Road to War &World War II

Chapter 35 & 36

London Conference

• During the 1930s we were really onlyworried about the U.S. & ourselves

• London Economic Conference (1933)– Hoped to form a global plan to fight the

Depression– Wanted to stabilize exchange rates– FDR initially supportive, but changed his

tune– The conference collapsed and anger was

directed at the U.S.

Philippines & Foreign Policy

• Cost a lot of $ to maintain overseas possessions• Tydings-McDuffie Act (1934)

– Would give the Philippines independence aftera 12-yr. period of political tutoring

– The U.S. would keep its naval bases there• 1933 - FDR also formally recognized the Soviet

Union– Hoped for trade and an ally against Japan and

Germany

Good Neighbor Policy

• Armed intervention in Latin America not makingany friends

• Decided to just line up support for the US• Withdrew US troops from Haiti• Withdrew Platt amendment from Cuba- kept

Guantanamo• 1938- Mexico nationalized its oil fields

– Many in the U.S. demanded armed intervention– Mex. eventually paid the former owners in the

US

Trade in the 1930s

• Cordell Hull- Sec. of State• Reciprocal Trade Agreement Act (1934)

– Lowered tariff to increase trade– Only if other country agreed to lower

theirs (21 did by 1939)• Led to free trade atmosphere after WW II

Rise of Dictators Worldwide

• USSR- Joseph Stalin- Communist• Italy- Benito Mussolini- Fascist

– Mussolini- attacked Ethiopia in 1935• Oil and to restore national pride

– League of Nations didn't act• Germany- Adolf Hitler- Fascist• Japan- Military Govt.-

– terminated naval treaty, built a big navy

Isolationism Still Alive

• As 1930's went on blame for WW I was puton arms & munitions manufacturers &bankers– "Merchants of Death"– Investigated by the Nye Committee

• Said if the U.S. got out of this business,would avoid war– Our trade in these areas always got us into

trouble

Neutrality Acts

• The sentiment in the U.S. was still towardsisolationism

• Neutrality Acts (1935, 1936, 1937)– When President said a state of war existed

between 2 countries (open to presidentialinterpretation)

– Couldn't sail on belligerent ship, sell munitionsor make loans to a country at war

– No distinction between aggressor and victim

Spanish Civil War

• Spanish rebels led by Francisco Francostarted a civil war– aided by Germany & Italy

• Able to test new military tactics andmachinery

– Spanish Govt. aided by Soviets– US refused to help the govt. of Spain

• All the while the US military was sagging

Japanese Aggression

• 1937- Japan started a war with China, alreadyinvaded Manchuria

• Quarantine Speech– economic embargoes on aggressor nations (like

Japan)• Panay Incident (1937)

– A clearly marked U.S. naval vessel (U.S.S. Panay)was attacked in China by Japanese planes

– 2 dead, 30 wounded– Japan apologized & paid quickly

Hitler & German Aggression

• 1935- Hitler began violating the VersaillesTreaty– Compulsory military service in Germany– Moved German troops troops into the

Rhineland– Began persecution of Jews– Built a huge military

• 1938- took over Austria peacefully– The “Anschluss”

Appeasement

• Moved into the northwest corner ofCzechoslovakia - Sudetenland-– Something needed to be done to stop him

• Munich Conference-– Hitler, Mussolini, Chamberlain (G.B.), Daladier

(France)– Policy of appeasement - let him have it as long

as he promises to do no more• 6 months later, Hitler took all of Czechoslovakia

Map of the Sudetenland

Start of WWII

• After Hitler took all of Czechoslovkia, France& G.B. told him any more would mean war– Next would be an attack on Poland and no one

thought Hitler would do that– Attacking Poland would mean a two front war

(Soviets on the east)• How did Hitler avoid this?

• Sept. 1, 1939 - Germany invades Poland• Sept. 3, 1939 - WWII officially underway

U.S. Neutrality

• FDR declared U.S. neutrality• Neutrality Act of 1939

– “cash & carry” law– We would sell arms to democracies in

Europe– They need to pay cash and come get them

• Was great for the U.S. economy

World War II in Europe

• Soviets took Finland as a buffer• April, 1940

– Hitler took Denmark and Norway• Late June - France surrendered• “Miracle at Dunkirk”• Soon after, Winston Churchill

named P.M of Great Britain

U.S. Reaction

• We begin a naval build up just in case– Is the start of a two-ocean navy

• 1940 - Selective Service & Training Act– U.S.’s first peacetime draft

• U.S. and Latin America agreed touphold the Monroe Doctrine– Still clinging to isolationsim

Battle of Britain

• An air war for control of the British Isles– German Luftwaffe vs. the British RAF– The Royal Air Force won and stopped an

attack of the British mainland

1940 Election

• Dems nominate FDR again (3rd term)• GOP nominates Wendell Willkie

Neutral Any More?

• G.B. was running out of $• Lend-Lease Bill

– U.S. would give equipment to the Allieswhich would be returned or paid for later

– An economic declaration of war• Got U.S. factories going for later war

production• Germany began sinking U.S. ships

Two-Front War

• Hitler planned on defeating France andG.B. and then attacking the U.S.S.R.– Lost his patience and invade the Soviet

Union (oil & other resources)– Soviets now got Lend-Lease aid

• The German invasion of the SovietUnion stalled when winter hit

World War II - Late 1941

Atlantic Conference

• FDR & Churchill met off Newfoundland• Atlantic Charter

– Opposed territorial gains– No territorial changes

unless the people affectedwanted them

– Self-determination– Set the groundwork for the

U.N.

Pearl Harbor

• Japan was allied with Germany and neededresources

• U.S. froze all Japanese assets in the U.S. b/cof their aggression in the Pacific

• We knew an attack was coming somewhere -most thought the Philippines– WRONG!

• Attack came Dec. 7, 1941– Over 2,400 killed