The US and World War II

Dictator Rise in Europe Hitler takes power with the Nazi party in Germany Mussolini takes power in Italy with fascism Stalin takes power in the Soviet Union (Russia) with communism Emperor Hirohito takes power in Japan

Appeasement Dictators started taking land and the allies allowed them to avoid war Italy took Ethiopia Japan took Manchuria China Germany built up a huge army and began occupying part of France (the Rhineland) The League of Nations was powerless to prevent the acts of aggression

Isolationism in the US Neutrality Acts were passed- no military weapons of any kind would be sold to nations at war Weapons were still sold to the Chinese because Japan had not officially declared war

Germany has now taken Poland, Norway, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Denmark, Belgium, and Luxembourg US passes the Cash and Carry program where countries could purchase weapons but they must pay in cash and provide their own transportation

Lend Lease Program “if your neighbors house in on fire you don’t sell them a hose you lend it to them” Now the US was lending weapons to the countries and they would give them back

Pearl Harbor Japan was in the process of expanding their empire even more into Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia (European Colonies) The US put an trading embargo on the Japanese which included oil Without oil the Japanese could not continue to build their empire

On December 7, 1941 Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii 2,403 Americans died at Pearl Harbor 21 ships were sunk or damaged (more than in all of World War I)