World War II through Vietnam

THE BLITZ

Test Monday!!

A. Philip Randolph

A. Philip Randolph – Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters

• March on Washington:

• FDR’s response:

Mid 1941 – creation of the Office of Scientific Research & Development (OSRD)

• Developed radar and sonar

• Encouraged pesticides (DDT) & miracle drugs (penicillin)

• Most Important: Manhattan Project (1942) – building an atomic bomb.

Pearl Harbor• Dec. 7, 1941• Japanese attack on Hawaiian naval

base.–Trying to prevent US ability to wage

war.• Significance: Pulls the US into the War.

US Response:• Japanese

American Internment.

• Korematsu vs. the US (1944) – interning the Japanese was a “military necessity.”

Mobilization for War• Selective Service –

expanded the draft, provided for another 10 million.

• Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps (WAAC) – women in non-combat positions.

US government gets bigger!!!!!

• Office of Price Administration – fought inflation. –Set up rationing–C Books

• War Production Board – decided which companies would convert from peacetime to war production & allocated raw materials.–Organized

recycling drives.

War in Europe

• German “wolf packs”• B. of Stalingrad – Soviets pushed

Germans into a retreat back west across Europe. TURNING POINT.

War in Europe • D Day (June 6, 1944)–Aka “Operation Overlord” – Largest seaborne invasion.–Objective – free France &

west Europe from Nazis.–Commanded by Eisenhower.–Allies get the “geographic

advantage.”–Patton led US forces into

France.

Meeting at the Elbe• Soviets pushed

West• Americans pushed East.

May 8, VE Day Liberation of the concentration camps

Nuremberg Trials (1945 – 1949)

• Nazi officials tried for “crimes against humanity.”

• 12 executed.• Important principle

– Individuals are responsible for their own actions, even in war.

Meanwhile in the Pacific Theater….

Bataan Death March

• March of US and Filipino prisoners of war by the Japanese that occurred after the Japanese conquered the Philippines at the beginning of WWII. Many prisoners died along the way. Those responsible for the death march were later tried and executed for war crimes after the war.

Battle of Midway

• Battle of Midway – US Admiral Nimitz “avenges Pearl Harbor”

• Turning Point – US stopped Japan’s Eastern March.

• Began US Island hopping.

Navajo Code Talkers

Pacific Theater Battles

• B. of Layette Gulf (1944)– Kamikaze (suicide bomber) planes.–We won.

• B. of Iwo Jima & Okinawa (1944) – we won, but at heavy costs.

Atomic Bombs

• Los Alamos, New Mexico – first test (July, 1945)

• We then warned Japan if they didn’t surrender they would face “prompt and utter destruction.”

Atomic bombs

• August 6, 1945 – “Little Boy” dropped on Hiroshima.

• August 9, 1945 – “Fat Man” dropped on Nagasaki.

• August 14, 1945 – VJ Day.

Now what????

Yalta, Feb. 1945

Potsdam,July, 1945

Yalta, Feb. 1945• Big 3: Stalin, FDR, Churchill.• Big decisions–1) Temporary (?) division of Germany into

4 zones.–2) Stalin Promised “free elections” in

Poland & E. Europe.• FDR wanted Stalin’s support for the UN.

German Division

Potsdam Conference (July, 1945)• Big 3: Atlee, Truman &

Stalin• Unconditional

Surrender for Japan• Democratic country’s

boundaries were to be reestablished

• Nuremburg Trials• Truman and Stalin

clearly did not trust each other.

Occupation of Japan• MacArthur,

Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers , heads the 7-year occupation of Japan.–Government &

economic restructuring.– Set them on a

path to incredible recovery.

Containment• Feb, 1946 – Sec of State

George Kennan announced the US policy of “containment” – preventing the spread of communism beyond its boarders.

• Iron Curtain (so deemed by Churchill) – dividing line between communist East and non-communist west).

Examples of Containment• 1) Truman Doctrine –

US sent economic and military aid to Greece & Turkey to prevent a communist takeover.

• 2) Marshall Plan – We dumped all kinds of money on Western Europe to prevent them from communism.

Examples of Containment• 3) Berlin Airlift – Berlin had

been divided.– Stalin tried to blockade W.

Berlin to starve them into submitting to E. Berlin.

– US & BR dropped in TONS of food & supplies.

