diplomacy and the second world war. foreign policy: 1920-1941

Diplomacy and the Second World War

Foreign Policy: 1920-1941

#1: How did US foreign policy change between 1920 and 1941?

• From isolationism to involvement in world affairs

#1a: Where can one see the isolationism of the interwar years?

• American opposition to the Versailles Treaty and League of Nations• Feared it would limit freedom of action and obligate involvement in foreign wars (like WWI)

• Nye Committee (1934-36)• Senate committee that said US entered WWI to make $ for bankers, munitions makers

• America First Committee (1940)• mobilized US public opinion against war (used Lindbergh as speaker)• Grew after Lend-Lease• Defunct after Pearl Harbor

• Neutrality Acts of 1935, 1936, 1937

#1b: For what reasons did the US start to become

involved in world affairs in the interwar years?

• Security concerns• Washington Conference (1921): naval limitations; ratios• Japanese aggression

• Manchuria (China, 1931)• Rape of Nanking (China, 1937)• Pearl Harbor (1941)

• German aggression• Invasion of Poland (1939)• Fall of France (1940)• Threat to Britain

• Economic concerns• Dawes and Young Plans (1920s): German reparations• Maintain trade

• Monroe Doctrine and Good Neighbor Policy (nullified Platt Amendment)• Recognize USSR (1933)• Great Britain (cash and carry in 1939, destroyers for bases in 1940,

Lend-Lease 1941)• Political concerns

• Maintain democracy• “arsenal of democracy”• Special relationship with Britain and France

The Rise of Aggressor States and the US Response

#2: What nations became increasingly aggressive in the 1930s?

• A) Japan• B) Italy (Mussolini)• C) Germany (Hitler)

#2a: Japan

• Motivation for aggression• Raw materials for growing population• Racism

• Targets (“Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere”—to “liberate” from colonial powers)• China

• Manchuria (China), 1931 (Manchukuo)• China, 1937 (full-scale invasion)

• Panay incident: US gunboat sunk by Japan; US accepts Japanese apology

• Korea (since 1910)• Southeast Asia (after 1941)

#2b: Italy

• Motivation for aggression• Prestige and empire (denied by Treaty of Versailles)

• Target• Ethiopia, 1935

• Mild sanctions by League of Nations (not oil)

Mussolini and Hitler: BFF

#2c: Germany

• Motivation• Prestige and empire (denied by Treaty of Versailles)

• Targets (where should we start)• Rhineland, 1936: re-militarized• Austria, 1938: annexed (invaded)• Sudetenland (in Czechoslovakia), 1938

• Munich Conference: Britain (Chamberlain) and France (Daladier) APPEASE Hitler

• Bohemia and Moravia (Czech lands), 1939: annexed (invaded)• NOT GERMAN SPEAKING• Britain and France pledge to stop Germany’s next move

Neville Chamberlain was labeled an “appeaser” for giving in to Hitler at Munich. He wouldn’t give in when Hitler made his next demand for a portion of Poland.

#3: How did the US respond to the aggressive actions of Japan, Italy, and Germany until 1939?

• Isolationism and neutrality (strongest in Midwest and among Republicans)• Isolationism

• Why?• Memories of WWI fresh• Nye Committee

• US entered WWI to make $ for bankers, munitions makers

• America First Committee: mobilized US public opinion against war (used Lindbergh as speaker)

• Neutrality Acts (applied to nations at war)• Neutrality Act of 1935: no arms shipments to belligerents; no US citizens on belligerent ships

• Neutrality Act of 1936: no loans to belligerents• Neutrality Act of 1937: no arms to belligerents in Spanish Civil War

The Outbreak of War and the US Response

#4: What event started World War II in Europe?

• The German invasion of Poland, September 1939• Hitler demanded Polish corridor

•He knew this meant war with Britain/France

•Had to neutralize USSR• Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact, August 1939

• Would not attack each other for 10 years• Divided Poland

• Germans invade Poland; Britain and France declare war

Read FDR’s speech: 3 September 1939

#5: What major events in the war took place in 1939-1940?

