Chapter 33 Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Shadow of War 1933-1941

The London Conference Summer of 1933, 66 nations sent delegates to the London Economic Conference Delegates hoped to coordinated an international response - global depression Stabilize currencies and rates which they could be exchanged FDR opposed conference b/c didn’t want any interference with his own plans to fix US economy W/out support from US conference fell apart Collapse strengthened global trend towards nationalism Made international cooperation difficult

Freedom for (from?) the Filipinos and Recognition for the Russians Continuing nation's isolationist policies – FDR withdrew from Asia Congress passed Tydings-McDuffie Act, 1934, provided independence to the Philippines by 1946 – didn’t want to have to support the Philippines if Japan attacked 1933, FDR formally recognized the Soviet Union Opened up trade and fostered friendship to counter-balance the threat of German power in Europe and Japanese power in Asia

Becoming a Good Neighbor FDR - Good Neighbor policy America would not intervene or interfere with Latin American countries. All marines left Haiti, 1934 Released some control over Cuba and Panama When Mexican gov’t seized American oil properties in 1938, FDR held to his policy and a settlement was worked out (1941)

Secretary Hull's Reciprocal Trade Agreements Congress passed Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act, 1934 Designed to lower tariffs Allowed Pres. to lower tariffs with a country if that country also lowered theirs Negotiated pacts with 21 countries by 1939 Trade agreements dramatically increased U.S. foreign trade Paved way for American-led free-trade international economic system after WWII

Storm-Cellar Isolationism Following Gt. Dep.  totalitarianism spread throughout Europe Joseph Stalin took control of Communist USSR  killed hundreds of thousands of political opponents Benito Mussolini took control of Italy in 1922 Adolf Hitler took control of Germany in 1933 - Most dangerous b/c of tremendous power and impulsive 1936, Nazi Hitler and Fascist Mussolini became allies -  Rome-Berlin Axis 1934, Japan terminated  Washington Naval Treaty and accelerated their construction of large battleships Mussolini attacked Ethiopia in 1935 Americans maintained isolationist attitude - thought oceans that surrounded country would protect them. 1934, Congress passed the Johnson Debt Default Act, preventing debt-dodging nations from borrowing further from the US

Congress Legislates Neutrality Congress sought to keep US out of war by passing the Neutrality Acts of 1935, 1936, and 1937 Acts stated that when the president proclaimed the existence of a foreign war, certain restrictions would automatically go into effect. Countries involved in a war (victim or aggressor), no American could legally sail on one of their ships, sell or transport munitions to them, or give them loans Because America did not help its democratic friends, America actually helped provoke the aggressors

America Dooms Loyalist Spain Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939 Started when Spanish rebels, led by Franco, rose against the left-wing republican government in Madrid Aided by Mussolini and Hitler Overthrew Loyalist regime, supported by USSR War was "dress rehearsal" for WWII - involved many of the same countries Small group of American volunteers fought for Loyalists US wanted to stay out of war  Congress amended neutrality legislation to apply an arms embargo to both Loyalists and rebels

Appeasing Japan and Germany 1937, Japan invaded China.  FDR refused to call invasion a "war", so the neutrality legislation did not take effect. If he had called it a war, he would have cut off munition sales to the Chinese  consequence Japan could still buy war supplies from US FDR gave Quarantine Speech, 1937 Proposed economic embargos against the aggressive dictators Public opposed - FDR did not follow through with his plan 1937, Japan’s planes sunk US ship - Tokyo apologized and US accepted 1935, Hitler violated Treaty of Versailles  - introduced mandatory military service & 1936 took over demilitarized Rhineland. March 1938, Hitler invaded Austria.  (Note: Austria actually voted for the occupation, fully aware that if it resisted, Germany would forcefully take over Austria.) Germany,  Sept. 1938, Western European democracies allowed Germany to keep Sudetenland (part of Czechoslovakia) - hoped this would stop Hitler from taking over other countries. In March 1939, Hitler took over all of Czechoslovakia

Hitler's Belligerency and U.S. Neutrality August 23, 1939, USSR signed nonaggression treaty with Hitler  Hitler-Stalin pact meant Germany could make war on Poland & Western democracies without fear of retaliation from USSR Hitler invaded Poland on September 1, 1939.  Britain and France, honoring commitments to Poland, declared war on Germany – start of WWII US strongly anti-Nazi but wanted to stay out of war Britain and France needed materials from US, so Congress passed Neutrality Act of 1939 European democracies buy US materials if they transported goods on own ships & paid cash – “Cash and Carry” policy US to avoid loans, war debts, and the sinking of American ships. Demand for war goods helped end the recession of 1937-1938, and it solved decade-long unemployment crisis

