CHAPTER 14 SECTION 2 FROM ISOLATION TO INVOLVEMENT

WHILE BRITAIN AND FRANCE APPEASED HITLER IN GERMANY FDR CONDEMNED AGGRESION IN ASIA BY THE JAPANESE BUT DID LITTLE TO STOP IT AS THE WAR EXPLODED IN EUROPE – IT BECAME DIFFICULT FOR THE UNITED STATES TO MAINTAIN NEUTRALITY

Opposition to Aggression ROOSEVELT CRITICIZED JAPAN’S AGGRESSION ON CHINA CALLING IT A “REIGN OF TERROR AND INTERNATIONAL LAWLESSNESS – HE BELIEVED NO PART OF THE WORLD WAS TRULY ISOLATED FROM THE REST OF THE WORLD

Opposition to Aggression ROOSEVELT’S SOLUTION FOR STOPPING AGGRESSION INVOLVED AN INFORMAL ALLIANCE OF THE PEACE-LOVING NATIONS BUT HE DID NOT KNOW HOW TO HOW TO STOP THE AGGRESSIVE NATIONS ROOSEVELT MADE AMERICANS AWARE OF THE THREAT THE JAPANESE POSED TO THE UNITED STATES Quarantine Speech Oct. 5, 1937

War Breaks Out In Europe FRANCE AND BRITAIN’S EFFORTS TO APPEASE HITLER IN EUROPE FAILED TO LIMIT HIS EXPANSION PLANS – BY THE END OF 1938 THEY REALIZED HITLER’S ARMED AGGRESSION COULD ONLY BE STOPPED BY AN ARMED DEFENSE

War Breaks Out In Europe 1939 – HITLER VIOLATED THE MUNICH PACT BY TAKING THE REMAINDER OF CZECHOSLOVAKIA INTO THE GERMAN REICH BRITAIN AND FRANCE DID NOT WANT HITLER TO TAKE OVER ANOTHER COUNTRY WITHOUT CONSEQUENCES – THEY SIGNED AN ALLEGIANCE WITH POLAND WHICH THEY WOULD PROVIDE AID IF HITLER ATTACKED

War Breaks Out In Europe HITLER WAS MORE CONCERNED WITH THE SOVIET UNION THAN BRITAIN AND FRANCE – SIGNED A NON AGGRESSION PACT WITH THE SOVIET UNION SO GERMANY WOULD NOT HAVE TO FIGHT A WAR ON TWO FRONTS – THE PACT WAS THAT: 1. NEITHER THE SOVIET UNION OR GERMANY WOULD ATTACK THE OTHER 2. ALSO THE TWO AGREED TO DIVIDE POLAND AND RECOGNIZE EACH OTHER’S TERRITORIAL AMBITIONS

War Breaks Out In Europe THE AGREEMENT GUARANTEED A GERMAN OFFENSIVE AGAINST POLAND SEPTEMBER 1, 1939 – GERMANY INVADED POLAND WHICH STARTED WWII – WITH A BLITZKRIEG (OR SUDDEN ATTACK) – LIGHTENING WAR – HITTING POLAND FROM THREE DIRECTIONS USING TANKS AND PLANES AND MOTORIZED VEHICLES AND INFANTRY GERMANY BROKE THROUGH POLAND’S DEFENSES AND DESTROYED ITS AIR FORCE

War Breaks Out In Europe BRITAIN AND FRANCE DECLARED WAR ON GERMANY AFTER ITS INVASION OF POLAND BUT DID NOTHING TO HELP POLAND

War Breaks Out In Europe AXIS POWERS – EVENTUALLY INCLUDED GERMANY, ITALY AND JAPAN ALLIES – INCLUDED BRINTAIN FRANCE AND EVENTUALLY THE SOVIET UNION AND THE UNITED STATES AND CHINA

War Breaks Out In Europe AFTER THE GERMAN INVASION OF POLAND, THE WAR ENTERED INTO AN EIGHT MONTH PERIOD OF QUIET KNOW AS THE “PHONY WAR” – DID NOT LAST LONG

