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Topic 14 – World War II (1935 – 1945)

Lesson 14.2 – Entering World War II

(Vocabulary& Notes)

Key Terms (Vocabulary)

1. Munich Conference - a 1938 meeting of the leaders of Britain,

France, Italy, and Germany at which an agreement was signed giving part of Czechoslovakia to Hitler

2. appeasement - the practice of giving in to aggression in

order to avoid war

3. Nazi-Soviet Pact - an agreement signed between Hitler and

Stalin in 1939 in which the two dictators agreed not to attack each other

4. blitzkrieg - the swift and powerful German military

attacks in World War II, “lightning war”

5. Axis - the World War II military alliance of

Germany, Italy, Japan, and six other nations

6. Allies - the World War II military alliance of Britain,

France, the Soviet Union, the United States, China, and 45 other countries

7. Battle of Britain - Germany’s failed attempt to subdue Britain

in 1940 in preparation for invasion

8. Lend-Lease Act - the law that allowed the United States to

sell arms and equipment to Britain during World War II

9. Atlantic Charter - a 1941 program developed by the United

States and Britain that set goals for the postwar world

Lesson 14.2 – Entering World War II

Obj: to explain how aggression led to war in Asia and Europe; to describe how the United States responded to the outbreak of World War II; to explain why the United States finally entered the war

The totalitarian governments that arose in Japan and Germany had strong imperial ambitions.

They began advancing into surrounding territories. European leaders hoped to avoid war, and the United States was wary of getting involved.

Yet the military aggression from these two nations would soon become impossible to ignore.

THE BEGINNINGS OF WAR

Japan Invades China

• 1937 –

o Japan began an all-out war against China

▪ Japanese planes bombed china’s major cities

▪ Thousands of people killed

• Nanjing

o 300,000 civilians and prisoners of war murdered in a six-week massacre

o Japanese armies defeated Chinese armies

▪ Occupied northern and central China

▪ This occupation alarmed the American leaders

• Felt it undermined the Open Door Policy

o Promised equal access to trade in China

• It threatened the Philippines

o Which the US controlled

o Even though, isolationist feelings continued and it kept the United States from taking a form stand against the Japanese

Americans React to Japanese Action in Asia

Americans were angered by Japan’s invasion of China

• They did not want Japan to become an imperial power in Asia

• They did not, however, support going to war against Japan

• To many:

o The conflict was far away and did not affect their lives

President Roosevelt reacted to the invasion with a speech:

• Denounced Japan’s “Reign of terror and international lawlessness”

o But maintained a neutral stand

• He would eventually try to apply economic pressure to halt its military aggression

o Japan would speed up its attacks

Japan is an island with limited natural resources:

• It had eyes on British and Dutch colonies in Southeast Asia

o They were rich in materials that its military could use:

▪ Rubber

▪ Oil

▪ Other raw materials

Americans were concerned as the conflict in Asia spread

However, the US would not go to war with Japan unless it attacked the US directly.

German Expansion

1938 - Europe:

• Hitler continued his plans for German expansion.

• Just two years after occupying the Rhineland:

o He annexed Austria

▪ this violated the Treaty of Versailles

o once again, France and Britain took no action against him.

• Hitler claimed the Sudetenland (western part of Czechoslovakia)

o Justified this by claiming it contained many people of German heritage

Appeasement

Although Britain and France signed treaties to protect Czechoslovakia, they were reluctant to go to war.

So, the two nations sought a peaceful solution:

• September 1938

o Leaders of France, Italy, and Germany met in Munich

▪ The Munich Conference

• Hitler promised that Germany would seek no further territory once it had acquired the Sudetenland.

• To preserve the peace, Britain and France agreed.

o This action is known as appeasement.

• This policy failed

o 1939 - Germany seized the rest of Czechoslovakia

• 1939 –

o Finally, Britain and France realized that they had to take a firm stand against Nazi aggression

[pic]

War Against Poland

Hitler eyed Poland next.

