Ch. 29 sec 2 Moving Closer to War Pgs Isolationism The most outspoken isolationists in Congress were the progressive Republicans, mainly from the West and Midwest. Their primary support came from many newspapers, the biggest were those in the William Hearst chain. Father Charles Coughlin lined up with isolationists speaking out on the radio. Isolationism cont. An America First Committee sponsored rallies around the country against the war. A frequent speaker was popular pilot Charles Lindbergh who warned the only way to preserve the American way of life was to stay out of the war. The internationalists were strongest in the Democratic party and were from the South and Northeast. They looked to FDR for leadership. Europe at War As Churchill had predicted the Munich agreement failed. Hitler took over the rest of Czechoslovakia in 1939 and then demanded Poland. Britain and France made an agreement to defend Poland from Hitler, they turned to the Soviet Union for additional help. However the Soviets, led by Joseph Stalin decided to sign a nonaggression treaty with Germany. With the path cleared on two fronts, Germany marched into Poland, Hitler didnt believe France and Britain would act. War is Declared Just before dawn on Sept. 1, 1939, Germany crossed over into Poland attacking fast and brutal, a new type of fighting was coined. Blitzkrieg means lightening war, this was term used to describe the way Germany fought. On Sept. 3 rd, Britain and France decided to act and officially declared war on Germany. War is Declared cont. FDR declared that the U.S. would remain neutral, however he added that even a neutral couldnt close his mind or his conscience. Within weeks FDR asked Congress to lift the Neutrality Acts arms embargo which prevented Britain and France from buying American weapons. Despite all the telegrams received urging to keep the U.S. out of the war, Congress decided to sell to the Allies as long as they paid cash and carried the goods in their own ships. Dunkirk After the winter of , Hitler launched another invasion of Denmark and Norway. After this the Germans marched on into the Netherlands and Belgium, where for the first time they were met by French and British troops. In May 1940, German forces defeated the Allied army and drove it to the sea at the French town of Dunkirk on the Belgium border. Dunkirk cont. Cut off from retreat by land, the army was saved when 300,000 British and French troops were evacuated across the English Channel in a heroic 9 day rescue effort aided by 600 private boats. Battle of Britain In June 1940, Italy invaded France and declared war on Great Britain. FDR announced the U.S. would not enter war but would extend as much aid as possible to the democracies. On June 22, France surrendered leaving Britain alone to face the enemy. Battle of Britain cont. The German air force began to bomb British airfields, factories, and cities to prepare the way for German armies to cross the English Channel. Britain found its new leadership in Prime Minister, Winston Churchill who promised that no matter what it took they would defend their land. Neutrality Abandoned Churchill asked the U.S. for a loan of 50 destroyers to protect British shipping from German submarines. Knowing the isolationists in Congress would block such a move, FDR acted on his own. In Sept by executive order 50 old WWI destroyers were given to Britain in return for the use of their bases in Newfoundland and the Caribbean. Neutrality Abandoned cont. London suffered for months as bombing occurred day and night by hundreds of German planes. The fighter pilots of the Royal Air Force kept the Germans from gaining control of the skies over Britain and forced Hitler to abandon his invasion planes. Peril With the fall of France and the attacks on Britain, Americans began to become worried about the affairs outside the Western Hemisphere and began to upset them that they couldnt help. The idea of Mussolini or Hitler adding the French and British fleets to theirs made many worry the war may come to the U.S. Peril cont. Congress began to realize FDR was right, they redirected billions of dollars for defense and passed the Selective Service Act. The Selective Service Act was the first peacetime draft in American history which added 800,000 men to the armed forces. Leadership Endorsed The Presidential election of 1940 brought the debate between internationalists and isolationists to both major parties. The Republicans nominated Wendell Willkie, a wall street lawyer and utility company executive who was new politics but known for his criticism towards the New Deal. Leadership Endorsed cont. The Democrats weren't sure if FDR would want to run again, breaking the precedent set by George Washington. With the nation on the brink of war FDR felt he was the best equipped to handle it so he announced he would accept the nomination at the Democratic convention. Leadership Endorsed cont. At first both candidates agreed on the same foreign policy stance, but as Willkie began to slip in the polls he began claiming that FDR would take the U.S. to war if reelected. FDR won the election however proving that Americans were afraid to change leadership in the midst of all the troubles going on. Britain Britain was beginning to run out of money to buy weapons with so FDR proposed ending the cash and carry policy and starting a lend- lease policy. FDRs lend-lease policy was were the U.S. would merely lend goods to Britain who would return or replace after the war. Lend-lease is a transfer of goods and services to an ally. Britain cont. Again debate arose over helping out those involved but more were beginning to agree with FDR. People were beginning to believe helping Britain was more important than staying out of the war. Congress passed the Lend-Lease which authorized the President to send American supplies and weapons to other nations on any terms he saw fit to protect the security of the U.S. Battle for the Atlantic Once the lend-lease act had been passed it became necessary to hurry the supplies to the nations in need before Hitler reached them. For Greece and Yugoslavia it was too late, Hitler had invaded before the U.S. could get the goods there. Hitler had also ordered his submarines to starve Britain into submission since his bombers couldnt do the job. Battle for the Atlantic cont. To protect U.S. goods FDR ordered the U.S. Navy to protect all merchant ships since the Germans had began sinking both British and American supply ships. An American destroyer was sank by a German U-boat which led to the Neutrality Acts being revised to allow merchant ships to be armed. Germany Turns In June 1941 Hitler decided he wanted the wheat and oil supplies in Russia and out of no where attacked the USSR despite their agreement. The USSR turned to Great Britain and signed an alliance. The U.S. offered lend-lease goods to the Soviets, which angered many isolationists. Changing Times By the end of November 1941 few Americans were preaching isolationism. Most agreed with FDR that the U.S. must be an arsenal of democracy to supply Britain and the USSR against Hitler. Around 15,000 Americans were already at war at this time helping fight for the British or the Canadians. The Pacific Japan was rolling through the Asian countries in the Pacific with the fall of France they took their colonies. With great Britain and the USSR weak, Japan moved onto their colonies. The only obstacle left in their domination of the Pacific were the U.S. colonies. Embargo In September 1940, Japan allied with the Axis Powers of Germany and Italy. The U.S. responded by cutting off exports of scrap metal to Japan. As Japan continued their aggression in the Pacific, FDR extended the embargo to include other products that could be used for possible military products. Embargo cont. In July 1941 FDR told Japan the U.S. would help them find raw materials if they would abandon their policy of conquest. Japan rejected this proposal and FDR halted all trade with Japan. American forces in the Pacific were ordered to prepare for war. Appeal for Peace In October 1941 Japanese Prime Minister Prince Fumimaro Konoye resigned. He had been willing to negotiate with the U.S. and believed there was no way Japan could defeat the U.S. in war. The new prime minister General Hideki Tojo didnt share these views, he favored war to eliminate American and British influence in Asia. Appeal for Peace cont. By late Nov. the U.S. continued to try and insist that Japan honor the Open Door policy. Japanese leaders decided that if the dispute didnt come to a favorable conclusion quickly they would attack. Nonetheless on Nov. 20, negotiations were opened in Washington D.C., the U.S. was represented by Sec. of State Cordell Hull and the Japanese by Ambassador Admiral Kichisaburo Nomura and special envoy Saburo Kurusu. Talks Stall As negotiations deadlocked, FDR knew war was inevitable and on Dec. 6 th pleaded for peace directly to Japans Emperor Hirohito. American officials however were unaware that on Nov. 26 th a Japanese fleet shipped out heading for the U.S.s main naval base- Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.