US History

Sept.1 - Germany invades Poland (official start to the war ) Sept. 3 - Britain & France declare war on Germany Dec. 7 – Japan bombs Pearl Harbor; US enters the War 1941 May - Germans Surrender Sept. - Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima & Nagasaki, Japanese Surrender US involvement

4 Allies Axis Great Britain France (note: France surrendered to Germany in 1940 (after 6 weeks of fighting) United States Soviet Union Germany Italy Japan (major powers)

5 Adolf Hitler Nazi Germany Benito Mussolini Italy

6 Hideki Tojo Japanese Prime Minister Winston Churchill British Prime Minister

7 Franklin Delano Roosevelt US President Joseph Stalin Russian Leader

8 1. Treaty of Versailles A. Germany lost land to surrounding nations B. War Reparations 1) Allies collect $ to pay back war debts to U.S. 2) Germany must pay $57 trillion (modern equivalent) 3) Bankrupted the German economy & embarrassed Germans Lloyd George, Georges Clemenceau, and Woodrow Wilson during negotiations for the Treaty

9 2. World-wide Depression A. The Depression made Germany’s debt even worse B. Desperate people turn to desperate leaders 1) Hitler seemed to provide solutions to Germany’s problems Wallpapering with German Deutchmarks

10 2. World-wide Depression 2) Hitler provided scapegoats for Germany’s problems (foreigners, Jews, communists, Roma (Gypsies), mentally ill, homosexuals) 3) Kristallnacht - vandalism & destruction of Jewish property & synagogues

11 3. Rise of Totalitarian Regimes A. In a Totalitarian country, individual rights are not viewed as important as the needs of the nation Totalitarianism Communist Dictatorship (USSR) Fascist Dictatorship (Germany, Italy) Military Dictatorship (Japan) Fascism: military government with based on racism & nationalism with strong support from the business community

12 4. Isolationism of Major Powers A. Why was the U.S. Isolationist? 1. Great Depression (problems at home) 2. Perceptions of WWI a. WWI did not seem to solve much b. People began to think that we’d got into WWI for the wrong reasons (greedy American businessmen!) thanks to the Nye Committee

13 4. Isolationism of Major Powers 3. Opposition to war (Pacifism) a. Washington Conference - Limits on size of country's navies b. Kellogg-Briand pact - condemned war as a way to solving conflicts

14 4. Isolationism of Major Powers B. This led to policies of “Appeasement” 1. Appeasement: give dictators what they want and hope that they won’t want anything else 2. Begins with Japanese invasion of Manchuria, Italian invasion of Ethiopia, and continues with Hitler...

15 Return of German Speaking Lands - “Lebensraum” Austria – Peacefully Annexed in 1938 German Troops Parade in Streets of Czechoslovakian Town, ca. 1939

16 Return of German Speaking Lands - “Lebensraum” Sudentenland - (now part of Czech Republic) Munich Conference – Great Britain & France give to Hitler in return for peace Hitler then invades the rest of Czechoslovakia German Troops Parade in Streets of Czechoslovakian Town, ca. 1939

17 Return of German Speaking Lands Nonaggression Pact Russia stays out of the war in return for 1/2 of Poland Germany invades Poland Hitler's triumphal entry into Danzig, Poland 1939 Great Britain & France finally declare war on Germany

18 Blitzkrieg “Lightning War” In the next year, Hitler invades: Denmark Norway The Netherlands, France Hitler in Paris

 Law passed by Congress in 1941 providing that any country whose security was vital to U.S. interests could receive arms and equipment from the United States.

 Joint statement issued by Roosevelt and Churchill stating American and British postwar aims of international economic and political cooperation.

 U.S. naval base in Hawaii that was attacked by the Japanese bringing the U.S. into World War II.

 The United States and its allies achieved victory over the Axis powers through a combination of factors, including allied political and military cooperation, industrial production, technological and scientific advances, and popular commitment to advancing democratic ideals.

 Top-secret program of the U.S. government to develop an atomic bomb.

 Allied invasion of Europe led by General Dwight D. Eisenhower.  Over a million troops (the largest invasion force in history) stormed the beaches at Normandy and began the process of re-taking France.  The turning point of World War II.

 Meeting between Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin to discuss the final defeat of the Axis powers and the problems of postwar occupation.  Stalin agreed to free elections in Eastern Europe after the war.  Stalin also agreed to assist the U.S. in its war against Japan.

 Japanese cities hit with atomic bombs dropped by the U.S., ending World War II.

 The mass mobilization of American society to supply troops for the war effort and a workforce on the home front ended the Great Depression and provided opportunities for women and minorities to improve their socioeconomic positions.  Despite U.S. contributions to the victory over fascism and new opportunities for women and minorities during the war, other wartime experiences, such as the internment of Japanese Americans, challenges to civil liberties, debates over race and segregation, and the decision to drop the atomic bomb raised questions about American values.

 An iconic image of a woman dressed in overalls who became the symbol for the publicity campaign that was launched by the government to draw women into traditional male jobs.

 African American leader who organized a march on Washington in 1941 to pressure FDR to issue an executive order banning discrimination in defense industries.  (FDR the set up the Fair Employment Practices Commission to halt discrimination in war production and government.)

 Civil Rights Organization created in World War II that committed itself to using nonviolent techniques to end racial segregation.

 Under Executive Order #9066, FDR authorized the removal of “enemy aliens” from military areas.  Over 110,00 Japanese Americans living in the western U.S. were moved to internment camps, although those living in Hawaii were not put into camps.

 Several thousand off-duty Mexican American soldiers and sailors, joined by hundreds of local white civilians, rampaged through downtown Los Angeles streets, assaulting Hispanics, blacks, and Filipinos

 The dominant American role in the Allied victory and postwar peace settlements, combined with the war-ravaged condition of Asia and Europe, allowed the United States to emerge from the war as the most powerful nation on earth.

 The development of Sound Navigation and Ranging (Sonar) played a critical role in anti-submarine warfare against the Germans

 African American educator who was an advocate of equality opportunity for African Americans.