– Shows our greatest weapon: $$$$$$

• 4) Korea & Vietnam

NATO• 12 Nations form a defensive military alliance. –1st time Americans ever made a defensive

alliance in peace time.• Soviet collective security agreement was

called the Warsaw Pact.

CHINA

• Fell to Communism under Red Army leader Mao Zedong.– We gave Chinese

nationalists aid, but did not send troops.

– We were stunned that containment didn’t work!!!

China

• Fear of the Domino Theory – if one nation fell to communism, they’d all fall (particularly in Asia) (gets us into Korea & Vietnam Wars).

Korean “Police Action” (1950 – 1953)

• Korea had been split at the 38th parallel – North controlled by the USSR, South by the US.

• June 25, 1950 – North invades south, starting war.

• UN (under the command of McArthur) to prevent a communist takeover in the South.

Korean “Police Action” (1950 – 1953)

• MacArthur wanted to use nukes against China, Truman refused.

• Truman eventually fired MacArthur.

• USSR & US agreed to a ceasefire and a demilitarized zone at the 38th parallel.– North, controlled by Kim Il

Sung– South by Sigmund Reh.

Meanwhile, we were freaking out at home about Communists among us….

• (1) House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) – investigated communist influences.– Hollywood 10 – 10 witnesses who refused to

cooperate and were blacklisted.

Meanwhile, we were freaking out at home….

• (2) Spy cases:– Alger Hiss – Soviet Spy - jailed– Julius & Ethel Rosenberg – Passed atomic bomb

secrets to USSR – electrocuted.

Meanwhile, we were freaking out at home….

• (3) McCarthyism – Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy – unsubstantiated accusations of communist activity in US Army and government.– Downfall – accused people in the army, led to a

televised Senate investigation.

Dwight Eisenhower (1953 – 1961)

• Eisenhower and Sec. of State John Foster Dulles were staunchly anti-Communist.

• Suez War (1955) – Egypt took over the Suez Canal. Egypt had ties to the USSR and we were afraid this would lead to a Soviet takeover of the Middle East.– Eisenhower Doctrine – US would defend any

Middle Eastern country from a communist threat.

US in the 1950s

We were $$$$$$.Truman and Civil Rights – Truman issued an

executive order to integrate the armed forces and end discrimination in gov. hiring.

1948 Election

• Democrats nominated Truman, Dixiecrats (States Rights Democrats) nominated Strom Thurmond (SC), Republicans nominated Gov. Dewey.– Truman won, but it was close!!

Harry S. Truman (1945 – 1953)

• Fair Deal - Continuation of FDR’s new deal, with national health insurance and crop subsidies thrown in.

• Other import Truman stuff: – Integration of Armed forces– Stalemate in Korea– Firing McArthur– Rising McCarthism

Eisenhower (1953 – 1961)

• Brinkmanship – willingness to go right to the edge of war.

• Arms Race – trying to get to “the super”– Hydrogen Bomb – US had one in 1952, USSR in 1953.

• Eisenhower Doctrine• Brown vs. Board (1954)• Rosa Parks arrested (1955)• Space Race – Sputnik (1957) – first satellite

(SOVIET!)

Eisenhower (1953 – 1961)

• Interstate Highway Act (1956) – concern about possible nuclear strike, provided for mobility, expansion of suburbs

• U2 Incident – US pilot Gary Powers shot down over Soviet Union – proved we were spying on them too.

Meanwhile back at home….

• Defense industries boomed,

• Women had jobs.• Population shifts north

and west.• GI Bill of Rights paid for

education, training and housing loans for Veterans.

• Race Riots.

More life in the 1950s

• Baby boom!!• Salk’s polio vaccine• Glorification of home-maker / mother – although

more women were working outside the home.• Consumerism & labor saving devices – Auto-mania - & interstate highway system.– “Planned Obsolescence” – goods designed to

become out of date.– More credit

More life in the 1950s

• Importance of TV – shown in the Kennedy/Nixon Debates (1960

Election).– TV showed idealized white America.– Made people sympathize with the civil rights

movement.• Air conditioning! Stimulated economic

development in hotter climates

More Life in the 1950s

• 1956 - Development of the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) – regulates and licenses television, telephone, radio, etc.

More life in the 1950s

• “Beat Movement” – Beatniks – artistic / literary movement – nonconformity – didn’t like “regular” stuff - sought “higher consciousness” (beginning of drug movement).

