World War II

Chapter 25

Good Neighbor PolicyBoth Hoover and FDR were interested in improving relations with Latin America (Pan-American Conferences, repeal of Platt Amendment)

FDR otherwise was interested in remaining isolated other than helping the US Economy (backing out of London talks of currency change, recognizing the Soviet Union for trade purposes, lowering tariffs)

Japan and ManchuriaJapan’s defiance of the Open Door policy by conquering Manchuria showed the inability of the League of Nations to keep peace

Hoover responded by not recognizing the new regime (Stimson Doctrine) but did not act on the event, and soon Japan was invading China

Mussolini, Hitler, and Franco

Mussolini conquered Ethiopia

Hitler annexed Austria, reoccupied the Rhineland, and grabbed the Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia

General Franco established a military dictatorship (fascist) in Spain

Nye CommitteeAmericans were reluctant to stop any aggression due to World War I and new reports by the Nye Committee that the war only helped greedy bankers and businessmen make profits

Therefore, Neutrality Acts were passed to keep the US out of war situations (no travel, supplies, loans to war nations)

Jewish Refugees

Nuremberg Laws (citizenship stripping) and Kristallnacht led to the fleeing of many Jews from Germany to any place that would accept them

The SS St Louis came to the US looking to drop off Jewish refugees, but the US would not accept them

Nuremberg Laws and Kristallnacht

Passports allowed Jews to leave but not to return Kristallnacht – Night of

Broken Glass

Appeasement – The Munich Pact

One cause of World War II was the failure of appeasement (giving countries what they want in the hope that they will be satisfied), which was attempted in the Munich Pact with Hitler after he conquered Czechoslovakia

Roosevelt, despite staying neutral, decided to use the “preparedness” strategy and increase spending

Non-Aggression PactAnother reason for the war was the agreement between Germany and Russia to have peace with each other (allowing Germany to turn attentions to the West) and also their agreement to divide Poland

Britain and France spoke up, pledging to stop Hitler if he invaded Poland

The Tripartite PactA third reason was the Tripartite Pact between Germany, Italy, and Japan where each agreed to ally with each other

War Begins1) The invasion of Poland using blitzkrieg (lightning war)

starts World War II as Britain and France declare war on Germany, Italy, and Japan

2) Germany invades France, Denmark, Norway, and other countries in Western Europe, leaving just Britain as the only European ally

US Policy Shifts

As the US witnesses the horrors of Hitler in Europe, people are more willing to help Britain and Roosevelt makes the following changes to neutrality:

1) “Cash and Carry” policy gives arms to Britain (through normal trading)

2) Roosevelt passes a peacetime Selective Service Act to set up a draft

3) Roosevelt sends 50 destroyers to Britain in exchange for the establishment of bases for US economy

Election of 1940

Roosevelt won an unprecedented third term due to his experience, which people felt was needed in this time of war

Lend-Lease BillRoosevelt’s election victory allowed

him to take stronger stances towards allying with Britain:

1) Four Freedoms Speech (pledges to protect countries that fought against tyranny and for freedom)

2) Lend-Lease Act (lent supplies to Britain on credit – had reaction from the American First Committee who pledged neutrality)

3) Atlantic Charter (created peace objectives for the end of war)

4) Shoot-on-sight Policy (shoot German ships on sight)

5) Ending of trade with Japan

US enters war when…

1) Japan’s negotiations break down and tensions in the Pacific are strained

2) Japan attacks Pearl Harbor and US declares war

3) Germany and Italy declare war on the US, who now is allied with Britain and the Soviet Union (who had been double crossed by Germany)

War EconomyCountry 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945

Austria 24 27 27 29 27 28 29 12

France[1] 186 199 164 130 116 110 93 101

Germany 351 384 387 412 417 426 437 310

Italy[2] 141 151 147 144 145 137 117 92

Japan[3] 169 184 192 196 197 194 189 144

Soviet Union[4] 359 366 417 359 274 305 362 343

UK 284 287 316 344 353 361 346 331

USA[5] 800 869 943 1 094 1 235 1 399 1 499 1 474

Allied Total:[6] 1 629 1 600 1 331 1 596 1 862 2 065 2 363 2 341

Axis Total:[7] 685 746 845 911 902 895 826 466

Allied/Axis GDP:[8] 2.38 2.15 1.58 1.75 2.06 2.31 2.86 5.02

The US War Economy turned the tide in the war as new agencies (WPB, Office of War Mobilization, Office of Price Administration) are created

