US History Notes - Angelfire



US History Notes

Chapter 25 - World War II, 1941-1945

The Coming of World War II

- During the Depression, production dropped by as much as 40%

- FDR and most Americans did not want to concern themselves with foreign conflicts

- More concerned about fixing their own country

The Shadows of War

- War began with Japan seizing Manchuria, then withdrawing from the League of Nations

- By 1937 Japan owned much of China and threatened the rest of Asia

- Economic hardships, Authoritarian leadership, and German resentment over the Versailles Treaty led to the rise of angry nationalistic movements in Italy and Germans

- Hitler began to rebuild Germany’s armies with no protest from Britain or France

- 1936 - Italy and Germany become allies - Rome-Berlin Axis

- 1937 - Hitler announced plans to obtain Lebensraum - living / farming for Germans

- In return for allowing Hitler to annex part of Czechoslovakia, he agreed to stop advancing - Less than six months later he took the rest of Czechoslovakia

- Nov 6, 1938 - German stormtroopers kill thousands of Jews - Night of the Broken Glass

Isolationism

- 1937 - Almost 70% of American polled said they felt involvement in WWI was wrong

- 1935/36/37 - Neutrality Acts - Allowed President to deny US companies the right to sell arms to hostile nations

- Many politicians argued that war would hurt the economy, harm democracy, etc

- America First - A group founded to keep the US out of wars, included some famous ppl

Roosevelt Readies for War

- Although most people were against it, FDR enlarged the Navy and prepared for war

- Sept 1, 1939 - Germany invades Poland, then agrees to split it with the Soviet Union

- Germany swept through most of Europe, then pounded the UK in the Battle of Britain

- Britain held out against all odds

- FDR began to permit the sale of weapons to Britain, France and China

- May 1940 - 1st Peacetime Military draft - 1.4 million men sent to training camps

- FDR still did not want to get involved, only defend his own nation

- July 1940 - As part of his campaign, Roosevelt promised not to send troops to the war

- March 1941 - Lend-Lease Act - Allowed Roosevelt to sell or exchange arms with ppl

- Hitler set aside his alliance with the Soviets and in June 1941 invaded Russia

- This pushed the US closer to intervention

Pearl Harbor

- Sept 27, 1940 - Japan formally joins Italy and Germany as a partner in the Axis

- The US thought Japan planned to attack in the Phillipines

- Dec 7, 1941 - Japanese dive bombers attack Pearl Harbor (Oahu, Hawaii) killing 2400+

- Dec 8, 1941 - US declares war on Japan, Germany and Italy declare war on the US

- Start of WWII for Americans

Arsenal of Democracy

- Between 1940-1943, the govt poured resources into the war effort, which pulled the country out of the Great Depression

Mobilizing for War

- War Powers Act - allowed the president to essentially do what he wanted

- Reorganize government, create new agencies

- Abridge civil liberties, seize property owned by foreigners

- Award government contracts without competitive bidding

- Roosevelt created many new agencies to deal with problems arising from the war

- OWI - Office of War Information - essentially propaganda created by Roosevelt to make the war popular; also tried to subvert the enemy

- FBI used wiretapping extensively and illegally to spy domestically

- These activities saw the govt grow massively in size, far more than the New Deal level

- It cost roughly $250 million a day to fight the war

- At the end of the war, there were nearly 4 million government employees

- Now, Roosevelt shifted his focus from getting out of the Depression to winning the war

- Most New Deal agencies eventually vanished as the US supported the war effort

Economic Conversion

- Many felt the US’s ability to win the war would be based on capability of production

- The war created the largest economic boom in the history of any country

- Defense production made a huge impact in the West

- Textiles became a large industry

- Army required 520 million pairs of socks, 230 million pairs of pants

- Rural areas decreased in population, many small farmers would never return

New Workers

- Bracero program - allowed Mexicans to work in jobs previously forbidden

- Female labour force grew by over 50%, reaching 19.5 million in 1945

- Even advertisments that promoted female labour stressed it was temporary

- WWII still managed to break down many of the stereotypes held about women

Wartime Strikes

- Economic gains during the war were uneven, which led to many labour disputes

- Many high-ranking authorities including the President tried to break strikes

- Many white workers resisted the many African Americans being hired during the war

- Blacks usually refused to back down

- Antistrike Bill - gave President power to penalize strikers, even to draft them

- Strikes still grew in size and number

The Home Front

- Although the war brought prosperity, it also brought food rationing, long workdays, and other hard conditions

- Most Americans were happy and proud to do what they could to help the Allies

Families in Wartime

- War rushed many people into marriage

- As the number of marriages grew, so to did the number of divorces

- Federal govt began creating programs in response to the lack of public housing

- Often, both parents worked, leaving a growing number of “latchkey” children

- During the war the number of juvenile delinquents rose dramatically

- 1944 - Office of Education began a “back-to-school” campaign to reduce dropouts