War Breaks Out In Europe SPRING 1940 – HITLER SENT ATTACKED DENMARK AND NORWAY – FELL ALMOST IMMEDIATELY – ALSO ATTACKED NETHERLANDS, BELGIUM AND LUXEMBOURG – ALSO FELL QUICKLY

War Breaks Out In Europe HITLER NEXT WENT AFTER FRANCE – FRANCE PREPARED BY FOR A GERMAN INVASION BY CONSTRUCTING THE MAGINOT LINE – AN INTERCONNECTED SERIES OF FORTRESSES ALONG THE FRENCH BORDER WITH GERMANY

War Breaks Out In Europe FRANCE HAD ALSO STATIONED TROOPS ALONG THE BORDER WITH BELGIUM – GERMANY ATTACKED BETWEEN THE MAGINOT LINE AND BELGIUM (THE ARDENNES)

War Breaks Out In Europe GERMANY MADE ITS WAY TO THE ENGLISH CHANNEL – TOO SLOW – FRANCE HAD TIME TO EVACUATE SOLDIERS THAT WERE AT DUNKIRK – 338,000 OF THEM – HAD THEY NOT ESCAPED BRITAIN COULD NOT HAVE REMAINED IN THE WAR DESPITE DUNKIRK GERMANS WERE ABLE TO TAKE PARIS – FRANCE WAS DIVIDED INTO TWO SECTIONS a. NORTH – OCCUPIED FRANCE b. SOUTH VICHY FRANCE

The Battle of Britain FRANCE FELL TO HITLER IN 35 DAYS – HITLER THEN TURNED TO BRITAIN – AFTER DUNKIRK CHURCHILL SAID HE WOULD NOT CONTINUE THE POLICY OF APPEASEMENT HITLER’S PLAN TO INVADE BRITAIN – CALLED OPERATION SEA LION – DEPENDED ON THE GERMAN LUFTWAFFE ( THE GERMANY AIR FORCE ) DESTROYING THE ROYAL AIR FORCE OF BRITAIN – THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN WAS AN AIR BATTLE FOUGHT OVER THE ENGLISH CHANNEL AND BRITAIN

The Battle of Britain GERMANY BOMBED CIVILIAN AS WELL AS MILITARY TARGETS – BRITIAN HELD THEIR OWN – AND HITLER REALIZED HE MIGHT FAIL AT THIS BATTLE SO HE POSTPONED THE INVASION OF BRITIAN INDEFINITELY

The Debate Over American Involvement WINSTON CHURCHILL BELIEVED NAZI AGGRESSION THREATENED THE FREEDOM AND RIGHTS OF DEMOCRATIC NATIONS EVERYWHERE – PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT SHARED THIS BELIEF – ROOSEVELT ALSO KNEW THAT THE MAJORITY OF AMERICANS OPPOSED INVOLVEMENT IN THE WAR

The Debate Over American Involvement MANY BELIEVED THAT U.S. INVOLVEMENT IN WORLD WAR I HAD BEEN A DEADLY, EXPENSIVE SACRIFICE AND THE RISE OF FASCISM IN EUROPE MADE THE SACRIFICES OF WORLD WAR I SEEM POINTLESS

The Debate Over American Involvement IN ORDER TO AVOID MAKING THE MISTAKES THAT HAD LED THE TO U.S. INVOLVEMENT IN WWI, CONGRESS PASSED THE NEUTRALITY ACTS OF 1935, 1936 AND 1937 THE ACTS IMPOSED CERTAIN RESTRICTIONS ON AMERICANS DURING TIMES OF WAR : 1. AMERICANS WERE PROHIBITED FROM SAILING ON SHIPS OWNED BY BELLIGERENTS OR NATIONS AT WAR 2. PREVENTED AMERICANS FROM MAKING LOANS TO BELLIGERENTS OR SELLING THEM ARMS AND MUNITIONS

