1. The Great Depression, the New Deal, and World War II
Chapter 8—Lesson 2
The Great Depression, the New Deal, and World War II

2. War Begins in Europe
In the 1930s Adolf Hitler led the Nazi party to power in Germany.
He violated agreements signed at the end of WWI by building up the German army and producing weapons of war, especially airplanes.
He began persecuting German citizens who were Jewish.

3. War Begins in Europe
When Hitler invaded Poland—France & Britain joined the war against Nazi Germany.

4. War Begins in Europe
The U.S. was not at war, but France & Britain ordered military supplies from them.
Iron and Steel produced in Birmingham were shipped to factories that made war equipment from these Alabama materials.

5. War Begins in Europe
The U.S. wanted to stay out of the war, but in case they were attacked they began to build up military strength.
Mobile became a center of shipbuilding, especially of cargo ships for the war effort.
They were called “Liberty Ships.”

6. ALABAMA in WWII
Alabama had a number of military bases, and other bases were constructed as the war was going on in Europe.
Training for pilots Maxwell and Gunter Fields, Craig Field, and Camp Rucker
Supply depot Brookley Field
Rebuilding weapons Redstone Arsenal
Army camps/bases Fort McClellan and Fort Benning

7. America and the War
In Asia, the Japanese wanted to expand and began to strengthen their army and navy. When Japan invaded Korea and China, President Roosevelt stopped all shipments of scrap metal and oil to Japan and held all Japanese assets in the U.S.
How do you think that made Japan feel?

8. America and the War
On December 7, 1941, Japanese planes from aircraft carriers attacked American ships at anchor in Pearl Harbor.

9. America and the War
Almost 2,500 American lives were lost. This was the most costly surprise attack in U.S. history against a military target.
The United States declared war on Japan.
Germany & Italy declared war on the United States on December 11.
The U.S. joined the Allies Britain, France & Russia.
Britain and most of the other Allies joined the U.S. to fight the Japanese.

10. World War II 1942
During WWII children learned geography lessons every day. People received news about the war from radio broadcasts, but not everyone had radios.
People did not have televisions then, so one reason people went to the movies was to see the newsreels that ran between the feature films at the theater.
Newspapers always illustrated their stories with detailed maps. Many families had a map on a wall at home, so children could place pins where relatives were stationed.

11. World War II 1942 Children came to know about persons such as:
Chiang Kai-shek of China
Emperor Hirohito of Japan
Benito Mussolini of Italy

12. World War II 1942
Army and mail censors read the mail soldiers sent home. They cut out classified information so spies would not know what was going on.
Sometimes soldiers had codes that allowed them to tell their families where they were without letting a spy know.
“I had good eggs for breakfast” could have really meant “I am in England”
“I am enjoying the apples” could have really meant “I am in Asia”

13. World War II 1942
Governor Frank Dixon established boards in Alabama to oversee the draft of men into the military. The Alabama National Guard was built up to full strength.
Children helped the war effort by joining in school drives to collect paper, aluminum, and scrap metals.
Sugar, meat, coffee, rubber, gasoline, and nylon products were rationed.
The manufacture of automobiles, stoves, and refrigerators stopped. Army jeeps, military trucks, and airplanes were built instead.

14. World War II 1942
Food was needed for soldiers as well as for people on the home front. Families planted gardens, and they canned fruits and vegetables.
Women went to work in war plants and took home-front jobs left by men who became soldiers. Some women, like Nancy Batson or Birmingham, began flying new planes from factories to air corps fields.
Nurses and doctors served close to the battlefields to care for the wounded soldiers.

15. “Black Out”
The Germans sent submarines into the Gulf of Mexico to attack American ships sailing from Mobile and New Orleans to the east coast.
People who lived along the coast were ordered to “black out” at night. This meant they had to turn off all of their lights in their house and also stay off the roads at night. Lights from the coast would allow German submarines, called U-boats, spot ships sailing from ports.

16. Patriotism Comics, songs, and movies were written about the war.
Men and women at home volunteered their services to the Red Cross or the United Service Organization (called the USO), which provided recreational programs for soldiers and sailors.
Churches and local governments set up centers where military personnel on furlough or traveling to duty might stop for food and rest.