1. Major 20th Century Military Conflicts

2. Beginning of WWII
Nation groups took control of Italy, Germany, and Japan in the 1920s and 1930s
Benito Mussolini: Fascist
Adolf Hitler: Nazi
Hirohito
1939: Germany invaded Poland
Britain and France went to war with Germany
The United States did NOT want to be involved in another war

4. US enters WWII 1940: Germany invades France
US agrees to lend or lease weapons to Britain
Sept. 1940: Germany, Italy, and Japan form Axis Powers
Japan believed the US was a major threat
December 7, 1941: Japan attacks naval base at Pearl Harbor
Congress declared war on Japan the next day
Germany and Italy declared war on US

6. Fighting the War
Allies decided to focus on European theater first then move to the Pacific
June 6, 1944: D-Day
Allies landed in France and fought their way into Germany
Dec 16, 1944: Battle of the Bulge
Battle last for a month
75,000 Allied and 100,000 Axis casualties
Discovered concentration camps
April 12, 1945: FDR has a stroke and dies in GA
May 8, 1945: V-E Day

8. Fighting the War
Manhattan Project: President Truman decided to use the atomic bomb against Japan if they did not surrender
August 6, 1945: Bomb is dropped on Hiroshima
August 9, 1945: Bomb is dropped on Nagasaki
Aug 15, 1945: V-J Day

10. The Home front Americans united
Japanese Americans were placed in internment camps
FDR chose James F. Byrnes of South Carolina to oversee all economic phases of the war
War production brought prosperity to farmers and factory workers
Millions of women entered the workforce

14. SC during WWII 184,000 South Carolinians served in the armed forces
2,500 were women
Infantry training camps opened
Navy trained at Charleston and Marines trained at Parris Island
Airfields operated near Greenville, Columbia, Sumter and Charleston
Citizens received ration stamps to buy scarce items such as sugar, meat, shoes, and gasoline
Volunteers served as air raid wardens, women made bandages, and students planted victory gardens
Recreation centers opened for service men and women

15. James F. Byrnes FDR called Byrnes his “assistant president”
Named Byrnes the Direct of Economic Stabilization during WWII
President Truman made Byrnes Secretary of State

16. African Americans in WWII
Enlistment of soldiers created a labor shortage
Northern states had more factories
: 1Million African Americans left southern farms for jobs in northern factories

17. Cold War After WWII, the US and Soviet Union were superpowers
No longer trusted each other
Divided over democracy and communism
1950s: Missile Crisis: Both countries were in a deadlock over nuclear weapons but neither would risk a nuclear war
1970s: President Richard Nixon eased tensions by signing an agreement with the Soviets which cut the number of missiles on both sides
Ronald Regan and Mikhail Gorbachev formed a spirit of cooperation between the two countries

21. The Korean War The US and Soviet divided Korea at the end of WWII
Soviets formed a communist state in North Korea
US supported a separate state in South Korea
June 1950: North Korea invaded South Korea
US sent troops to South Korea

23. Vietnam Vietnam declared independence from France in 1945
France formed a non-communist government in south Vietnam supported by the US
1965: 184,000 US troops were sent to Vietnam
Huge discontent in US over war
Protest held all over nation
Students burned draft cards
Members of Congress challenged President
January 1972: cease-fire was signed

27. Operation Desert Storm
Iraq invaded Kuwait
President G. H. Bush sent troops to the Persian Gulf
Troops forced Iraqis out of Kuwait
Fighting lasted six weeks

29. September 11,2001
Terrorists high jacked four airplanes, two hit the World Trade Center
President Bush declared a war on terrorism
US troops were sent to Afghanistan and Iraq in search of Al Qaeda and weapons of mass destruction
Public opinion was extremely divided