US and WWII Policies Before the War

US and WWII Policies Before Entering the War

• The US initially followed a policy of isolationism due to anti-war sentiment
• 70% of Americans did not want to be involved in another World War like WWI
• Neutrality Acts aimed to keep the US out of future wars, which outlawed arms sales/loans to nations at war
• The US began to break from neutrality during the Spanish Civil War, sending volunteers to fight Fascists
• FDR sent arms and supplies to China after Japan attacked

Cash-and-Carry Policy

• The US adopted a "cash-and-carry" policy, selling arms to Allies if they paid in cash and transported the arms themselves
• This policy was seen as "Too Little, Too Late" as the Axis Powers dominated Europe by 1941
• Germany invaded Poland which started WWII
• France fell in a couple of weeks
• Britain repelled German forces in the Battle of Britain
• Japan joined the Axis Powers with Germany and Italy
• Isolationism still persisted as the US hoped to stay out of the war

Jewish Refugees

• The US only accepted 100,000 Jewish refugees
• Great Depression caused lack of jobs/economic recovery
• Anti-Semitism and fear of "enemy agents" contributed to the low number
• A German ocean liner, St. Louis, carrying Jewish refugees was turned away and sent back to Europe
• More than half of the passengers died in the Holocaust

Lend-Lease Act

• US supported Britain (Allies)
• The US feared the dominance of fascist countries
• Military spending was increased
• Peacetime Military Draft was introduced
• Lend-Lease Act allowed the US to lend or lease arms/supplies to "any country whose defense was vital to the US"
• This ended the Cash-and-Carry Policy
• German U-boats sank many unarmed merchant ships
• US Navy protected ships carrying supplies and was authorized to attack in "self-defense"

Atlantic Charter

• Roosevelt and Churchill agreed upon Declaration of Principles later used in the United Nations
  • No territorial expansion
  • No territorial changes without popular consent
  • People choose their own government
  • Promote free trade
  • Encourage international cooperation
  • Secure peace based on freedom from want or fear
  • Pursue disarmament of aggressors
  • Establish a "permanent system of general security"

Reasons for Japan's Expansion

• Concern was the most immediate in Asia
• Europe's responsibility was with England, France, and later the USSR
• Japan's imperialism clashed with US interests in China and the Open Door Policy (1899)
• Japan wanted equal access to China's markets

Japanese Expansion and US Response

• Japan needed "living space" and raw materials
• Japan militarily invaded Manchuria (1931), China (1937), and Indochina (Vietnam) (1940)
• Japan had a militarist government by 1941 under Hideki Tojo
• The US imposed a trade embargo (after Indochina), stopping oil and scrap metal exports
• This hurt Japan's drive for expanding its empire

US-Japanese relations

• The US and Japan engaged in peace talks in November 1941
• US intercepted a telegram for the Japanese ambassador rejecting peace offers
• US knew an attack would take place, but did not know the details

Pearl Harbor Attack

• Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941
• Pearl Harbor was an important Naval Base in Hawaii
• The attack was a "Day which will live in infamy”
• The US declared war on Japan on December 8th, 1941 since isolationism had failed
• Germany and Italy declared war on the US on December 11th, 1941
• Caused intolerance for Japanese-Americans on the West Coast

American Involvement in WWII

• The US fought in Europe and the Pacific
• 5 million Americans volunteered
• 10 million drafted through the Selective Service System
• Women served in noncombat positions in the Women’s Army Corp (WAC)
• Minorities joined the fight: 1 million African Americans, 300,000 Mexican Americans, 13,000 Chinese Americans, 25,000 Native Americans, and 33,000 Japanese Americans

Government Controls

• The Office of Price Administration (OPA) fought inflation by freezing wages, prices, and rent
• Food was rationed
• The National War Labor Board (NWLB) limited wage increases and kept unions in check
• The War Production Board rationed materials
• Department of the Treasury sold War Bonds
• The Revenue Act of 1942 raised taxes, which impacted lower income families

Japanese Internment

• Feburary 1942: 110,000 Japanese Americans living on the West Coast were sent to "relocation camps" since people were afraid
• These camps were seen as "military necessary"
• They were like "prison like" camps
• Japanese Americans lost homes and businesses
• They were forced to stay in camps