- Schools became the center of the community war effort

- New economic prosperity led to a huge increase in public health, rise in life expectancy

The Internment of Japanese Americans

- After Pearl Harbor, many Americans feared that the Japanese would remain loyal to their homeland

- Media and cartoons began to make racist statements, calling them “Japs” etc

- 1942 - Roosevelt authorised the removal of approx. 110,000 Japanese people to camps

- Japanese Americans were given one week to close up their homes and businesses before being transported to one of the ten internment camps

- Korematsu v. US - Supreme Court upheld the legality of the internments - Nat. Security

- 1988 - US Congress gave $20,000 and a public apology to the surviving victims

Civil Rights and Race Riots

- African Americans fought not only for victory, but also for their civil rights

- Roosevelt supported advances that would not disrupt the war effort

- Black movements planned a huge rally to take place in Washington

- Roosevelt met with black leaders, which led to an order banning discrimination

- Many other racial equality movements gained ground during the war

- Some whites wanted to keep blacks out of the best jobs and neighbourhoods

- Riots and other race-based uprisings were widespread

Zoot-suit Riots

June 4, 1943 - Sailors chased Mexican Americans wearing zoot suits through Los Angeles, stripping them and beating them

- Sailors saw these suits as wasteful and unpatriotic

- Zoot-suiters only made up about 10% of Mexican American youth

- Eventually Los Angeles made wearing a zoot-suit in public a criminal offence

Popular Culture and “The Good War”

- Even with the war on, Americans were prosperous and enjoyed themselves

- Popular culture developed and was able to bridge racial divisions

- Pop culture began to depict a “good war,” complete with personal sacrifice, etc

- Movie stars called on people to buy war bonds and made combat films

- Comics and other popular forms of media began promoting the war

- Americans associated with the war with phrases such as “Loose Lips Sink Ships”

Men and Women in Uniform

- Only 34% of the army saw combat

- Severe military regime uprooted men from their lives and reshaped them

Creating the Armed Forces

- With the exception of the Marine Corps, the military was not prepared for a large war

- Oct 16, 1940 - All men ages 21-36 eligible for military service

- Once the US joined the war, this was lowered to 18

- US army was the best-educated in the world

- Eisenhower was more of a “fair” general than the old-school officers, eg. MacArthur

- GI = Government Issue - vast majority of draftees

- Wanted to fight for democracy and hoped to return soon to families, etc

Women Enter the Military

- Women originally served as nurses and clerical workers

- WAC = Women’s Army Corps - Waves = Womens divison of the navy

- As a group, these women were better educated and more skilled than soldiers

- Women were banned from combat, but still assisted at home and abroad

- Many women were discriminated against - no lesbians, no “homosexual tendencies” etc

- Racial segregation was also widespread among women

Old Practices and New Horizons

- 1944 - ~10% of the army’s troops were black

- Many black divisions earned distinction in battle

- Many minorities consider their time in the army to be an “Americanizing” experience

- WWII brought together people from across the country and formed bonds btwn them

Overseas Occupation

- American GIs overseas were at times rowdy and somewhat oppressive

- American soldiers had an unusually high standard of living - made other troops jealous

- “Liberating” US soldiers in France were often drunk and raped and pillaged

Prisoners of War

- In German POW camps, Americans were treated well; Russians were starved and killed

- In the Pacific, conditions for POWs were terrible

- Starved, beaten, killed, diseased, etc

- As retaliation, GIs treated Japanese prisoners very badly

The World at War

- For 1st year of the war, the Allies were on the defensive (read: getting slapped around)

- Just 2 hrs after Pearl Harbour, the Japanese hit the main US base in the Philippines

- Allies still had several important advantages:

- Skilled workforce with the ability to accelerate production

- Soviets could endure huge losses without surrendering

Soviets Halt Nazi Drive

- WWII was more mobile than WWI, and instead of soldiers, it featured tanks and planes

- WWII had huge improvements in communications, eg 2-way radio transmission, etc

- Hitler used these methods to create terror among the defeated Europeans

- RAF fought the Luftwaffe to a stalemate; Hitler could not invade Britain

- Invasion of Russia did not happen until June 22, six weeks later than planned

- Hitler had to help Mussolini, who got his ass kicked in N. Africa and Greece

- Although the Nazis beat the Soviet army, the civilians rallied and cut of supply lines

- When the winter set in, the Soviets launched a counterattack

- 1st time the German war machine had been stopped

- Hitler turned south, and decided to attack Stalingrad

- Soviets lost more people in these battles than the US did in the entire war

- Intense fighting decimated the Soviets, but eventually stopped the Germans

- Feb. 1943 - German Sixth Army surrendered

- Final German offensive against the Soviets came at Kursk, Ukraine - July 1943

- Largest land battle in history - 2 million troops + and 6000 tanks

- After another German defeat, the only option was to defend Germany

- Soviets began to recover from their losses with the help of the US’s lend-lease program