• 9-10/39: Blitzkrieg (“lightning war”) in Poland

• 10/39-4/40: Sitzkrieg (“sitting war”) in Europe

• April 1940: Blitzkrieg begins (“lightning war”)• Denmark, Norway, Netherlands, Belgium, France invaded

• Brits evacuate at Dunkirk• France falls, June 1940 (au revoir!)

• Vichy France installed (pro-Nazi govt in southern France)

#6: How did the US respond to the outbreak of war in Europe?

• FDR declares US neutrality, BUT chips away at Neutrality Acts in order to favor Britain (make US “arsenal of democracy”)• A) “cash and carry”, 1939: pay cash, use own ships (favored Brits)

• B) Selective Service Act, 1940: registered all men 21-35

• C) Destroyers for bases, 1940: Brits got 50 ships; US got bases in Caribbean

• D) Lend-Lease, 1941: Brits got all weapons they needed; US got bases

• E) Atlantic Charter, 1941: affirmed US-British goals/alliance

• F) Shoot on sight, 1941: US would shoot any German subs on sight in Atlantic

The US enters World War II

#7: What events strained relations with Japan?

• Japans aggressive actions in the Far East• Invasion of China (1931; 1937)• Invasion of French Indochina, 1941

• US response• FDR prohibits sale of steel/scrap iron/oil to Japan

#8: What event drew the US into the war?

• Pearl Harbor (7 December 1941)• Why did the Japanese attack?

•US had cut off oil; Japan needed to invade other nations for raw materials; only US fleet could stop

• How did the attack impact the US?•Killed 2,400 Americans•20 warships sunk•150 planes damaged

• Why was it such a surprise?•Expected attack in Philippines and SE Asia

Google Earth Pearl Harbor!

#9: When did the US declare war?

• 8 December 1941• Congress declares war after FDR’s “a date that will live in infamy speech”•http://www.radiochemistry.org/history/video/fdr_infamy.html

• 11 December 1941•Germany and Italy honor treaty with Japan and declare war on US

#10: Once war was declared, which “theater” of war did the US focus on most?

• The European theater• FDR saw the most dangerous immediate threat to be Nazi Germany• June 1941: Operation Barbarossa• German invasion of USSR

The Century: Over the Edge

World War II: The Home Front (Economy, Labor, Finance)

#11: How did the war effect the US economy?

• It lifted the US out of the Depression• Unemployment practically disappears• Production skyrockets/consumption keeps up (army needed stuff)• GNP rose 15% or more in each war year

• Government’s role in economy expands• Bureaucracy quadrupled

• War Production Board• Converted/expanded factories

• Office of Price Administration• regulated prices to control inflation; rationing

• Department of War (later called Defense Department)

#12: How did the war effect labor?

• Took away some gains from 1930s• Wages were frozen by OPA• Ability to strike limited

•Anti-Strike Act of 1943: enabled govt to take over industry threatened by strike

#13: How did the war effect business?

• Large corporations became more powerful (esp. if they were “essential” to victory, like oil corporations)• Wage freezes allowed them to maximize profits•Coca-Cola•Wrigley’s Gum

When the US Army landed in north Africa, along with them came materials for 3 full-scale Coca Cola bottling plants.

#14: How did the US finance the war?

• Increased income tax• Highest tax bracket in 1944: 94% of everything over $200,000• Withholding tax started in 1944 (payroll deduction)

• Sold war bonds

World War II: The Home Front (Social Issues)

#15: Who coordinated propaganda and censorship?

• Office of War Information• US fighting for “American way of life”• NOT “democracy” or “better world”• Why not?

• Enlisted famous contributors• Frank Capra (film director)

• Norman Rockwell (artist)

#16: How did the war impact African-Americans?

• Continued Great Migration• 1.5 million migrated North and West to jobs

• 1 million served in armed forces• Continued discrimination

• Segregated in armed forces• Double “V” slogan

• Congress of Racial Equality formed (CORE)• Non-violent resistance to segregation

#17: How did the war impact Mexican-Americans?