Home FrontMunitions Production in World War II

(Expenditures in billions of dollars, US 1944 munitions prices)

Country/Alliance Year

1935-9 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 Total 1939–44

U.S.A. 0.3 1.5 4.5 20.0 38.0 42.0 106.3

Britain 0.5 3.5 6.5 9.0 11.0 11.0 41.5

U.S.S.R 1.6 5.0 8.5 11.5 14.0 16.0 56.6

Allies Total 2.4 10.0 20.0 41.5 64.5 70.5 204.4

Germany 2.4 6.0 6.0 8.5 13.5 17.0 53.4

Japan 0.4 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.5 6.0 16.9

Axis Total 2.8 7.0 8.0 11.5 18.0 23.0 70.3

John L. LewisLabor Unions such as the Miner’s Unions led by John L. Lewis were often painted as anti-US in World War II

The war had a positive effect on most people due to job creation, and most were okay with the new tax increases and war bonds to pay for the war, but the Smith-Connally Anti-strike Act made it difficult for labor unions in the 1940s

The Manhattan ProjectJ. Robert Oppenheimer creates the Atomic Bomb

With thousands of scientists employed, the “Wizard War” was a chance for the US to create new weapons of destruction to win them the war

The Manhattan Project, run by Oppenheimer, developed the first nuclear bomb as tests were done all over the US

Death Tolls

General Infantry saw death and destruction and suffering psychologically, but it did open their eyes to new countries and cultures and made them more tolerant of others

Women in the WorkforceWomen workers made up 1/3 of the labor force during World War II, often in previously male jobs, but they earned about 65% of what a man received in that job.

Nevertheless “Rosie the Riveter” posters encouraged women to support the war

Minorities Get New OpportunitiesYear

Total labor force (*1000)

Armed forces (*1000)

Unemployed (*1000)

Unemployment rate (%)

39 55,588 370 9,480 17.2

40 56,180 540 8,120 14.6

41 57,530 1,620 5,560 9.9

42 60,380 3,970 2,660 4.7

43 64,560 9,020 1,070 1.9

Minority numbers in the war increased in general and:

1) African-Americans did suffer discrimination but were encouraged to fight with the “Double-V” slogan for victory over fascism leading to victory for equality

2) Mexican-Americans and Native-Americans worked in factories and on farms (braceros), leading to some rioting (Zoot Suit Riots in California)

Japanese-American InternmentInternment Camps placed Japanese-Americans in guarded areas during the war for “necessary and proper” reasons according to the case Korematsu v. US

Election of 1944The Americans yet again did not want to change Presidents during the war and Roosevelt won easily

His ailing health also meant that his VP would likely serve, and he picked Harry Truman

The Big Three

1) Franklin Roosevelt (USA) – end of fascism, open trade between nations, self-determination for people in Europe

2) Winston Churchill (UK) – keep British empire, have balance of power against Germany and Soviet Union

3) Joseph Stalin (Soviet) – weaken Germany, impose Soviet domination over Eastern Europe and other areas

Meetings in Tehran, Casablanca, and Cairo all discussed postwar issues where the three debated the best way to end the war

The Yalta ConferenceThe Big Three met one

last time in the Soviet Union, with Roosevelt now quite sick, and created an official treaty that:

1) Divided Germany into occupation zones for the Soviets, Britain, and the US

2) Allowed Soviet control (but with free elections) in Eastern Europe

3) Created the United Nations as a peacekeeping body

V-E DayAfter victory in Europe (the surrender of Germany) the Soviets started to break their promise to hold free elections and new President Truman criticized Stalin, leading to US and Soviet tensions

Dropping the Atomic BombsTruman’s issuing of the Potsdam Declaration, calling on unconditional surrender from Japan, failed.

Therefore, Truman ordered the dropping of two atomic bombs, one on Hiroshima and the other on Nagasaki.

Since the use of the atomic bomb, historians have debated whether it was necessary.

The HolocaustThe Holocaust activities began reaching the US in the early part of the war, but it wasn’t until the soldiers came home with pictures and stories of what they saw did people learn the truth