was launching new offensives in the Crimea,

Caucasus, and North Africa


Organizing for VictoryTo plan the military effort FDR created:

the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Office of Strategic Services (would later become the CIA)

To mobilize the economy Roosevelt: Established hundreds of special wartime agencies

War Production Board Allocated scarce materials, limited manufacture of civilian goods, and

awarded military production contracts Japan took over:

Philippines, Malaya, Thailand, Hong Kong, Guam, Wake, Singapore, Dutch East Indies, and most of the island chains in the Western Pacific

America Mobilizes for War

The U.S. produced more armaments than Germany, Italy, and Japan combined

Govt. contracts guaranteed handsome profits to the giant corporations that received most of the defense contracts

Federal authority and the federal budget grew rapidlyThe influence of the military and big corporation on

American life grew also

Organizing for Victory

Between 1941 and 1945, the U.S. govt. spent nearly twice as much as it did from 1789 to 1940

Fueled by this expenditure, the economy boomedDuring the war:

Purchasing power of industrial workers went up 50%Corporate profits climbed by 70%Unemployment vanished as 17 million new jobs were created

The War Economy

Many of the poor moved into the middle classMost labor leaders gave no-strike pledges

John L. Lewis led his miners on repeated work stoppagesAn increasingly conservative Congress retaliated with the

antilabor Smith-Connally ActOffice of Price Administration imposed price controls

and rationingDone to curb inflationAs a result, the cost of living only rose by 8% during the last 2

years of the war

The War Economy

The govt. raised the huge sums needed to fight the war with:the sale of bonds

Provided half the moneySteeply increased federal taxes

Provided the rest of the $$$

The War Economy

The govt. also employed thousands of scientistsManhattan Project

A secret projectDesigned to beat the Germans in the race to develop nuclear

weapons Led by physicist Robert OppenheimerSpent about $2 billion July 16, 1945--tested the first nuclear bomb

“A Wizard War”

Propaganda and Politics

Office of War Information and the Office of CensorshipJobs were to unify Americans and prevent dangerous

security leaks

Full employment and prosperity led to a politically conservative trend

In 1942--more Republicans and conservative Democrats were elected to Congress Cut welfare programs Abolished New Deal agencies Halted any further reforms

The role of the federal govt. in people’s lives grew larger Supervised the economy Funded research Molded public opinion

Propaganda and Politics

FranceBritainUSUSSR

Choosing Sides

Allies Axis

Germany ItalyJapan

Strategies

Followed a “Defeat Hitler First” strategy. Most American military resources were targeted for Europe.

In the Pacific, American military strategy called for an “island hopping” campaign, seizing islands closer and closer to Japan and using them as bases for air attacks on Japan, and for cutting off Japanese supplies through submarine warfare against Japanese shipping.

Germany hoped to defeat the Soviet Union, gain control of their oil fields, and force Britain out of the war with a bombing campaign and submarine warfare before America’s could join the war.

Following Pearl Harbor, Japan invaded the Philippines and Indonesia and planned to invade both Australia and Hawaii. They hoped America would accept Japanese dominance in the Pacific, rather than conduct a bloody and costly war to stop Japan

North AfricaEl Alamein: German forces threatened to seize Egypt and the Suez Canal.

Defeated by the British. Prevented Hitler from gaining access to Middle Eastern oil supplies and attacking the Soviet Union from the south.

Major Battles

Liberating Europe- “Beat Hitler First”The British and Americans concentrated on beating Hitler

first, then JapanStalin pressed his 2 allies to launch an invasion of Europe as

quickly as possibleChurchill convinced Roosevelt that they should land in North

Africa first By May 1943--they had defeated German and Italian armies

Soviets turned the tide of the war in the east Won at Stalingrad Held out at Leningrad Attacked the German invaders along a thousand-mile front

The Battlefront, 1942-1944

EuropeStalingrad: Hundreds of thousands of German soldiers were

killed or captured in a months-long siege of Stalingrad. defeat prevented Germany from seizing the Soviet oil fields and

turned the tide against Germany in the east.Normandy landings (D-Day): American and Allied troops

under Eisenhower landed in German-occupied France on June 6, 1944. Lots of casualties. The landings succeeded, and the liberation of western Europe

from Hitler began.

Major Battles

The British and Americans then captured Sicily and started a slow march up the Italian peninsula

Mussolini was deposed in July 1943The new Italian govt. surrendered

Allies encountered stiff opposition from Germany troops

Liberating Europe

1944-1945--the Soviets cleared the Germans out of the U.S.S.R.

