AMERICA ENTERS WWII

WHY IT MATTERS• WORLD WAR II, THE MOST DESTRUCTIVE WAR IN

HISTORY, RESULTED IN THE DEATHS OF MORE THAN 40 MILLION PEOPLE.

• MORE THAN HALF OF THE DEATHS WERE CIVILIANS, INCLUDING ABOUT 6 MILLION JEWS AND MANY OTHERS THAT WERE KILLED IN THE HOLOCAUST.

• AT THE END OF THE WAR, THE US EMERGED AS THE STRONGEST NATION IN THE WORLD AND THE POSSESSOR OF A POWERFUL WEAPON, THE ATOMIC BOMB.

THE IMPACT TODAY

• WORLD WAR II MARKED THE BEGINNING OF THE NATION’S ROLES AS A SUPERPOWER.

• THE WAR ALSO TRANSFORMED THE AMERICAN ECONOMY INTO AN ENORMOUSLY PRODUCTIVE AND ENDURINGLY PROSPEROUS ECONOMY.

KEY PLAYERS IN WORLD WAR IIAXIS POWERS

• GERMANY ALLIES WITH ITALY (ROME/BERLIN)

• GERMANY ALLIES WITH JAPAN (ANTI-COMINTERN)

HITLER, MUSSOLINI AND TOJO… BEGIN THEIR TAKE

OVER

BLITZKRIEG

LIGHTNING WAR!!!

A BLITZKRIEG, TROOPS IN VEHICLES, SUCH AS TANKS, MADE

QUICK SURPRISE STRIKES WITH SUPPORT FROM AIRPLANES.

THESE TACTICS RESULTED IN THE SWIFT GERMAN CONQUEST OF

FRANCE IN 1940

BY THIS TIME… GERMANY HAD USED THEIR BLITZKRIEG TACTICS TO

TAKE OVER MUCH OF EUROPE.

AMERICA GOES TO WAR

• AFTER WWI… AMERICA WANTED TO ISOLATE THEMSELVES (OCEAN OF

SEPARATION)

• KELLOG-BRIAND PACT SIGNED BY 62 NATIONS RENOUNCING USE OF WAR!!

• TRYING TO RECOVER FROM GREAT DEPRESSION…MAINTAINED NEUTRALITY.

AVOIDING WAR

• TENSIONS AND AGGRESSION RISING IN EUROPE WITH RISE OF DICTATORS

• CONGRESS PASSES LAWS TO AVOID ISSUES THAT BROUGHT US IN TO WORLD WAR I

• NEUTRALITY ACTS 1935-1937—PROHIBITED AMERICANS FROM TRAVELING ON SHIPS TO

COUNTRIES AT WAR. THEY ALSO COULD NOT SELL ARMS TO EUROPEAN COUNTRIES.

• CASH AND CARRY POLICY- ONLY SELL NON-MILITARY GOODS TO OTHER NATIONS OPPOSED

TO AGGRESSION.

JAPANESE AGGRESSION

• JAPAN’S AGGRESSION LED TO WAR IN

ASIA

• JAPAN WAS ATTEMPTING TO REPLACE

EUROPEAN IMPERIALISM IN ASIA

• “QUARANTINE” SPEECH 1937—GIVEN BY FDR WITH JAPAN INVADED

CHINA…PEACEFUL NATIONS SHOULD

BAN TOGETHER TO QUARANTINE

(ISOLATE) AGGRESSIVE NATIONS

• ENCOURAGED BOYCOTTING

AMERICA STILL REMAINED OUT OF WAR… BUT SAW POSSIBILITY OF WAR AND BEGIN INCREASING

MILITARY.

• ROOSEVELT RAN FOR 3RD TERM (1ST AND LAST PRESIDENT TO DO SO!!)

• PEACETIME DRAFT

• INCREASED MILITARY SPENDING

• BEGAN SUPPLYING BRITAIN AND OTHER ALLIED POWERS WITH MILITARY SUPPLIES

AMERICAN RELATIONS WITH ALLIES (1941)

• LEND-LEASE ACT—SELL, LEASE,

OR LEND WAR MATERIALS THAT

THE PRESIDENT DEEMS VITAL

FOR THE DEFENSE OF US.

