Unit 8 World War 2 f2023 PDF

Unit 8 – World War 2 I. Causes of WWII II. Causes of US entry into WWII III. Mobilization and the Home front IV. Fighting the War part 1 V. Fighting the War part 2 VI. Effect of WWII...

Unit 8 – World War 2 I. Causes of WWII II. Causes of US entry into WWII III. Mobilization and the Home front IV. Fighting the War part 1 V. Fighting the War part 2 VI. Effect of WWII  Causes of WWII The Great Depression put countries all over the world in desperate situations Many countries turned to radical politicians for solutions As a result these politicians consolidated political and military power into one person or party and created totalitarian governments, or dictatorships Without democratic checks in place these dictators acted without regard to international consequences Dictators worked to stabilize their own countries, but with the effect of destabilizing the world political and economic systems  Causes of WWII USSR (former Russia) – Joseph Stalin took over Vladimir Lenin in 1924 – Through his 5 year plans - Stalin accelerated the USSR’s industrialization process – Stalin reorganized Soviet society, forcing people to move in order to aid industrialization efforts or run collective farms owned by the government = (communism) – People who resisted these measures or politically resisted were dealt harshly by being sent to political prisons in Siberia or summarily executed – In what became known as the Great Terror or The Purge, Stalin killed over 10 million of his own citizens – Stalin maintained political power through fear and propaganda – Stalin and the USSR were not trusted by many of its neighbors because Russia had already annexed many countries to create the boarders of the Soviet Union – Germany and Italy were the most suspicious of the USSR – How was Russia’s gov’t. an example of a totalitarian gov’t.? – Why might the US have issues with this gov’t. system?  Causes of WWII Italy – Fascism was a political ideology that put the needs of the State before the individual, the leader of the Italian Fascist movement was Benito Mussolini Extreme nationalism Imperialism Militarism – Mussolini came to power at the request of the Italian King in 1922 – Effects of the Great Depression caused the break down of the rule of law, Italy’s political system had broken down and the country seemed on the break of chaos – Mussolini restored order to the country by providing jobs through the nationalization of certain industries – Mussolini limited rights by taking over the press and eliminated all political parties except for his – How was Italy’s gov’t. an example of a totalitarian gov’t.? – Why might the US have an issue with this gov’t. system?  Causes of WWII Germany – Germany’s economic problems during the Great Depression were compounded by the fact they had to pay reparations according to the Treaty of Versailles that ended WWI – Hitler rose to power within the German Fascist party known as the Nazi Party – While in prison for attempting a coup, an attempt to take over a government, Hitler laid out his political ideology in the book Mein Kampf – In the book, he blamed Germany’s problems on the Treaty of Versailles and Jews  Causes of WWII – The Nazi Party (Nazism) gained popularity throughout the 20s and 30s and became the dominate party in the German Parliament – As leader of the Nazi Party Hitler became Chancellor in 1933 – Hitler eventually became President, asked and received more and more power from the German Parliament in order to repair German pride and improve the economy – Hitler’s policies were popular: ignored the Treaty of Versailles by building up the military Put in place anti-Semitic, anti-Jewish laws Put Germans back to work through public works projects – How was Germany's gov’t. an example of a totalitarian gov’t.? – Why might the US have issues with this gov’t. system?  Causes of WWII Japan – Japan reacted to the Great Depression with Militarism, increased political power of the military – The leader of Japan’s military was Hideki Tojo – Although the Emperor (Hirohito) was still in charge of Japan, Tojo and the military were making most of the decisions – Japanese supported military efforts to attain natural resources as a means to improve the Japanese economy – In 1931 Japan invaded Manchuria, China in 1931. Japan pushed further into China in 1937 – Japan looked to other places in southeast Asia to invade as well as islands in the Pacific that the US protected – How was Japan’s gov’t. an example of a totalitarian gov’t.? – Why might the US have issues with this gov’t. system?  