The Fall of France Months after the fall of Poland - known as the "phony war“ France and U.K. were not really militarily involved in the war USSR took over Finland despite Congress loaning $30 million to Finland Phoney war ended - April-May 1940 when Hitler took over Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, and Belgium France fell in June 1940 When France surrendered, Americans realized that England was all that stood in the way of Hitler controlling all of Europe. FDR and Congress quickly set out to build large air fleets and a two-ocean navy Sept. 6, 1940, Congress passed conscription law – US first peacetime draft  At  Havana Conference of 1940, US agreed to protect Latin America from German aggression

Refugees from the Holocaust Nov. 9, 1938, mobs of Germans attacked German Jews Kristallnact, "night of broken glass“ Following these attacks, thousands of Jews sent to concentration camps FDR created War Refugee Board after learning of Nazi genocide Created to help victims of Nazis and other Axis powers By the war's end, over 6 millions Jews had been murdered in the Holocaust

Bolstering Britain After France fell to Germany, Hitler launched air attacks against Britain in August 1940 (Battle of Britain) During Battle of Britain, radio broadcasts brought the drama from London air raids directly into US homes. Sympathy for Britain grew, but not enough to push the US into war Most powerful group of those who supported aid for Britain was the Committee to Defend America by Aiding the Allies Isolationists organized the America First Committee - America should concentrate what strength it had to defend itself Sept. 2, 1940 – FDR transferred 50 destroyers left over from WWI to Britain.  In return, Britain US 8 valuable defensive base sites in the Western Hemisphere. This was a violation of America's neutrality obligations

Shattering the Two-Term Tradition 1940 Election - Republicans chose Willkie  Condemned FDR's alleged dictatorship & opposed New Deal FDR decided to run for 3rd term, Argued that in time of war, country needed his experience FDR won election

A Landmark Lend-Lease Law Fearing collapse of Britain - Congress passed the Lend-Lease Bill in 1941 Under pretense of defending America Allowed US to lease arms to democracies that needed them.  Guns & tanks returned after war Opponents of bill said arms would be destroyed and unable to be returned after the war. Bill marked abandonment of any pretense of neutrality Hitler saw the Lend-Lease Bill as an unofficial declaration of war Until then, Germany had avoided attacking U.S. ships  May 21, 1941- unarmed US merchant ship destroyed by German submarine outside the war zone

Charting a New World Before attack on Pearl Harbor, 2 events marked the course of WWII: Fall of France - June 1940 Hitler's invasion of USSR - June 1941 Hitler decided to invade USSR – June 22, 1941 Hoped to take oil and other resources of USSR & then concentrate on Britain FDR sent military supplies to the USSR. August 1941 – FDR & Churchill met and came up with the eight-point Atlantic Charter at the Atlantic Conference Discussed goals of the war Promised there would be no territorial changes contrary to the wishes of the inhabitants Affirmed right of a people to choose their own form of government Declared for disarmament of the aggressors

U.S. Destroyers and Hitler's U-boats Clash B/c Germany kept sinking arms shipments, FDR decided to have US warships escort supplies to Britain (July 1941) After series of US boats were sunk by German U-boats, Congress voted in November 1941 to repeal the Neutrality Act of 1939 Enabled merchant ships to be legally armed and enter combat zones with munitions for Britain

Surprise Assault on Pearl Harbor Since September 1940, Japan had been allied with Germany Japan's war effort was dependent on trade with US Late 1940- US imposed the first of its trade embargoes on Japan Offered to lift the embargo if Japan ended its war with China  did not agree to US's terms "Black Sunday" Dec. 7, 1941, Japanese bombers attacked Pearl Harbor, killing 2,348 people. Most of US's battleships were significantly damaged 3 Pacific-fleet aircraft carriers were spared because they were out of the harbor. Dec. 8, the U.S. declared war on Japan Dec. 11, 1941, Germany and Italy declared war on US US followed suit by declaring war on them.

America's Transformation from Bystander to Belligerent Pearl Harbor united Americans in their desire to go to war Prior to attack, most Americans only supported policies that might lead to war Did not want Britain to fall to Germany Wanted to stop Japan from expanding