August 1939 –

• The Nazi-Soviet Pact was signed with Stalin.

o The two rival dictators agreed not to attack each other.

o Secretly, they also agreed to divide Poland and other parts of Eastern Europe.

September 1939 –

• Hitler launched a blitzkrieg against Poland

o New tactic involved rushing concentrated forces with superior firepower into a specific area to scatter the enemy and penetrate deeply into enemy territory.

• Unable to withstand modern German tanks and planes, the Poles soon surrendered.

• Meanwhile, the Soviet forces seized:

o eastern Poland

o Finland

• Later annexed:

o Estonia

o Latvia

o Lithuania

• Stalin claimed that these steps were needed to build Soviet defenses

GERMANY ATTACKS FRANCE AND BRITAIN

1939 –

Two days after Hitler’s invasion of Poland, Britain and France declared war on Germany.

A new world war had begun.

• WWII was truly a global conflict.

• Military forced fought all over the world:

o Axis Powers

▪ Italy

▪ Japan

▪ Germany

▪ Six other nations

o Allies

▪ Britain

▪ France

▪ China

▪ The Soviet Union

▪ The United States

▪ 45 other nations

France Surrenders

1940 – Spring

• Hitler’s armies marched north and west

• April:

o Smashed through Denmark and Norway

• May:

o Overran Holland, Belgium, and pushed into France

▪ Italy, Germany’s ally, also attacked France

o Britain sent troops to help France but both were quickly overpowered

▪ Germans forced them to retreat to Dunkirk

• A French port on the English Channel

• In a bold action, the British sent every available ship across the channel to rescue the trapped soldiers

o Operation Dynamo

o Unbothered, German armies entered France and marched on to Paris

▪ France’s capital

• June 22, 1940

o Barely six weeks later

o France surrendered

▪ The fall of France shocked the world

Battle of Britain

Britain now stood alone.

Winston Churchill:

• Britain’s new prime minister

• Was confident

Operation Sea Lion:

• Codename for Hitler’s plan to invade Britain

o Became a massive air battle

• Battle of Britain

o German planes dropped bombs on London and other British cities

o British fighter pilots fought back

▪ Gunned down nearly 2,000 German planes

Late 1940 –

After months of bombing, Hitler gave up his planned invasion of Britain.

• Americans kept on ear on Britain’s brave stand against Hitler

• They wondered how much longer they could stay out of the war

[pic]

THE UNITED STATES ASSISTS THE ALLIES

Roosevelt stated that the US would remain neutral even after the invasion of Poland.

• He knew most of America favored the Allied but did not want to go to war

Aid for Allies

At the same time, Roosevelt sought ways to help the Allies

• Asked Congress to repeal the Neutrality Act law banning the sale of arms to warring nations.

o Isolationists blocked the move

o FDR won a compromise

▪ The US could sell arms to the Allies under a new plan

• “cash-and-carry”

o Allies had to pay cash for the goods and carry them away in their own ships

▪ By 1940, German submarines had sunk many British ships.

• Roosevelt gave Britain 50 old American destroyers

• In exchange, Britain gave the US 99-year leases on military bases in Newfoundland and the Caribbean

New Policies

The US also took several steps to prepare for war

Congress:

• approved greater spending for an army and navy

• set up a military draft

o the first time young men were required to serve in the army during peace

• Isolationists opposed these moves, especially aid for Britain

o One was Charles Lindbergh – hero pilot of the 1920s

▪ “I have been forced to the conclusion that we cannot win this war for England, regardless of how much assistance we extend.”

• Many other Americans, however, felt that the US h ad no choice.

o If Britain fell, Hitler might control the Atlantic Ocean.

FDR Runs for Office Again

1940 –

The threat of war persuaded FDR to run for a third and unprecedented term

Both Republicans and some Democrats criticized Roosevelt for breaking the two-term tradition.

• Republicans nominated:

o Wendell Willkie, an Ohio businessman

o A strong critic of FDR’s New Deal

o He did agree with FDR on many issues:

▪ Sending aid to Britain

▪ Not to send Americans int o any foreign wars

Despite the criticisms, Roosevelt won a clear victory.