• AMERICAN BATTLESHIPS BEGAN

PROTECTING BRITISH SHIPS

ESCALATING TENSIONS: JAPAN

• JULY, 1940 – EXPORT CONTROL ACT

• FDR HAS THE POWER TO RESTRICT THE SALE OF

STRATEGIC MATERIALS TO OTHER NATIONS

• IMMEDIATELY BLOCKED THE SALE OF AIRPLANE FUEL AND SCRAP IRON TO JAPAN

• 1941

• FDR BEGAN SENDING LEND-LEASE AID TO CHINA IN AN

EFFORT TO ASSIST THE CHINESE IN PREVENTING THE

JAPANESE FROM ATTACKING ELSEWHERE

• DID NOT WORK: JAPANESE SENT TROOPS INTO INDOCHINA

FLYING TIGERS

VOLUNTEER PILOTS TO SEND SUPPLIES

TO CHINA AND ENGAGE IN COMBAT

WITH JAPANESE PILOTS…DESTROYED

300 JAPANESE AIRCRAFTS.

FOUR FREEDOMSFDR’S SPEECH…WORLD BASED ON…

1. FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND

EXPRESSION

2. FREEDOM FROM RELIGION

3. FREEDOM FROM WANT

4. FREEDOM FROM FEAR

ATLANTIC CHARTER

• LAYS THE FOUNDATION FOR

THE UNITED NATIONS (A NEW

LEAGUE OF NATIONS…)

• ANNOUNCED THAT THEIR

COUNTRIES SOUGHT:

• NO TERRITORIAL GAIN

• FREEDOM OF SEAS

• END TO THE WAR

ESCALATING TENSIONS: GERMANY

• SEPTEMBER, 1941

• GERMAN U-BOAT FIRED ON AMERICAN SHIP RADIOING THE U-BOAT’S

POSITIONS TO THE BRITISH

• FDR RESPONDED: SHOOT ON SIGHT POLICY TOWARD GERMAN SUBS

• OCTOBER, 1941

• GERMANS TARGET TWO AMERICAN DESTROYERS

ESCALATING TENSIONS

FDR responds

froze all Japanese assets in the US; reduced the amount of oil being shipped

to Japan; sent General Douglas MacArthur to the Philippines to build up

American defenses there

Japanese respond

War in China now in jeopardy because of a lack of oil and other resources;

Plans to attack the resource-rich British and Dutch colonies in Southeast Asia; Decide to seize the Philippines and to

attack the American fleet at Pearl Harbor

JAPAN PREPARES SURPRISE ATTACK

• JAPAN WANTED INDONESIAN OIL BUT KNEW THAT WOULD BRING THE US INTO

THE WAR, SO THEY PLANNED A SURPRISE ATTACK TO ELIMINATE US NAVAL

POWER FROM THE PACIFIC.

• DECEMBER 7, 1941—TWO WAVES OF JAPANESE AIRPLANES ATTACHED THE US

PACIFIC FLEET STATIONED AT PEARL HARBOR, HI.

• SANK AND SEVERELY DAMAGED 18 US SHIPS, 260 AIRPLANES AND

KILLED/INJURED 6,000 AMERICANS.

Pearl Harbor

Overview

Before the

bombing

Pearl Harbor during

the Bombing

“Yesterday, December 7, 1941 – a date which will live in infamy – the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by the naval and air forces of Japan… I believe I interpret the will of Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost, but shall never endanger us again… No matter how long it may take us… the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.”

~ FDR

“The Day that will live in Infamy”

FDR Speechhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lK8gYGg0dkE

4 DAYS LATER…

• GERMANY AND ITALY, ALLIES OF JAPAN (AXIS POWERS) DECLARED WAR ON THE UNITED

STATES

• AMERICANS WERE NOW ENGAGED IN A TWO FRONT WAR…

THE ATLANTIC AND THE PACIFIC

PEARL HARBOR…AMERICA THE STORY OF US

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