World War II

The Basics The 2 Sides ◦The Allies made up 26 nations with Great Britain, Soviet Union (eventually), and the US ◦The Axis made up of 8 nations with Germany, Italy, and Japan (Soviet Union at the start) The two theaters of war ◦Europe and North Africa ◦The Pacific

Diplomacy During the War Atlantic Charter ◦Roosevelt and Churchill met in 1941 to agree on terms for a lasting peace and establishing free government after the war Yalta ◦Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin met in 1945 to outline the division of Germany after the war into spheres of influence ◦Planned trials for war criminals ◦Soviet Union promised to enter war against Japan

Atomic Bomb Allies researched atomic power to bring a quicker end to the war and reduce destruction and death Manhattan Project ◦In 1943 scientists from US, Canada, Britain, and other European countries began research in Los Alamos, NM ◦Many scientists were refugees from Germany ◦First atomic bomb tested in NM in July 1945

Hiroshima and Nagasaki Allied leaders warned Japan to surrender or face “prompt and utter destruction” When there was no surrender President Truman decided to drop an atomic bomb on Hiroshima and then another one on Nagasaki when still no surrender 100,000 died instantly and thousands more later from radiation sickness Beginning of the atomic age and the nuclear arms race

Japan Surrenders After the atomic bombs were dropped Japan surrendered ending the war The US occupied Japan with General Douglas MacArthur leading it Japan had a new constitutional monarchy bringing democracy Emperor Hirohito stayed as Emperor but only as figurehead

American Patriotism During the war the US was in full wartime production and mobilization of the military Americans constantly prepared for attack and aided the war effort ◦Blackout drills ◦Rationing of food, gasoline, and other necessities as wells as luxuries  “meatless Tuesdays” and “victory gardens” War Bond Drives

Postwar Matters Country had to go from wartime to peacetime – demobilization ◦Military went from 12 million to 1.5 million ◦Factories had to resume making consumer goods Servicemen’s Readjustment Act ◦Became known as GI Bill, authorized billions of dollars to pay for veterans’ benefits, college, medical, unemployment, and home/business loans Taft-Hartley Act ◦Wages couldn’t keep up with inflation after the war so a lot of strikes occurred ◦Series of provisions to help both workers and dealing with strikes by the gov’t Baby Boom ◦Largest population boom in US history ◦Families had grown smaller during the Great Depression ◦The boom brought expansion of public services 1948 Election ◦People had been very unhappy with Truman and polls showed he would lose ◦Pulled off upset and proposed the “Fair Deal” to extend the new deal reforms