1. World War II Part 2

2. The Lend-Lease Act
By 1941 President Roosevelt is convinced that the U.S. cannot stay out of the war much longer, even though most citizens favor neutrality.
March 1941: Congress passes the Lend-Lease Act, which enables the president to send aid to any nation whose defense is considered vital to the United States’ national security.
This enables the U.S. to aid Great Britain.
Roosevelt compared the act to “lending a garden hose to a next-door neighbor whose house is on fire.”

3. First Things First… Two sides of the war:
Axis Powers – Germany, Italy, and Japan
Allied Powers – Britain and France (USSR and U.S. will join later)

5. France Conquered
6 weeks after crossing into France, Germany captures Paris – France is forced to surrender, having only lasted about a month in the war
Next on Hitler’s agenda is to
conquer Britain
Hitler decides to bomb Britain
into surrendering
Britain now stands alone
against the might of Germany

7. Battle of Britain ( )
German air force bombs Britain and London for nearly a year
In addition, the British and German air forces are fighting in the skies above Britain
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill refuses to surrender to Germany
After over a year of fighting,
Germany stops bombing
Britain
Britain proves to the world
that Hitler can be defeated