Causes of WWII MINT – Militarism, Imperialism, Nationalism, & Totalitarianism The League of Nations was unable to confront any of the aggressive behaviors, especially with the US not a member It came down to Great Britain and France to confront Germany’s aggression in Europe Germany and Italy sent military aid to Fascist supporters in Spanish Civil War Germany was just getting started  Causes of WWII Hitler had the goal of uniting all German speaking Europeans and regaining lost territory from the Treaty of Versailles after WW1 In 1936, German troops moved into the Rhineland (territory between France and Germany) Anschluss, or union between Germany and Austria, came in 1938 when Hitler sent in the German military to Austria Austria had a mainly German-speaking population and struggling economy and many Austrians welcomed the move Late in 1938 Hitler moved to annex, take over, the Sudetenland, a German-speaking area of Czechoslovakia  Causes of WWII GB, French and German leaders signed the Munich Pact (agreement), where appeasement, giving concessions in exchange for peace, was chosen over confrontation – Germany promised to stop its territorial expansion after the annexation of the Sudetenland In the spring of 1939 Hitler violated the Munich Pact by annexing the rest of Czechoslovakia GB and France announced that any more German territorial expansion would result in war  Causes of WWII Germany was more worried about war with the USSR so in August of 1939, it signed the Nazi-Soviet Non- Aggression Pact, where Germany and the USSR promised not to attack each other and secretly agreed to attack and split Poland WWII officially began when Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939 Germany and Italy were at war with GB and France Soon Japan would join Germany and Italy and become the Axis Powers Eventually the USSR and USA would join GB and France and become the Allied Powers  Causes for US Entry into WWII FDR proclaimed neutrality for the US but was worried Germany and Japan’s aggression prior to the outbreak of WWII To seem neutral, FDR signed a series of Neutrality Acts, which increasingly included clauses that aided the Allied Powers such as the “cash-and-carry” (comes in 1937) policy – for Allied merchants to get supplies from US on their own ships and pay with cash, rather than accumulate large war debts again Neutrality Act of 1935 + 1936 – illegal to sell any goods + loans to nations at war. N.A. of 1937 – non-military goods on a “cash and carry” basis N.A. of 1939 – non-military and military goods on a cash and carry basis  Causes for US Entry into WWII In March of 1941, as Germany and Japan accumulated battlefield victories FDR wanted to ramp up aid to the Allied with the Lend-Lease Act, allowed FDR to transfer defense equipment and other forms of aid including money to Allied nations that was “vital to the defense of democracy.” FDR announced that the US would be the “arsenal for democracy” proclaiming that the US would stay out of the war but aid democratic nations who were fighting dictatorships (although some Lend-Lease aid went to the USSR when they started to fight Germany) Money came from deficit spending. By the end of the war the US would provide over $50 billion in Lend-Lease aid to the Allies (mostly to GB + SU, China, & France)  Causes for US Entry into WWII In August 1941, FDR met with GB Prime Minister, Winston Churchill secretly on a warship off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada There they signed the Atlantic Charter, a document that endorsed national self-determination and an international system of “general security” – skeleton of the UN (United Nations), calling themselves the Allied Powers Sounds a lot like….? The two leaders were clarifying what their two nations wanted for the outcome of WWII What is significant about the Atlantic Charter?  Causes for US Entry into WWII In the fall of 1941 Hitler ordered German U-Boats to shoot American warships that were escorting British merchant ships One of those was a US ship called the Greer. FDR responding with a “shoot on sight” policy toward German U-Boats Germany and the US seemed closer than ever to all out war  Causes for US Entry into WWII In the Pacific, Japan had been expanding its empire in an effort to attain natural resources 1. Once Japan joined an alliance with Germany and Italy in 1940 the US placed an embargo (restriction) of strategic material, materials needed for war, on Japan 2. The US naval fleet stationed out of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii was the biggest threat to Japan’s naval power in the Pacific as it looked to expand to take over other Pacific islands  Causes for US Entry into WWII 3. Germany and Japan could see all of the actions the US was taking to help the Allies and Japan decided to try and strike a crippling blow to the US Navy with a surprise attack & weaken American morale This way US resources wouldn’t be diverted to GB and France and without a navy, would be no threat to Japan Dec. 7, 1941 Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii and killed 2,400 Americans and damaged or sunk 8 battleships, 3 destroyers, + over a hundred aircraft were destroyed Aircraft carriers are a navy’s most important ships