The Soviets continued to pursue them across eastern Europe

June 1944--British and Americans landed on the beaches of Normandy

Battle of the BulgeDec. 1944-Jan. 1945Nazis temporarily stopped the Allied drive

By early 1945, the Americans and British reached the Rhine

Liberating Europe

The Japanese advances in the Pacific were first halted in the spring and summer of 1942 Battle of Coral Sea and Battle of Midway

U.S.A. Navy and Army assaulted Japanese strongholds in: Solomon Islands Gilbert Islands Marshall Island Mariana Island

The U.S. Navy largely destroyed what was left of the Japanese fleet at the Battles of the Philippine Sea and Leyte Gulf

War in the Pacific

PacificMidway: American naval forces defeated a much

larger Japanese force as it prepared to take Midway Island

A Japanese victory at Midway would have enabled Japan to invade Hawaii.

The American victory ended the Japanese threat to Hawaii and began a series of American victories in the “island hopping” campaign, carrying the war closer and closer to Japan.

Major Battles

Pacific Iwo Jima and Okinawa:

Brought American forces closer than ever to Japan, but cost thousands of American lives and even more Japanese lives

Japanese soldiers and civilians committed suicide rather than surrender.

Major Battles

Great Britain, Soviet Union, and the U.S.A.Created out of military necessityAll 3 had different goals for the postwar period

Roosevelt wanted to:defeat fascismEstablish a new world order strong enough to keep the

peaceOpen tradeProtect national self-determination

The Grand Alliance

Churchill hoped to:Keep the British colonial empireMaintain a balance of power in Europe against the Soviets

Stalin hoped to:Weaken Germany permanentlyTo protect his country against any future attack from the

west Impose Soviet domination over eastern Europe

The Grand Alliance

FDR attempted to reconcile these differences with personal diplomacy

He held top-level wartime conferences with the Allied leaders at:CasablancaCairoTehran

The first meeting between the Allied leaders concerned the details of the Normandy invasion and other military and political problems were discussed

The Grand Alliance

The Grand Alliance

Roosevelt was reelected to a 4th term in 1944Harry S Truman was his VP

Republicans nominated Thomas E. DeweyFDR won by the smallest margin of his career

IntroductionAbout 15 million Americans served in the armed

forcesAnother 15 million moved from one place to anotherMore women than ever before entered the paid

labor force

War and American Society

GIs saw death and brutality all around themSome troops in all of the armies committed atrocitiesSome suffered lasting psychological damageOthers became hardened and cynicalFor many their war service opened new vistasThey experienced foreign cities and countriesLearned to be more tolerant of other Americans

Different religions, classes, ethnicity, regions, etc.About 1 million of them married women they met

overseas

The GI’s War

15 million Americans moved from one location to another for family and economic reasons

People left rural areas to seek jobs in war-production centersTerrible shortages of housing and other facilities developedUrban blight and many social problems

The West grew in population

The Home Front

High school enrollment dropped More teenagers took full-time jobs

The armed forces sent nearly a million people to college campuses for special training

Americans went to the movies to watch films that entertained them

The public received war news from periodicals and the radio

The Home Front

The Home Front

Millions of women went to work in defense plantsHigh wagesPatriotismGovt. encouragement

By 1945--women constituted over 1/3 of the labor force

Took on formerly male-dominated work:WeldingRivetingOperating cranesRunning lathes

They only earned about 65% of what men received for the the jobs

The Home Front

More than 1/3 of the women had children under 14There were few day-care centers

Children were often left on their own Juvenile delinquency increased alarmingly

Marriage, birth, and divorce rates soaredAbout 300,000 women joined the armed forcesAfter 1945, most women left their wartime occupationsWomen gained a new sense of their own capabilities

The Home Front

During WWII, African-Americans demanded that the nation fight racism at home as well as abroad

NAACP and CORE led the struggle for civil rights1941--A. Philip Randolph planned a massive march on

WashingtonFDR signed an executive order prohibiting racial

discrimination in hiring and promotion by govt. agencies and defense contractors

Racism and New Opportunities

The Fair Employment Practices CommissionCreated by FDRActually had very little power

Wartime labor shortages opened many new jobs for African-Americans

About 1 million African-Americans served in the armed forcesGenerally in segregated units commanded by white officers


In civilian life, tensions developed between African-Americans demanding equality and resistant whitesRace riots erupted in dozens of cities

More than 700,000 African-Americans left the South to settle in cities of the North and WestThe move opened up greater opportunities and potential

political power


25,000 Native Americans served in the armed forcesAnother 50,000 left reservations to work in defense

industriesMany returned to the reservations after the war

Conditions on reservations had deteriorated badly because Congress had slashed appropriations for Indian programs

War and Diversity

African Americans served in segregated units and were assigned to noncombat roles demanded the right to serve in combat

Tuskegee Airmen (African American) served in Europe with distinction.

Communication codes of the Navajo were used (oral, not written language; impossible for the Japanese to

break).Mexican Americans also fought, but in non-segregated units.Suffered high casualties and won numerous unit and

individual medals for bravery in action.

