US Neutrality

Early Moves Toward Isolationism American efforts early Roosevelt administration Europe; Asia; Western Hemisphere London Conference Roosevelt would not accept any policy that went against his domestic plans (create inflation). Creates a feeling of everyman for himself

Asia Philippines—Process of giving full independence Soviet Union—Recognition of government. Fear alliance with Japan and Germany

Latin America Good Neighbor Reciprocal Trade Agreement Better relations with Latin America. Remove military forces and line up allies Reciprocal Trade Agreement Lowered Tariffs with Latin America with both sides doing it.

NEUTRALITY ACTS 1935: prohibited arms shipments to all belligerent countries. 1936: forbid loans to all belligerents 1937: “Cash and Carry” principle: all nations must pay for nonmilitary purchases and ship the goods in their own vessels Neutral

NEUTRALITY ACTS 1939: prohibited Americans from traveling on ships of belligerent nations 1940: Lend Lease program offered to Great Britain…. U.S. becomes the “arsenal of democracy” FDR responds to Fascist aggression in Europe by protecting democracies and preparing the US for war….. Neutral

Destroyers for Bases US would give British Naval Ships (Destroyers) British would give US access to land on British Territories

Conscription Law (1940) First Peace-Time Draft in American History Only to be used in Western Hemisphere (Self-Defense)

May 1940: Germany turned west and invaded France and the Netherlands In May 1940, Germany used Blitzkrieg tactics to attack France and the Netherlands. British troops were forced to retreat from the beaches of Dunkirk in northern France. Captured British troops, May 1940

By June 1940, France had surrendered to the Germans Britain now stood alone as the last remaining enemy of Hitler’s Germany in Western Europe. Adolf Hitler tours Paris after his successful invasion.

September 1940-May 1941: the Blitz For the following nine months, the German air force (Luftwaffe) launched repeated bombing raids on British towns and cities. This was known as the BLITZ and was an attempt to bomb Britain into submission.

THE BATTLE FOR BRITAIN Hitler crushes France in June 1940 Hitler’s last enemy was Great Britain, who along with France had been defeated at the battle of Dunkirk Battle of Britain, largest air battle ever fought in the history of warfare. July to November 1940 and was won by the Royal Air Force (RAF or British Air Force). First major German loss in WWII and forced Hitler to change his strategy British people fought for their country and a possible Nazi invasion (Operation Sea Lion). Hitler wanted to gain air supremacy.

Britain THE BATTLE FOR BRITAIN London’s Casualties 43,000 Killed 51,000 Seriously injured 88,000 Slightly injured Nearly 500 (RAF) pilots and aircrew had been killed, 500 wounded and 915 aircraft were destroyed. The once undefeated Luftwaffe (Nazis) had been beaten and lost 1733 aircraft and crews in the process. Their immortality (RAF) was guaranteed when Churchill in a speech made on the 20th August said "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few".

Now Britain Is All Alone! Winston Churchill, the Prime Minister of Great Britain. The “Lion of England”

Battle of Britain – the “Blitz”

The London “Tube”: Air Raid Shelters during the Blitz

AMERICAN NEUTRALITY Americans wanted to remain neutral. America First Committee Committee to Defend America by Aiding the Allies Feb. 21, 1940: If Germany is defeating England & France, should the U.S. declare war on Germany and send our Army and Navy to Europe to fight against Hitler? Yes: 23% No 77% Neutral

LEND LEASE RENTING, LEASING, GIVING BRITAIN AND LATER SOVIET UNION AND CHINA, MILITARY WEAPONS TO ARM THEM AGAINST THE GERMANS AND JAPANESE… FDR’s FINAL ATTEMPT TO REMAIN NEUTRAL! USA BECOMES THE “ARSENAL OF DEMOCRACY” LEND LEASE

ATLANTIC CHARTER FIRST, we seek not conquest of land or territory….. SECOND, no territorial changes of land between nations. THIRD, Restoration of sovereign rights and self-government FOURTH, Access to raw materials for all FIFTH, World economic cooperation SIXTH, Freedom from fear and want SEVENTH, freedom of the seas EIGHTH, Disarmament of aggressors NINTH, a United Nations for world peace.

“Lend-Lease” Act (1941) Great Britain.........................$31 billion Soviet Union...........................$11 billion France......................................$ 3 billion China.......................................$1.5 billion Other European.................$500 million South America...................$400 million The amount totaled: $48,601,365,000

LEND LEASE lend lease The US offered Lend Lease as a last defense to stay out of war. It was given to Britain during the Battle of Britain in 1940, the Soviet Union after Hitler’s invasion in 1941 and China. The US became the “arsenal of democracy”.

Pearl Harbor

Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto

Pearl Harbor from the Cockpit of a Japanese Plane

A date which will live in infamy! Pearl Harbor – Dec. 7, 1941 A date which will live in infamy!

FDR Signs the War Declaration

USS Arizona, Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor Memorial 2,887 Americans Dead!

U.S RESPONSE TO FASCIST AGGRESSION 1. 1931---Japan invades Manchuria, WWII begins in Asia 2. 1935---Italy invades Ethiopia 3. 1936---Hitler invades the Rhineland 4. 1937 to 1939---Spanish Civil War 5. 1937---Japan invades China 6. 1938--Hitler takes Sudetenland US and League of Nations demands Japan to get out---Stimson Doctrine L/N demands Italy to get out—No US sell of weapons L/N demands Germany to get out---US Neutrality and refuses to sell arms to Germany US Neutrality----Spain becomes a fascist dictatorship US neutral but demands Japan to withdraw and refuses to sell iron, steel and gasoline products Munich Conference--Great Britain and France give into Hitler, Appeasement US Neutral but FDR writes a letter to Hitler & Mussolini asking them to guarantee no more aggression. CHART

U.S RESPONSE TO FASCIST AGGRESSION CHART Cannot trust “the words of a dictator” Britain & France declare war on Germany on Sept. 1, 1939. US neutral, extends Cash and Carry Policy to Allies US neutral--freezes German assets--begins military buildup US neutral, begins peacetime draft—Selective Service US neutral but demands withdrawal and freezes Japanese money, Property and embargo of oil, iron and steel. US neutral but extends Lend Lease policy to Great Britain—last Democratic Nation—Battle of Britian US becomes the arsenal of democracy 7. 1938, Hitler takes Czechoslovakia 8. Sept. 1, 1939, Hitler invades Poland which begins WWII in Europe 9. 1940---Hitler’s inasion of Norway, Denmark, Holland and Belgium 10. 1940---Hitler takes France 11. 1940---Japan’s invades Indochina 12. 1940---Hitler attacks Great Britian

U.S RESPONSE TO FASCIST AGGRESSION 13. 1941---Hitler’s invasion of Russia 14. 1941---Japan attacks Pearl Harbor Dec. 7, 1941---Day of Infamy US neutral but extends Lend Lease to Russia…...US & Great Britain draw up war goals in the Atlantic Charter Neutrality is ended and US declares war on Japan, Germany and Italy declare war on US CHART