OPEN NC BOOK TO WORLD MAP ON PAGE

A21. How far is Japan from California?

2. How far is Germany from NC?3. According to these numbers, why might the

U.S. stay neutral?

U.S. Isolationism in 1930s

Devastation of WWI convinced many Americans to stay out of international issues

Congress passed laws prohibiting selling weapons to countries at war

Some people like Dr. Seuss did not agree and knew the U.S. would have no choice but to get involved

Lend-Lease Act

FDR changed policy in 1939 to help Allies without fighting

Lent or leased $50B of weapons

Many people considered this fighting for the Allies

Japanese Attack Pearl Harbor

Due to Japan’s war actions U.S. cut off all oil shipments; Japan attacks in response

8 battleships destroyed; aircraft carriers were out to sea and unharmed

Germany declares war on U.S. because of its alliance with Japan

Invading through Africa & Italy

Germany too strong to attack directly

Allies find weak point in N. Africa in 1942; go to Italy in 1943

Nazis go too far in Russia

German-Soviet Russian alliance fell apart

Nazis cannot capture Stalingrad in 1942

Extremely hard-fought and bloody battle

D-Day Invasion

Jun 6, 1944 Allies finally invade France

176,000 troops come ashore; 10,000 die

Sets up Allied supplies to reach Germany

Victory in Europe (V-E)

U.S. & Allies move from west; Soviet Russians from east

Meet in Germany in May 1945 Hitler commits suicide hidden in

bunker

Japan’s growing empire

U.S. had to rebuild destroyed fleet Japan conquered 1/7th of entire

planet by spring 1942 U.S. policy of island hopping to cross

ocean and defeat Japan

Battle of Midway

May 1942 Japanese move towards Midway Islands near Hawaii

Largest sea/air battle in world history

U.S. pushes back Japan

Island Hopping

U.S. Navy & Army went from island to island as bases to attack Japanese forces

Japanese fought very hard; no surrender

Iwo Jima and Okinawa very bloody sites

The Manhattan Project

Top secret program to build atomic bomb before Nazis did

FDR died in April 1945; Truman now #1

Dilemma: using it kills civilians, not using kills Americans

Victory in Japan Aug. 1945

Truman orders atomic bombs dropped on cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

170,000 mostly civilians killed Japan surrenders