Contributions of Minorities

Hundreds of thousands of Mexicans entered the United States during WWIISome legally, some illegally

Worked on the big farms in the western statesMexican-Americans left migratory farm labor to seek

better jobs in cities

War and Diversity

War and Diversity

Zoot-suit riotsDuring WWIIIn LABetween sailors and

soldiers and Hispanic youth

About 350,000 Mexican-Americans served in the armed forces

Emerged from the War with a heightened consciousness and demands for equality

War and Diversity

The govt.’s treatment of Japanese-Americans during WWII was one of the worst violations of civil liberties in U.S. history

The govt. uprooted 112,000 Japanese-Americans living on the West Coast and placed them in internment camps in remote interior regionsAtmosphere of hysteria over Pearl HarborFear of Japanese invasion of the mainlandTraditional prejudice against Asian-Americans

The Interment of Japanese-Americans

Korematsu v. United States1944Supreme Court caseUpheld the constitutionality of evacuationKorematsu decision


In the 1980’s, the govt. finally admitted that its actions had been unjustified

The govt. apologized to Japanese-AmericansThe govt. agreed to pay compensation to them for

property losses they suffered when they were detained


The Yalta ConferenceFeb. 1945The Big Three all meetRoosevelt and Churchill had to make concessions to Stalin

Stalin promised to declare war on Japan shortly after Germany’s surrender

Western leaders agreed to the Soviets regaining the territory Japan had taken from them in 1905

Triumph and Tragedy, 1945

Roosevelt and Churchill settled for Stalin’s vague promise to allow free election in Eastern EuropeHe never allowed them

Stalin agreed to the formation of the United Nations in April 1945

History Channel video--Yalta Conference

The Yalta Conference

April 1945--American and Soviet troops met at the Elbe RiverHistory Channel audio--Elbe River report

April 12--FDR diedHistory Channel speech--Truman on FDR's death

April 30--Hitler committed suicideMay 2--Berlin fell to the SovietMay 8--Germany unconditionally surrendered

V-E Day

Victory in Europe

Victory in Europe

Harry S Truman became the new president

Truman distrusted the Soviets

He accused them of breaking their Yalta promise to allow free elections in Eastern Europe

Stalin responded angrily and tightened his hold on eastern Europe

April to June 1945--San Francisco conferenceFramed the United Nations CharterHistory Channel speech--United Nations formedHigh tensions between Big Three

July 1945--meeting at PotsdamThe Big Three agreed on very little at the meeting

Victory in Europe

Nazi genocide of Jews during WWIIExtermination campsMass murders and tortureRoosevelt administration was more concerned with

winning the War as quickly as possible rather than destroying the camps

Very little attempts to rescue European Jews Congress and the public did not want to admit large #s

of Jewish refugees to the U.S.A.

The Holocaust

By 1945--Nazis murdered:6 million JewsAbout 3 million gypsies, communists, homosexuals, etc.

Allies liberated the death camps in the last months of the WarTook pictures of the horror they saw

The Holocaust

The Atomic Bomb

The fighting in the Pacific continued in 1945U.S. captured Iwo Jima and OkinawaU.S. suffered heavy causalities at both battles

July 1945--U.S. successfully tested an atomic bombHistory Channel video--atomic bomb testedTruman issued the Potsdam Declaration

Called on Japan to surrender unconditionally or face “prompt and utter destruction”

Japan rejected the warningTruman ordered the use of nuclear bombs

The Atomic Bomb

Aug. 6--HiroshimaHistory Channel video--Hiroshima

Aug. 9--NagasakiJapan then surrenderedMany historians have debated if the U.S.A. needed to

use the atomic bombsWas it justified?Motives?

The Atomic Bomb

Fifty million people died in WWIIMore than 1/2 were civilians

Soviet Union lost 20 millionAbout 400,000 U.S. servicemen diedMuch of Europe and Asia was ruinedU.S. was physically undamagedThere were profound changes had occurred in

American life

The Atomic Bomb

The U.S. used isolationism in the the 1930’s as a response to the aggressions of Germany, Italy, and Japan

After Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Congress voted for war on Japan

Hitler and Mussolini then declared war on the U.S.A.

Conclusion

Once in the War, the country engaged in total warThe powers of the federal govt. (especially the

president) expanded mightily to mobilize the American economy fully

U.S. became more productive and prosperous than ever before

The Depression endedFully employment returnedThe majority of people earned good $$$$

Conclusion

Allied armies defeated the enemyAmericans’ faith in “capitalism and democratic

institutions” reboundedConfidence and optimism about our future and

national strength grewAmerica then locked horns with its former ally the

Soviet Union in a Cold War

Conclusion

Documents

Chapter 25