and all 3 US aircraft carriers were out that day allowing for the US response to be more rapid that Japan was anticipating The Axis Powers also underestimated US industrial capacity, which quickly more than made up for what was lost  Causes for US Entry into WWII Congress declared war on Japan and Germany on December 8th of 1941 Allied Axis United States Germany USSR (Ger surprised attacks Japan SU ’41) Italy Great Britain France  Mobilization and the Home front FDR had started the mobilization process before Pearl Harbor (Dec. 7, 1941) September, 1940 – Selective Service Act for the first ever peacetime draft: 16 million registered 1 million drafted into the armed service, popular? Although the actions were controversial Americans elected FDR to an historical third term in the 1940 Election, thus emboldening FDR to take more aggressive mobilization efforts (see Lend-Lease Act)  Mobilization and the Home front After Pearl Harbor the number of volunteer enlistment jumped; in total 38.8% of WWII soldiers volunteer (5 million) and the rest responded positively to the draft (10 million) – there were roughly a total of 16 million American participants Participation in the war came from every demographic although African Americans served in segregated units and at first were denied front line opportunities Women’s Army Corps (WAC), about 150,000 were a part of the army (not an auxiliary corps) so they received military benefits and functioned as clerical workers, truck drivers, equipment testers, lab technicians and nurses  Mobilization and the Home front FDR created the Office of War Mobilization (OWM) to see the that enough national resources and manpower were being used for the war effort War Production Board (WPB) – coordinated all production for the war effort = Pre-fabrication, Mass Production techniques, & assembly lines Cost-plus contracts became a way to convince corporations to do business with the government The government promised to pay the production cost of a product plus a certain % of that cost as guaranteed profit This increased war costs but was the fastest way to get the most military equipment created  Mobilization and the Home front With American factories working overtime to produce war goods unemployment dropped and America finally emerged out of the Great Depression By 1944 the unemployment rate was 1.9% Women and minorities were hired to fill in jobs that normally were not open to them Another wave of the Great Migration happened Women’s factory production was essential to the war effort Women were often inspired by the “Rosie the Riveter” character who was created to fight the cultural norm that women weren’t meant to do physical labor = 6 million women entered the labor force US production rates were double that of the Axis Powers put together Every Allied tank, ship or plane destroyed could be easily replaced, but by the end of the war the Axis Powers couldn’t do that… American industrial power made possible the Allied victory of WWII  Mobilization and the Home front The US government also embarked on a propaganda (Office of War Information, OWI) campaign to help keep the war popular, make sure national resources were being properly used and to help pay for the war Although New Deal government spending was high, it was nothing compared to WWII, the national debt went from $42 billion in 1939 to $269 billion in 1945=Lend Lease Act Funding for the war was going to have to come from several sources: – Taxes were raised, prices on products & wages mostly frozen = Americans had a lot LESS $ to spend on consumer goods, which means the gov’t was hoping Americans would spend it on the war effort! – Inflation was effectively controlled – Bond drives were held to encourage people to buy war bonds, certificates that promised a return on the investment plus interest which helped the government pay for the war  Mobilization and the Home front With so many national resources being used for the war the government encouraged people to ration, limit the amount something is used Coupon books called ration books were used that allotted certain amounts of meats, salts, fats, spices, etc. people could get Victory gardens became popular  Mobilization and the Home front National War Labor Board was created to make sure labor and business leaders got along to limit work stoppages during the war The Office of War Information (OWI) was created to coordinate media efforts to keep news coverage positive – propaganda United Service Organization (USO) worked to keep moral of the troops high with shows near deployed areas and worked with Hollywood to help create patriotic movies Office of Scientific Research & Development (OSRD) – penicillin & morphine = “miracle drugs”, atomic research, synthetic rubber/fabrics, radar & sonar  Mobilization and the Home front Extreme patriotism ruled the day in the US during WWII – sacrifices! Some sacrifices were