- Their victories turned the tide of the war - Hitler was suddenly vulnerable

The Allied Offensive

- 1942 - Although the Nazis controlled most of the world, the Americans were far more productive and the momentum had shifted

- German troops were still on foot, while Allied troops had jeeps

- Oct 23-24, 1942 - British stop a major offensive under Gen. Rommel (The Desert Fox) at El Alamein

- Destroyed the Italian N. African Army and most of the German Afrika Corps

- Operation Torch - British and US troops secured a position in the Mediterranean

- May 1943

- Churchill and Roosevelt would only accept an unconditional surrender

- Critics argued that this would only prolong the war

- B-17 Flying Fortress - believed to be the mightiest bomber ever built

- Described as a “humane” weapon, capable of hitting specific targets

- Americans bombed during the day, British preferred at night

- In an attempt to break German resistance, the RAF launched raids on cities

- Hamburg and Dresden were each practically levelled

- These attacks lowered German morale and gave the Allies an upper hand

The Allied Invasion of Europe

- After the Allies stormed southern Italy in 1943, the King dismissed Mussolini

- Civilians rose up against their Nazi captors, such as in the Warsaw Jewish ghetto

- Partisan resistance helped weaken Nazis and pave the way for Allied attacks

- As Stalin kept pushing for a second front, the Allies prepared for Operation Overlord

- Wanted to retake the continent by pushing through France

- Began on June 6, 1944 with the Normandy invasion (D-Day)

- At Omaha Beach, the Nazis prepared the defense perfectly, killing thousands of troops

- As the Allies pushed towards Paris, the Germans retreated quickly

- August 25 - Charles de Gaulle proclaimed president of the French Republic

The High Cost of European Victory

- Allies chose not to move into Berlin, but instead pushed North

- Germans at Arnhem cut the Allied armies to pieces - 6000 Americans captured

- Battle of the Bulge - Germans suprised Allies, driving them back 50 miles

- Bloodiest campaign involving Americans since the battle of Gettysburg

- By the time the Allies took the Ruhr valley, the German defense seemed hopeless

- May 8th, 1945 - Germans surrendered

- By this time Hitler had already committed suicide

The War in Asia and the Pacific

- After Pearl Harbour, the Japanese continued their early victories

- Japanese empire proved to be cruel and the conquered people did not like them

- Midway Island - Americans defeated Japanese and ended the threat to the US coast

- Japanese felt that high casualties on both sides would eventually wear down the US

- Americans devised plans to recapture many of the small islands in the Pacific

- Battle of Leyte Gulf - largest naval battle in history - US tried to recapture Philippines

- Under MacArthur, the US regained control of the Pacific

- After Guam was captured, the Americans could reach Tokyo and other cities

- Japan had no significant air force or navy, and could not transport necessary supplies

- US did not the Soviets to take any territory after the war was over

- This led to the use of their secret weapon: the atomic bomb

The Last Stages of the War

- During the war, Roosevelt focused on military strategy, but when the German defeat seemed imminent, he began planning for peace

- Wanted to make sure another world war never happened

The Holocaust

- During the war, Hitler systematically murdered Jews, Gypsies, and homosexuals

- US government did not release this information until after the war

- US army would not waste resources rescuing civilians unless it was part of an objective

- The Holocaust claimed more than 6,000,000 Jews, 250,000 Gypsies, and 60,000 gays

The Yalta Conference

- Feb. 1945 - Roosevelt met for the last time with Churchill and Stalin

- Russia wanted: the Baltic states and part of Poland as a buffer zone

- Britain wanted: to reclaim its empire in Asia

- The US wanted: to hold several Pacific islands to keep an eye on Japan

- Although Roosevelt claimed the meeting was a success, he realised that at the end of the war nothing would keep the Allies together

- 1944 - Roosevelt won an unprecedented fourth term in office

- April 12, 1945 - Roosevelt died of a stroke

- His death cast a large shadow over the peace process

The Atomic Bomb

- After Roosevelt’s death, cooperation among the Allies was difficult

- Truman had no intentions of making concessoins to the Soviets

- Once Truman found out about the atomic bomb, he knew he did not need the Soviets

- Truman warned the Japanese to surrender immediately, or face “complete destruction”

- Aug 3, 1945 - Japan refused to surrender

- Aug 6, 1945 - The first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima

- Aug 9, 1945 - A second atomic bomb destroys Nagasaki

- The decision to drop the bomb remains one of the most controversial aspects of the war

- Atomic power strengthened the US’s diplomatic power

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