1. America Makes Steps Towards War

2. How did Appeasement Fail to prevent war with Germany?
Czechoslovakia (1939)
Hitler broke the Munich Pact by occupying the rest of Czechoslovakia
Hitler announced a German-Russian non- aggression treaty in August 1939
Allowed Hitler to expand east without resistance from Stalin
Hitler and Stalin secretly agreed to divide Poland

3. Invasion of Poland (September 1939)
Spark of WWII
When Hitler invaded Poland, Britain and France declare war on Germany
Axis Powers
In 1940, Germany, Italy, and Japan formed the Axis Powers

4. How did the German Blitzkrieg impact rest of Europe?
Blitzkrieg (lightning war)  invasion of German forces with heavy assault strikes
Phony War: name used by the press to describe the period of inactivity between the winter of 1939 and the spring of 1940
Spring of 1940  Germany attacked and occupied Denmark, Norway, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, and Belgium

5. Hitler’s conquest allowed Germany to attack France north of the Maginot line (French line of defense between French and German border)

6. France fell to the German blitzkrieg in only one week of fighting
Occupied France under direct German rule
Vichy France under rule of a puppet regime controlled by Hitler
Germany intended to use the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) to soften Britain for invasion
Great Britain was left alone to fight the Axis powers
Hitler referred to his German Empire as the “Third Reich”

7. How did European Aggression impact U. S
How did European Aggression impact U.S. public opinion on foreign policy?
Many Americans were still disillusioned with WWI
The Nye Committee
Congressional investigation leg by Senator Gerald Nye
Concluded that U.S. participation in WWI was the result of greedy bankers and arms manufacturers
Isolationists wanted to avoid future European conflicts

8. HOW DID THE U.S. TRY TO AVOID INVOLVEMENT IN EUROPE?
Neutrality Acts: laws passed by Congress to keep the U.S. neutral
1935: allowed the president to prohibit the sale of weapons to belligerent nations
1936: prohibited loans to belligerent nations
1937: prohibited the shipment of arms to opposing sides in the Spanish Civil War

9. How did FDR get around neutrality restrictions set by Congress?
FDR believed British survival was essential to U.S. security
Neutrality Act of 1939
FDR convinced Congress to adopt a less restrictive neutrality act
Kept U.S. neutral in the sense that any belligerent nation could buy U.S. weapons if paid in cash and used their own ships
Not neutral since British controlled the seas between U.S. and Britain

10. How did Election of 1940 help aid the British?
FDR became the first president to run for a 3rd consecutive term  won with 54% of vote
After reelection, FDR felt he was in a stronger position to abandon neutrality and openly help the British
FDR wanted the U.S. to be “the great arsenal for democracy”

11. The Four Freedoms
Announced in FDR’s proposal to Congress to lend $ to Britain for the purchase of war materials
Justified lending in defense of nations that were committed to the “four freedoms”
Freedom of speech
Freedom of religion
Freedom from want
Freedom from fear

12. Lend-Lease Act (March 1941)
FDR proposed ending the cash and carry requirement of neutrality act
Allowed British to obtain all the arms it needed on credit
The Atlantic Charter (August 1941)
Secret meeting between FDR and British PM Winston Churchill off the coast of Newfoundland
Affirmed the two nations objectives for peace when the war ended
Self determination, no territorial expansion, free trade

13. Shoot-on-sight
July 1941, FDR ordered U.S. Navy to escort/convoy with British ships carrying lend lease materials from U.S. to as far as Iceland
September 1941, American naval convoy was attacked by German U-boats
FDR ordered the U.S. Navy to attack all German ships on sight
Began an undeclared naval war