small, others were extraordinary! As Americans fought the Nazi’s who preached racism and hatred for certain minorities, it forced America to confront discrimination practices at home, although in many cases America didn’t fully embrace diversity and equality  Mobilization and the Home front Americans were especially suspicious of Japanese- Americans FDR signed Executive Order 9066 designating certain regions of the US war zones, which meant he could remove any persons from those zones for any reasons 1. While military necessity was the given justification, what was the underlying cause of internment? Japanese immigrants were the target but many Asian immigrants were forced into internment camps, temporary imprisonment 2. In what part of the country were JA’s NOT subject to internment? Why were German/Italian- Americans not interned during WW2?  Mobilization and the Home front Most of these people were citizens but lost property without due process 3. What was life like in these camps for these internees? A lawsuit reached the Supreme Court challenge the interment camps, Korematsu vs. US but the supreme court upheld the internment camps as an appropriate war measure 4. Despite the Korematsu decision, why has internment been viewed as unconstitutional? While Japanese soldiers were fighting for their country abroad, their families were being detained at home.  Mobilization and the Home front The Bracero (work hands) program recruited Mexicans to come to America and work on farms in the southwest Increased Latino immigrants lead to the Zoot Suit riots which occurred in LA as result of racial and patriotic tensions clashed Some Latino Americans wore zoot suits which went against calls for rationing because of its heavy fabric In June 1943 offended sailors roamed the streets of LA beating up Latinos wearing zoot suits 400K Mexicans and 65K Puerto Ricans served Many Native Americans served during World War 2 as “Navajo Code Talkers.”  Mobilization and the Home front African American participation in the war effort and in government was high, especially after Executive Order 8802 was passed which banned discrimination based on race for government jobs African American civil rights leaders adopted the Double V campaign as a slogan to encourage African Americans to fight against fascism abroad in order to help defeat racism at home  Fighting WWII part 1 Europe: – After Hitler took over Poland he waited until the spring of 1940 to launch new invasions of Denmark, Norway – In May Germany conquered Belgium and Luxembourg on its way to France – British and French forces were trapped and awaited devastation at the port city of Dunkirk – There the “Miracle at Dunkirk” happened when the German army slowed its advance just enough for British and French citizens to use boats of every size to race to Dunkirk and rescue the soldiers – In total 340,000 troops were saved – But Paris then fell easily to the Germans – It took Hitler 35 days to conquer most of Europe. Remember, Germany couldn’t even take over France in 4 years of fighting during WW1 – “blitzkrieg” or lightning war `  Fighting WWII part 1 – Battle of Britain then took place in the air over Great Britain as Germany attempted to knock out Britain’s air force before it invaded – Britain was outnumbered but had a new technology, radar, a device that revealed location of approaching aircraft – In total GB lost 1,000 planes and the Germans lost over 1,700 – By October of 1940 Hitler decided to postpone the invasion of GB; the Battle of Britain was over and it was the first major Allied victory  Fighting WWII part 1 – In the spring of 1941 Hitler broke the Nazi-Soviet Non- Aggression pact and invaded the USSR – Major significance in the war, because Soviet Union was now an Allied Power – German forces pushed back the Soviets for a year and half until the Battle of Stalingrad – Hitler’s forces wanted Stalingrad because it controlled vast oil reserves – Stubborn Soviet resistance and brutally cold weather stalled the Germans, Soviet reinforcements rushed in and captured an entire German army – The (4) Battle of Stalingrad + (5) Eastern Front had nearly 2 million casualties and is the largest battle ever fought – Turning point (changes the course of the war: Russia=offense Germany=defense) in Europe!  