• 300,000 served in military/defense

• Braceros (farm workers) allowed to enter during harvest season out west• Sudden influx into Los Angeles led to “zoot suit” riots of 1943•Whites and Mexicans fought in streets

#18: How did the war impact Japanese-Americans?

• 20,000 served in US military• Targeted for segregation (for fear of disloyalty—RACISM—esp. in California)• Executive Order 9066: internment camps ordered•130,000 interned on West Coast; none in Hawaii or elsewhere

•66% were native-born US citizens•Korematsu v US (1944) upheld this policy•1988: reparations paid to those interned

Manzanar relocation camp: the largest of the Japanese

internment camps

#19: How did the war impact women?

• 200,000 served in military (non-combat)

• 5 million entered workforce at home (narrowed gap b/w “masculine” and “feminine”)• “Rosie the Riveter” (defense jobs)• WASP: Women Airforce Service Pilots• Pro baseball

• Gap narrowed b/w “masculine” and “feminine” and it widened too• War makes men macho (increases libido)

The gender gap narrows

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! There’s no crying in baseball. None.

Zippo.

Warning: The Following images are adult in nature. You may want

to cover your eyes. I’m only showing you these because they

are part of your heritage—and because they demonstrate how

the gender gap widened during the war.

Images of Grandma

The War in Europe

#20: Who were the three major Allies, and what was their strategy for defeating Nazi Germany?

• Allies: USA, Great Britain, Soviet Union (invaded by Germany, June 1941)

• Strategic agreement• primary focus: Europe

• Strategic disagreement• Where to start

•USSR wants immediate 2nd front in western Europe (for relief)

•Churchill wants 2nd front in north Africa; then attack Europe’s “soft underbelly” (Italy)• At Casablanca Conference, US sides with GB

#21: What was the 1st major land campaign for the US and British?

• Operation TORCH: Allied invasion of north Africa (11/42) to prepare for attack on “soft underbelly” of Europe• British drove from east, Americans drove from west—Germans defeated by 5/43

• US forced led by Dwight Eisenhower (Ike)

#22: Where did the US and Britain attack the “soft underbelly?”

• Sicily and Italy (7/43)• Not a “soft underbelly”• Rome not liberated until June 1944

• Northern Italy not liberated until May 1945

#23: Where and when did the opening of the western front truly take place?

• Northern France, 6 June 1944• Operation Overlord (D-Day)—Turning point on western front•Directed by Ike•Germans expected invasion near Calais (narrowest point)

•Largest amphibious assault in history•5 beach landings

• Brits/Canadians/Free French: Gold, Juno, Sword

• USA: Utah, Omaha• Heaviest casualties at Omaha (2,400)

•Paris liberated by August 1944

When Hitler did this . . . (his only trip outside of the German-speaking lands in his life) . . . It made made Parisians

do this . . .

Peter Jennings: The Century (Total War, Overlord)

#24: What major events brought the war to an end in Europe?

• US, Brits, Canadians, Free French move east• Battle of the Bulge: German counteroffensive (12/44-1/45)•US stabilized

• Discover concentration camps• Soviets move west

• Berlin falls to Soviets: April 1945• Discovery of concentration and death camps

#25: What were the consequences of the war for Germany?

• Full occupation by Allies• 4 zones (US, Soviet, British, French)• Decided at Yalta Conference

• Arrest and trial of highest-ranking Nazis• Nuremberg Trials

The War in the Pacific

#26: What did the Japanese do after the attack on Pearl Harbor?

• Invaded • More of China• Burma and Singapore• French Indochina (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia)

• Dutch East Indies• Philippines, Guam, Wake Island

•Bataan Death March: 70,000 Americans forced to march 60 miles w/o food, water for shipment to prison camps; 7,000 die

#27: What battles turned the tide of the war in the Pacific?

