Diplomacy and World War II

American History

“The War to End All Wars”

• World War I

• League of Nations

• Kellogg-Briand Pact of 1928

• Treaty of Versailles

• Isolationist

Hoover’s Foreign Policy

• Isolationism • Economic sanctions against aggressors lead to military

involvement

• Japanese Aggression in Manchuria• Manchukuo

• Puppet government

• Stimson Doctrine • Would not recognize any regime taken by force

• Latin America • Ended interventionist policies

• Arranging for U.S. troops out of Nicaragua by 1933• Negotiating a treaty with Haiti to remove all U.S. troops by

1934

Roosevelt’s Policies, 1933 - 1938

• Good-Neighbor Policy• Non-interventionist

• Western Hemisphere

• Pan-American conferences • Cuba

• Nullified the Platt Amendment

• Mexico• Negotiated settlement for oil reserves

• Economic Diplomacy• All about improving the economy

• London Economic Conference (1933)• Recognition of the Soviet Union• Philippines • Reciprocal Trade Agreements

Roosevelt’s Policies, 1933 - 1938

• Events Abroad• Economic impact of WWI was immense• Military Dictatorship

• Axis Powers• Italy

• Germany

• Japan

• American Isolationists• Americans did not want to be drawn into another foreign

conflict• Neutrality Acts

• Foreign policy to prevent intervention

• Spanish Civil War • America First Committee

Prelude to War

• Appeasement• Signed by Democratic states (Britain and France –

agreed upon by the United States)• Ethiopia, 1935• Rhineland, 1936• China, 1937• Sudetenland, 1938

• U.S. Response• Overwhelmingly negative to his “quarantine” plan

• Preparedness• Neutrality and build up for war

“The epidemic of world lawlessness is spreading. When an epidemic of physical disease starts to spread, the community approves and joins in a quarantine of the patients in order to protect the health of the community against the spread of disease… There must be positive endeavors to preserve peace.”

Franklin D. Roosevelt,

Chicago “Quarantine Speech,” 1937

From Neutrality to War

• Outbreak of War in Europe• Invasion of Poland• Blitzkrieg

• Lightning War

• Changing U.S. Policy• Americans strongly opposed Hitler • “Cash and Carry”• Selective Service Act (1940)

• First peacetime draft

• Destroyers-for-bases deal

From Neutrality to War

• Election of 1940• Roosevelt would not turn down the Democratic nomination if

offered• “Your boys are not going to be sent into any foreign wars.”

• Wendell Willkie • Roosevelt reelected because:

• Strong economic recovery based on defense purchases• Fear of war caused voters to stick with the more experienced

leader

• Arsenal of Democracy• Four Freedoms• Lend-Lease Act• Atlantic Charter• Shoot-on-sight

From Neutrality to War

• Disputes with Japan• Japanese expand into European colonies• U.S. economic action

• Cut off Japan from U.S. exports

• Negotiations unsuccessful • Japan takes quick action for oil

• Pearl Harbor• December 7, 1941• Partial Surprise • Declaration of war

• “Day that will live in infamy”

The Home Front

•Battlefront in Europe shifts from West to East

•Hitler orders invasion of Soviet Union

•Allies

•United States

•Britain

•Soviet Union

The Home Front

• Increased Industrial Production

• Wages, prices, rationing

• Office Price Administration (OPA)

• Unions

• Smith-Connally Anti-Strike Act of 1943

• Financing the war

• Increased the income tax

• Sold war bonds

The Home Front

• War’s Impact on Society

• Changed Demographics for Americans

• Impact on:

• African Americans

• Mexican Americans

• Native Americans

• Japanese Americans

• Internment

• Women

• Propaganda

The Home Front

•Election of 1944

• Again, F.D.R.

• VP – Harry S. Truman

• Thomas Dewey

• Results

• FDR wins for fourth term

The Battlefronts

•Fighting Germany

• Defense at sea, attacks by air

• From North Africa to Italy

• From D-Day to victory in Europe

• German surrender

• Discovery of the Holocaust

The Battlefronts

•Fighting Japan

• Turning point in 1942

• Island Hopping

• Major battles

• Battle of Leyte Gulf

• Battle of Okinawa

• Atomic bombs

• Japan surrenders

Wartime Conference

• Big Three• United States• Soviet Union• Great Britain

• Casablanca

• Teheran

• Yalta

• Death of President Roosevelt

• Potsdam

The War’s Legacy

•Costs• Mass Losses

• 300,000 casualties• 800,000 wounded

• $320 Billion

•The United Nations• U.S. participation

•Expectations• U.S. emerges as most prosperous