Fighting WWII part 1 North Africa – Why did FDR believe that Europe should be invaded first before the Pacific? – US will be fighting a 2 front war: Europe & Pacific – (1) Battle of the Atlantic - America struggled at first getting their material across the Atlantic Ocean because of German “Wolfpacks” – u-boats destroyed allied shipping lines = Sonar + Convoys – (2) Operation Torch - America’s first major combat experience occurred in N. Africa after Germany had taken over much of north Africa and threatened to capture the Suez Canal – American and British troops landed in North Africa in November of 1942 – Americans were embarrassed in their first major battle at Kasserine Pass – Americans became more aggressive under commander George S. Patton and eventually moved with British forces to capture a large German army in North Africa in May of 1943 – Germany was now on the defensive  Fighting WWII part 1 Japan – Japan attacked Philippines when it attacked Pearl Harbor – American soldiers were outnumbered and captured – Gen. Douglas MacArthur was forced to retreat – Stories leaked out of the brutal way in which Japanese treated US soldiers and the Bataan Death March, a march where many US soldiers died of exhaustion fueled anti-Japanese propaganda: “I will return” – Gen. Douglas MacArthur  Fighting WWII part 1 – US struck back with the Doolittle Raid, strategic bombing of Japan that did little material damage but sent a message to Japan & America that the US wanted revenge, which greatly boosted moral in America – Japan next moved to isolate Australia with an attack near the (2) Coral Sea that the US & Japanese Navies fought to a draw – Japan then sets its sights on (1) Midway Island which if taken could be used as staging area for an invasion of Hawaii – The US, however had cracked the Japanese secret military code and new the attack was coming and set a trap – The result of the battle on June 4, 1942 was that the US sank 4 Japanese aircraft carriers and 250 aircraft. US only lost one aircraft carrier in the entire battle – Japan lacked the material to replace their battle losses and were now on the defensive in the Pacific – The Battle of Midway was a major turning point (America=offense Japan=defense) in the Pacific! Base off this map, what would prompt Japan to attack the US Naval Fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii?  Fighting WWII part 2 Europe – In January, 1943 FDR and Churchill met in Casablanca, Morocco and decided to (3) invade Italy even though Stalin wanted reinforcements or an attack in France to pull German forces away from his front, invading Italy would open another front in Europe + many believed that Italy was the weaker Axis power. – July, 1943 British and American forces landed on Sicily, an island south of the Italian mainland. 38 days later the Allied troops controlled the island – Sicily convinced the Italian government to surrender in September of 1943 and Mussolini was arrested – But Hitler rescued Mussolini and put him back in charge so the Allies had to fight to take Italy  Fighting WWII part 2 – Progress was slow because the geography favored the German defenders and fighting would continue into 1945 – In April 1945, Mussolini would eventually be captured and executed by his own people and Italy would switch sides in the war! Tehran Conference – Nov., 1943 Stalin, Churchill and FDR met to plan opening of another front in western Europe with an invasion on the Normandy Beaches in France  Fighting WWII part 2 Another decision was made at Tehran to increase the strategic (terror?) bombing of Germany (Dresden) to destroy the German capacity to produce war materials Europe continued – June 6, 1944 after serious attempts were made to fooling Hitler that the attack was happening elsewhere, when actually 47 army divisions were landing along a 50 mile stretch of beaches in Normandy, France, known as (6) D- Day  Fighting WWII part 2 – 4,400 ships and over 11,000 planes supported the army divisions as beach heads were secured and the Allied army began to drive the German army back across the land it had conquered several years before – Allied armies made steady progress throughout the summer of 1944 and were sure that was would end soon – Hitler had enough manpower for one last offensive and used it in the winter of 1944-5 it what became known as the (7) Battle of the Bulge – Germany was attempting to cut of Allied supply lines and caught US forces off guard which created a “bulge” in the Allied line – Reinforcements under General Patton poured in weeks later in the snow and ice winter and drove the Germans back – Use arrows to show the closing in on Germany, 3 fronts - it was only a matter of time for the Germans because the Soviets were pushing the German army back from the other direction; Hitler was getting squeezed between two massive armies  Fighting WWII part 2 – Soviet forces reached Berlin first, with US forces close behind – Hitler committed suicide on April 30, 1945 – On May 7, 1945 Germany surrendered and on May 8, 1945 V-E (Victory in Europe) was celebrated – FDR did not live to see the moment, he had won a fourth reelection in 1944 wanted to see the war to its conclusion, but died of stroke in April of 1945  Fighting WWII part 2 Japan – After the Battle of Midway the US got the island-hopping strategy, capturing some Japanese-held island, but leaving others alone, fully underway What made islands across the Pacific important? What are the pros and cons to this strategy? Started in (3) Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, & New Guinea – US took heavy casualties on amphibious assaults, attacks from water to land, at Tarawa in the (4) Gilbert Islands, (5) Marshall Islands, & (6) Marianas Islands – Improved landing technology and strategies improved landing casualty rates, but the operations still produced high casualties especially since Japanese soldiers often didn’t surrender, even when surrounded, instead fought to the death – (7) Battle of Philippine Sea & Leyte Gulf – one of the largest naval battles in world history - the situation grew more desperate for Japan, even pilots of aircraft became kamikaze pilots, deliberately flying their plan into Americans to increase American casualties What does this show regarding Japanese culture & war strategy? 1. What was America’s strategy in the Pacific? What was the ultimate goal? Explain. 2. Was America’s strategy successful? Why AND why not? 3. Was using the atomic bomb justified? Why AND why not?  Fighting WWII part 2 Each island that got closer to Japan grew in significance because US would be able to use certain plans to bomb Japan from certain distances Two of the most important islands were Iwo Jima and Okinawa (8) Iwo Jima took 36 days to take and cost 23,000 American casualties even though it was only 8 square miles…it was going to be used to bomb Tokyo from (9) Okinawa was to be used to stage an invasion of mainland Japan Okinawa was bigger and closer to Japan and cost the US 50,000 casualties  Fighting WWII part 2 – America had increased strategic bombing of Japan in order to force Japan to surrender – (10) Tokyo firebombing killed nearly 80,000 Japanese and torched 16 square miles of Tokyo – Since casualties had increased the closer the US got to Japan, the decision for Truman was easy to drop nuclear weapons on Japan until they surrendered – What were the pros and cons to using the atomic bombs? avoid a land invasion of Japan + save American lives Justify the cost of the Manhattan project Intimidate Russia – Negatives: Japan was defeated, inhumane without showing them the power of the bomb, US shouldn’t be the first to use it – (11) August 6, 1945 US became the first and only country to ever drop an atomic bomb, killing 60,000 Japanese in the city of Hiroshima almost instantly – (12) August 9, 1945 another bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, killing nearly 35,000 instantly – August 15, 1945 Japan surrendered and the US celebrated V-J (Victory in Japan) Day  Effects of WWII Destruction on scales never imagined before – Over 60 million world wide casualties resulted from the war, mostly civilians – Manhattan Project – US project to create a nuclear weapon authorized by FDR in 1942 (OSRD) Main contributors were Albert Einstein, J. Robert Oppenheimer and Leslie Groves Test bomb first detonated in July, 1945; used to make Japan surrender – Potsdam Ultimatum – give one final offer to Japan to surrender and if no, then use the atomic bomb  Effects of WWII Ethnic cleansing that left ethnic groups forever changed – Holocaust – German effort to exterminate the Jewish race – 6 millions Jews were killed, 6 million other “impure” people of Europe killed also – FDR’s strategy to end the Holocaust was to end the war as quickly as possible – Nuremberg Trials – set the precedent of trying people who commit war crimes and atrocities (see slide 95) – Many Nazi officials involved with the Holocaust were executed – Highlight: what is the holocaust, causes of the holocaust, consequences, & long term effects of the holocaust. – Look at the consequences section, can you identify the 5 stages of the “Final Solution?” What do you see happening from the top bullet to the bottom? What similarities do you see with the long-term effects? Nuremberg Laws (1935-36) Emigration (1936-39) Ghettos (1939-41) Concentration Camps (1941-45) Extermination Camps (1944-45) – What was America’s reaction to the Holocaust?  Effects of WWII New World Order – United Nations created to help main stability and “general security” throughout the world – United Nations set out a Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 stating that all peoples of the world should have access to basic human rights – Imperial powers such France, Germany and GB were all weaker now and granted independence to many of its colonies as a result of WWII – Germany was split into 4 zones of occupation. GB, US, Russia, & France each controlled a zone of Germany in an attempt to rebuild the German country + an agreement of unconditional surrender of both Germany & Japan = Yalta Conference – The United States emerged from the war as the number one super power because it was the only country with nuclear weapons, the Soviet Union was powerful too, though largely damaged from WWII – US had little to no infrastructure damage so would lead the economic recovery from WWII – Nuremberg Trials – hold those accountable for war crimes.