The Debate Over American Involvement ROOSEVELT FELT CONFINED BY THE NEUTRALITY ACTS – HE WAS ANTI-NAZI AND WANTED TO AID THE DEMOCRATIC COUNTRIES OF EUROPE CONGRESS AGREED AND PASSED NEUTRALITY ACT OF 1939 – ALLOWED BELLIGERENT NATIONS TO BUY GOODS AND ARMS IN THE U.S. IF THEY PAID CASH AND CARRIED THE MERCHANDISE ON THEIR OWN SHIPS

The Debate Over American Involvement MANY DISAGREED WITH ROOSEVELTS HELPING THE ALLIES – BELIEVED HIS POLICIES VIOLATED AMERICAN NEUTRALITY AND THREATENED TO PUSH THE U.S. INTO THE WAR (PAGE 449) ISOLATIONISTS BELIEVED THAT GIVING AID TO THE ALLIES WAS AUTOMATICALLY HARMING THE AXIS AND WOULD GET THE U.S. INTO THE WAR – WANTED COMPLETE NEUTRALITY EX.:CHARLES LINDBERGH – BELIEVED THE REAL THREAT TO THE U.S. WAS JAPAN AND THE SOVIET UNION

The Debate Over American Involvement EDWARD R. MURROW – CBS REPORTER IN LONDON DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN EMPHASIZED THAT THE GERMANS WERE BOMBING NOT ARMIES OR MILITARY SITES BUT CIVILIANS – HIS REPORTS CONVINCED MANY AMERICANS THAT THE U.S. NEEDED TO AT LEAST PREPARE TO DEFEND ITSELF

The Debate Over American Involvement AFTER THE FALL OF FRANCE – GERMANY, JAPAN AND ITALY SIGNED THE TRIPARTITE PACT AND BECAME ALLIES – AFTER THIS CONGRESS PASSED A SELECTIVE SERVICE ACT ( A PEACETIME DRAFT) – PROVIDING FOR THE MILITARY TRAINING OF 1.2 MILLION TROOPS PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT GAVE BRITAIN 50 WORLD WAR I ERA BATTLESHIPS IN EXCHANGE FOR EIGHT BRITISH DEFENSE BASES

America Takes Steps Toward War AFTER HIS REELECTION ROOSEVELT INCREASED HIS SUPPORT OF BRITAIN – ADDRESSED CONGRESS ON JANUARY 6, 1941 – SPEAKING ABOUT THE FOUR FREEDOMS 1. FREEDOM OF SPEECH 2. FREEDOM OF WORSHIP 3. FREEDOM FROM WANT 4. FREEDOM FROM FEAR – ALL THESE WERE THREATENED BY NAZI AND JAPANESE MILITARISM

America Takes Steps Toward War BRITAIN HAD RUN OUT OF MONEY TO PAY FOR AID SO ROOSEVELT CALLED FOR AMERICA TO BECOME “THE GREAT ARSENAL FOR DEMOCRACY” – CONGRESS APPROVED THE LEND–LEASE ACT – WHICH AUTHORIZED ROOSEVELT TO “SELL, TRANSFER TITLE TO, EXCHANGE, LEASE, LEND OR OTHERWISE DISPOSE OF, TO ANY SUCH GOVERNMENT ANY DEFENSE ARTICLE” WHENEVER HE THOUGH IT WAS “NECESSARY IN THE INTEREST OF THE DEFENSE OF THE U.S.”

America Takes Steps Toward War BY 1945 THE U.S. HAD SENT MORE THAN $40 BILLION OF LEND LEASE AID TO THE ALLIES – INCLUDING THE SOVIET UNION THE LEND LEASE ACT WAS AN ECONOMIC DECLARATION OF WAR AGAINST GERMANY AND THE AXIS POWERS

America Takes Steps Toward War ROOSEVELT AND CHURCHILL MET SECRETLY ON A WARSHIP OFF THE COAST OF NEWFOUNDLAND – SIGNED THE ATLANTIC CHARTER – A DOCUMENT THAT ENDORSED NATIONAL SELF-DETERMINATION AND AN INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM OF GENERAL SECURITY – THE SIGNING OF THE ATLANTIC CHARTER SIGNALED THE DEEPENING ALLIANCE BETWEEN THE TWO NATIONS