American Stories A History of the United States

American Stories: A History of the United States Second Edition Chapter 27 America and the World 1921– 1945 American Stories: A History of the United States , Second Edition Brands • Breen • Williams • Gross

America and the World 1921– 1945 • • • Isolationism The Road to War Turning the Tide Against the Axis The Home Front Victory

A Pact Without Power • 1928: Kellogg-Brand Pact—France, U. S. , twelve other nations sign treaty outlawing war • U. S. retreated from maintaining world order when aggressive powers threatened • Nazi onslaught convinced U. S. to enter World War II

Isolationism • Depression shifted focus to domestic affairs • When danger of war arose, U. S. stayed out of it • Rise of militaristic regimes threatened war § In Germany, Italy, Japan § Alliance of Axis Powers threatened entire world

The Lure of Pacifism and Neutrality • Most Americans resolved against another meaningless war • 1935: Senator Gerald Nye led passage of neutrality legislation § U. S. trade with nations at war prohibited § U. S. loans to nations at war prohibited

The pacifism that swept college campuses in the 1930 s touched students at the University of Chicago. These undergraduates hold placards bearing antiwar slogans as they wait to join a parade as part of a nationwide demonstration against war.

The Lure of Pacifism and Neutrality (cont’d) • 1937—Japan invaded China • FDR permitted sale of arms to China

War in Europe • FDR approved appeasement of Hitler • 1938: Hitler seized Czechoslovakia • FDR attempted to revise the neutrality acts, to give edge to England, France • July, 1939: FDR attacked neutrality acts • September, 1939: W. W. II began, Roosevelt declared the acts in force

The Road to War • U. S. remained at peace 1939– 1941 • Popular sympathy for Allies, distaste for Germany and Japan • Roosevelt openly expressed favor for Allies, moved cautiously to avoid outcry from isolationists

From Neutrality to Undeclared War • FDR 1939: Belligerents may buy U. S. goods on "cash and carry" basis • 1940: Germans unleash blitzkrieg (lightning war); occupy France • America First forms to protest drift toward war • White Committee wanted to aid Britain • U. S. greatly increased military spending and began a first-ever peacetime draft

From Neutrality to Undeclared War (cont’d) • Roosevelt ran for third term; took bold step: Lend Lease • U. S. ships transported war supplies • Eventual consensus that a Nazi victory in Europe would threaten western civilization • U. S. Navy told to shoot submarines on sight

TABLE 27. 1 The Election of 1940

Showdown in the Pacific • 1937: Japanese occupation of coastal China • U. S. limited exports to Japan of strategic materials • 1940: Japan allied with Germany, Italy • Japanese invasion of Indochina prompted U. S. to end all trade

Showdown in the Pacific (cont’d) • 1941: U. S. -Japanese negotiations • U. S. demands Japan leave China • December 7, 1941—Japan bombs U. S. ships at Pearl Harbor • U. S. now fully involved in World War II

Four American battleships were destroyed in the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941. Caught completely off guard, U. S. forces still managed to shoot down 29 enemy planes.

Turning the Tide Against the Axis • December, 1941: Axis on the offensive • 1942– 1943: U. S. , England, Russia fought to seize the initiative • 1944– 1945: Offensive to crush Axis

Wartime Partnerships • U. S. -English alliance cemented by personal friendship between FDR and Churchill • Soviet Union unsatisfied with alliance • Soviet Union often perceives itself alone in conflict • Wartime tensions persist after victory

At their meeting at Casablanca, Morocco, in January 1943, President Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill announced that the unconditional surrender of the Axis powers would be the only acceptable basis for ending the war.

Halting the German Blitz • November, 1942: U. S. invaded North Africa • May, 1943: U. S. , England invaded Italy § Mussolini fell from power § Slow advance up the Italian peninsula • Summer, 1943: Battle of Stalingrad § Russia defeated Germans § Russia advanced into eastern Europe

Checking Japan in the Pacific • Two-pronged drive against Japan § Douglas Mac. Arthur led drive through New Guinea to the Philippines § Chester Nimitz led navy westward from Pearl Harbor to the Philippines • June, 1942: Victory at Midway launches advance into Japanese-held territories

The Home Front • War ended depression • Economy geared for military output • Automobile factories converted to tank and airplane production • Women moved into the workplace • Demographic shifted

The Arsenal of Democracy • American factories turned out twice as many goods as German and Japanese factories • Scarce goods rationed • Income of lowest-paid laborers increased faster than the rich

The Arsenal of Democracy (cont’d) • Income taxes started to affect many more people and system of payroll deduction occurred • High-savings rate laid basis for postwar prosperity

A Nation on the Move • Wartime migration South and West • Early marriages, increased birth rates • Family-related social problems § Housing shortages § More divorces § Neglected children

As men left for military service in World War II and U. S. industry expanded to keep up with the defense needs, millions of women joined the paid labor force. The women shown here are operating a bolt-cutting machine at a factory in Erie, Pennsylvania.

Victory • June 6, 1944: Normandy Invasion • April 25, 1945: U. S. , Russian forces met at Torgau • May 7, 1945: Unconditional German surrender

War Aims and Wartime Diplomacy • Soviets did bulk of fighting against Germany § 300 SU divisions, only 58 U. S. and British • Soviets decided to control Eastern Europe to prevent another German attack • U. S. sought collective security arrangement including the United Nations

War Aims and Wartime Diplomacy (cont’d) • Yalta Conference February 1945 § Agreement let Soviets control elections in Eastern Europe § Soviets agreed to enter war against Japan 3 months after Germany surrendered • April 12, 1945: death of FDR

Triumph and Destuction in the Pacific • June 21, 1945: U. S. captured Okinawa, complete control of Pacific, defeat of Japan only a matter of time • May–August: Intense air attacks on Japan

Triumph and Destruction in the Pacific (cont’d) • Manhattan Project offered way to crush Japan without invasion § August 6: Atom bomb destroyed Hiroshima § August 9: Atom bomb destroyed Nagasaki • August 14: Japan surrenders

The atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki, a provincial capital and naval base in southern Japan, on August 9, 1945, virtually obliterated the city and killed more than 60, 000 people. Only buildings made with reinforced concrete remained standing after the blast.

Conclusion: The Transforming Power of War • U. S. the most powerful nation on earth • Unprecedented economic prosperity • Federal government a permanent force in daily life

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