• Coral Sea 5/42: Japan’s 1st defeat• Midway 6/42

• US destroys 4 Japanese carriers, 322 Japanese planes

• Japan loses offensive capability

• Guadalcanal 8/42• Relieved threat to Australia• Continued offensive

#28: What was the US strategy in the Pacific?

• Island hopping• Adopted by Admiral Nimitz (central Pacific) and General MacArthur (up from Australia)• Offensive through small islands of Pacific• Isolate strongly held islands with naval power• Utilized Navajo Signal Corps (enemy unable to break Navajo language)

• Largest battle• Battle of Leyte Gulf (destroyed Japanese navy)

• Japanese use kamikaze pilots (suicide)

• Closest occupations• Okinawa (48,000 US casualities) and Iwo Jima

#29: How did the war in the Pacific differ from the war in Europe?

• More racial and thus brutal• Japanese

•Saw themselves as superior race• China: Rape of Nanking

• USA•Saw Japanese as racially inferior

• Propaganda reflects this

#30: The fire bombings : Was it worth killing so many civilians?

• Fire bombings (incendiary bombs)• Hamburg and Dresden (Germany)

•25,000-35,000 killed in each

• Tokyo•185,000 killed (more than atomic bombs; caused most Japanese casualties)

• Arguments for and against?

#31: What pushed the US toward building an atomic bomb?

• Albert Einstein’s urging FDR to do so in 1939• Einstein knew of the German project

•US project called Manhattan Project (Los Alamos, NM)

•FDR dies 13 April 1945•Harry Truman assumes Presidency

• Ill-informed: met three times with FDR b/w March 1944 and April 1945

• Didn’t know about Manhattan Project until inaugurated

•July 1945: 1st bomb tested

#32: What were the arguments for and against using the atomic bomb?

• FOR• Truman and advisors

• Save US lives (remember Okinawa?)

• Keep USSR out of war in Pacific

• Intimidate USSR• Force Japanese surrender

• Others• Demonstrate it for Japanese, and thus cause no loss of life

• AGAINST• Some Manhattan Project scientists• Too destructive

• Robert Oppenheimer (lead scientist in Manhattan Project)

#33: When and where were the bombs dropped?

• 6 August 1945: Hiroshima, Japan• 9 August 1945: Nagasaki, Japan

Atomic Explosion Facts (don’t copy)

• Temperature at epicenter of explosion: 3,000-4,000 degrees celsius

• Winds after initial shock: 440 meters per second (just under 1,000 mph)

• 250,000 killed in both combined (either immediately or by radiation)

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5OI9xrJ8Zw&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqyBzXYZPoM&feature=related

Wartime Conferences

#34: At what conferences did the Allies confer during the war?

• Casablanca, 1/1943• US and Britain demand unconditional surrender of Axis powers

• Teheran 11/1943• Big Three (FDR, Churchill, Stalin) agree to

• liberate France in spring 1944• Soviets would invade Germany

• Yalta 2/1945 (most important)• Germany would be divided into 4 zones• Free elections in eastern Europe• USSR would enter war against Japan• New world organization would be formed at conference in San Francisco (United Nations)

• Potsdam 7/1945 (FDR and Churchill gone)• Demanded unconditional surrender of Japan• War-crimes trials of Nazi leaders

Results of the War

#35: What were the major results of World War II?

• Casualties• 300,000 US dead; 800,000 US wounded

• Increased federal spending• Federal govt spending up 1,000% during war

• 1945: national debt reached $250 billion

• Creation of United Nations• Agreed to at Dumbarton Oaks (1944)• Charter drafted at San Francisco (1945)

#36: What was the structure of the United Nations?

• General Assembly: each nation had 1 vote

• Security Council: 5 permanent members w/ absolute veto (US, USSR, GB, France, China) and 6 rotating members

•primary responsibility for peace

#37: Why did the US accept the UN?

• US power so dominant, felt it couldn’t be controlled by international body• Largely untouched by war (no fighting on US soil)

• Relatively few casualties• Huge economic power• Atomic bomb

• WWII was partly result of lack of coordinated response to German/Japanese aggression• UN would provide coordinated response to future aggression