• Rock and Roll became popular – supposed to appeal to black and white alike.– Elvis Presley

More life in the 1950s

• “White Flight” – white Americans left cities for suburbs while rural poor migrated to cities.

• Suburbs – shows rising middle class– Levittown – mass produced, planned communities

for cheap – first built in Pennsylvania – equipped with modern appliances.

Kennedy

1960 Election

• Kennedy– Young– Catholic– Pro-Civil Rights and

looked good on TV.– Coached by tv producers

• Nixon– Foreign policy expert– Tough on communism

1960 Election

• Closest election since 1884 – Kennedy Wins

• “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”

Camelot

• Kennedy’s time in office. Lots of writers, scientists and authors in the White House, surrounded himself with advisers deemed “the best and the brightest.”

Kennedy & Cuba• Fidel Castro had overthrown

dictator Fulgencia Batista’s government.

• Castro seized American and British oil refineries

• Bay of Pigs – CIA trained Cuban rebels and sent them to Cuba.– Quickly captured.– We had to pay $53 million to

get them back.

Cuban Missile Crisis

• Soviet premier Khrushchev put nuclear missiles in Cuba.

• 14 days of brinkmanship – JFK made it very clear that we would attack if the USSR didn’t remove their missiles.

Berlin Wall (1961)

• Khrushchev ordered the Berlin wall built to stop the flow of people out of E. Berlin.– He wanted to close E.

Germany off from W. Germany, but the US wouldn’t allow that.

New Frontier

• JFK’s legislative program – pushed for deficit spending to do FDR style social programs & to build up the military.

Assassination

• Nov 22, 1963, by Lee Harvey Oswald.– Jack Ruby then shot Oswald.

• Warren Commission – concluded Oswald acted alone.

Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1969)

• Great Society - LBJ’s legislative program.– Civil Rights Act (1964) – prohibited discrimination

& gave fed gov power to enforce it– Economic Opportunity Act (1964) – youth

programs, anti-poverty measures, small businesses, etc.

1964 Election

L B Johnson – Democrat – large government

Barry Goldwater – Republican - wanted to decrease federal government.

CONSERVATIVE MOVEMENT

LBJ wins in a landslide!

More Great Society

• Hugely extended the power of the federal government.

• “War on Poverty”• Medicare and Medicaid• Immigration Act (1965) – ended immigration

quotas• Water Quality Act (1965) and Truth in

Packaging Law

Vietnam (aka Indo-China)

• We became involved as the French withdrew. Domino theory in action.

• Ho Chi Minh– Vietnamese Communist.– Member of the Vietminh – organization whose

goal was to gain Vietnam’s independence.

Vietnam – early involvement

• Geneva Accords (1954) – divided Vietnam at the 17th parallel.– Communists in North, Democratic gov in South.

• 1956 Elections – Ngo Dinh Diem (anti-communist) refused to participate in the elections and took over. We supported him.– Vietnamese hated Diem.

Vietnam

• Vietcong – South Vietnamese communists – fought against Diem’s gov.

• Ho Chi Minh Trail – supply route from N. to S. Vietnam.

• JFK – sent military groups and advisors

Vietnam

• Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (1964) – Congress gave pres. Broad powers to wage war in Vietnam.

• LBJ sent in ground troops.

The fighting

• Jungle - guerrilla warfare.

• US planes dropped napalm (gas-based bomb) and Agent Orange (killed leaves).

• US search and destroy missions.

• Credibility gap• Draft lottery system

Opposition to the War

• Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and Free Speech Movement (FSM)

1968

• (1) Tet Offensive – Vietcong’s surprise attack on S. Vietnamese cities.– Not effective, but huge surprise to Americans who

thought we were winning – increased credibility gap and turned many against the war.

• (2) Assassinations – Martin Luther King & John F. Kennedy

• (3) Democratic National Convention – armed policemen beat protestors on live tv.

Vietnam (withdrawal)

• 1969 – Nixon took office – Started “Vietnamization” – gradual withdrawal of

US troops while increasing bombing of supply lines and Vietcong bases.

– Appealed to the “Silent Majority”• Jan, 1973 – Peace agreement signed between

the US & North Vietnamese.• April, 1975 – Vietnam united under the

Communist party.

War Powers Act (1973)

• Said the President must inform Congress within 48 hours of sending in forces without a declaration of war.

Next up…

• Civil Rights movement• Nixon resigns, Crisis of Carter, Regan &

Reganomics, Bush & W on Terror