*After his defeat, Willkie worked to win Republican support for Roosevelt’s war aims.

The Lend-Lease Act

1940 –

• Britain was running out of cash

• Roosevelt suggested lending supplies to Britain

o Proclaimed Britain was defending democracy against totalitarian forces

March 1941 –

• The Lend-Lease Act was passed by Congress

o Despite opposition from isolationists

o Allowed sales or loans of war materials to “any country whose defense the President deems vital to the defense of the United States”

o The US sent supplies to Britain and other Allied nations

▪ Airplanes

▪ Tanks

▪ Guns

▪ Ammunition

o British merchant ships transported the goods

▪ Escorted by American warships providing protection as far as Iceland

Lend-Lease Extends to the Soviet Union

June 1941 –

• Hitler launched a surprise invasion of the Soviet Union.

o Negating the Nazi-Soviet Pact

• It took the Soviets off guard

• Was the largest invasion force in history

o Proved to be a turning point in the war

▪ Brought Soviets over to the Allied side

▪ Meant the Germans had to now fight on two fronts instead of one

Much of the American public remained anti-communist.

Roosevelt had condemned Stalin’s totalitarian rule but decided to extend the Lend-Lease aid to the Soviet Union.

After much debate, Congress approved extending the aid to the Soviets.

Creating Postwar Goals

August 1941 –

• The Atlantic Charter

o Issued by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Britain’s Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

o It set goals for the postwar world

▪ Seek no territory from the war

▪ Support the “right of all people to choose the form of government under which they will live”

▪ “permanent system of general security”

• Similar to the League of Nations

THE UNITED STATES DECLARES WAR

To Roosevelt:

• Japanese aggression in Asia was as alarming as Germany’s advance through Europe.

o Japan:

▪ Seized much of China

▪ After Germany defeated France:

• Japan took control of French colonies in Southeast Asia

• September 1940 –

o Japan signed an alliance with Germany and Italy

Limiting Trade with Japan

US tried to stop Japanese aggression by:

• Refusing to sell oil and scrap metal to them

• This embargo angered Japan because they badly needed these resources

November 1941 –

• Japanese and American officials met

• Japan asked the US to lift its trade embargo

• US called on Japan to withdraw its armies from China and Southeast Asia

o Neither side would compromise

• As talks “limped” along, Japan completed plans for a secret attack on the United States

“A Date Which Will Live in Infamy”

December 7, 1941 – Sunday morning:

• Much of the American Pacific fleet was peacefully anchored at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

• Suddenly, Japanese planes swept through the sky

• In less than two hours:

o 19 American ships were sunk or seriously damaged

o Almost 200 planes destroyed

o About 2,400 people killed

• This attack was a desperate gamble by Japan

o They knew they lacked the resources to win a long war with the US

o They believed that Americans were weak and had not stomach for fighting

o Thought the attack on Pearl Harbor would force the US to beg for peace immediately

o THEY WERE WRONG!

• Instead, it united Americans in their determination to fight

The Japanese made two other mistakes:

• They failed to sink the aircraft carriers stationed at Pearl Harbor

o The carriers were at sea at the time of the attack

• They did not bomb the fuel oil tanks or the mechanics area

o Oil and aircraft carriers would become two keys to American victory in the war that followed.

The next day, Dec 8, 1941 –

• President Roosevelt addressed Congress and the American people

o “Yesterday, December 7, 1941, a date which will live in infamy, the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan,” he began.

o “No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people, in their righteous might, will win through to absolute victory”.

Congress declared war on Japan.

• In response, Germany and Italy declared war on the US

Americans were now united in the cause of freedom.

Even isolationists backed the war effort.

The attack on Pearl Harbor had an immediate effect on American lives.

• Young men left schools and jobs to enter the war

• The economy sped up to provide the necessary supplies

• New wartime society developed with a surge in patriotism

• Difficulties would come for some who will be viewed with suspicion:

o Japanese Americans

o Italian Americans

o German Americans

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