Monday - UNITED STATES after WW1
- US never signed the Treaty of Versailles
- Wilson(Democrat) vs Congress(Republican controlled)
- Join the League of Nations or go back to isolationism
- Republican Warren Harding won the 1920 Presidential election with a promise to "Return to Normalcy"
- The US went back to focusing on America in the 1920's and 1930's
Neutrality in General
- The Neutrality Acts were passed by the US in the 1930s in response to the issues in Europe and Asia that eventually led WW11
- Passed to ensure that the US would not become involved in world conflicts (war)
Interventionists vs. Isolationists
America First Committee
US Neutrality Acts during 1930s
- Neutrality Act of 1935- Stop trading with countries at war
- Neutrality Act of 1936- Stop loaning money to countries at war
- Neutrality Act of 1937- Cash and Carry system- Weapons not included
- Neutrality Act of 1939- Cash and Carry System- Weapons included
Bases for Destroyers
- Passed in September, 1940 between the US and GB
- 50 US destroyers were given to GB in exchange for land rights(for 99 years) on British colonies for naval or air base purposes
- They gave us naval bases and we gave them destroyers
End of US Neutrality-Lend Lease Act
- The end of neutrality for the US came with the Lend-Lease Act, passed in March, 1941
- This act allowed the US to sell, lend or give war materials to nations the US wanted to support
- US gave $50 billion to Allied nations throughout the war
Selective Training and Service Act
- Passed in September, 1940 and ended in 1947
- Required that men between the ages of 21 and 35 register for the draft
- Extended to all men aged 18 to 45 once US entered war
- First peacetime draft in US history
How Did the Draft Work?
- Each male registered was given a number between 1-7,836
- The capsules were dumped into a giant fishbowl and then stirred
- Capsules were drawn to establish the draft order
- If your number was chosen, you were now officially part of the US military
Tuesday - How did the US/Allies fight back against U-boat warfare? -Depth Charges
Hunter-Killer Convoy Groups
Hunter-Killer Groups would typically be formed around an escort aircraft carrier that would provide aerial reconnaissance and air cover for the convoy group
Enigma
- System in which Germany transferred
Allied Intelligence
- Churchill and Roosevelt knew the importance of intelligence in safeguarding Allied trade to defeat the Axis powers
- The Allies shared information from RADAR and High Frequency Radio Direction Finding
- RADAR provided a means of detecting vessels and aircraft above the surface
- HF/DF was used to locate the sources of enemy radio transmissions such as submarines
- Allied intelligence began sharing code-breaing secrets known as "ULTRA" and "MAGIC"
D-Day Facts
- June 6, 1944
- To free France from German control
- D in D-Day stands for "Day" since the final invasion date was unknown and weather dependent
- 156,000 troops from the US, UK, Canada, Free France and Norway
- Omaha was the costliest beach in terms of Allied casualties
Yalta Conference Feb 1945
- Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin meet for the last time to pla for what should happen when the war ended
- They agreed on the following:
- 1. The establishment of the United Nations
- 2. Germany to be divided into four zones
- 3. Free elections allowed in the states of eastern Europe
- 4. USSR promised to join the war against Japan
FDR Dies, Harry Truman is sworn in - April 12, 1945
Women in WW2
- Rosie the Riveter - Represented women workers in WW2
WAVES -Women's Navy
WASP - Women's Army Service Pilots
Native Americans - Navajo Code Talkers
African-Americans in WW2
Tuskegee Institute/Airmen
Asian Americans in WW2
Hollywood in WW2 - Provided lots of propaganda, Bob Hope and the USO (United Service Organizations) Tour
Wednesday - No School
Thursday - OPA and Rationing
- The Office of Price Administration was established in 1941 to control prices of goods
- Food rationing included restrictions on sugar and meat; clothing rationing restricted silk and nylon
- Gasoline rationing began in May 1942- 5 gallons per week
- Gas rationing was about saving rubber, not gas
- A black market developed in stolen/counterfeit stickers that were used in up to 30% of gasoline sales
- By 1945, there werre 32,500 motorists arrested for using such false stickers, 1300 convictions, 4000 gas stations closed
- The "A" sticker was the most common of the WW2 gas ration stickers - issued to general public- 3 gallons of gas per week
- The "B" sticker was issued primarily to business owners - 8 gallons per week
- The "C" sticker - Mileage Ration - people that need to get things done to benefit society (Teachers, carpenters, students)
- The "M" sticker - Motorcycles
- The "T" sticker - Truck drivers
- The "X" sticker - High mileage jobs (salesmen)
War Finance Committee and War Bonds
- Over the course of the war 85 million Americans purchased bonds totaling $185 billion
- Helped pay for war
Causes of WWll
In Europe:
- Treaty of Versailles
- Great Depression
- Hitler's actions in 1930s
- Mussolini's actions in the 1930s
- Failure of the League of Nations
- Policy of Appeasement
- Hitlers invasion of Poland
- Rise of nationalism
In Asia:
- Great Depression
- Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931
- Japanese invasion of China in 1937
Friday -
Effects of WWll on US
- 17 million new jobs were created
- Average wages increaased 30%
- Middle class greatly expanded
- Federal power during the war increased
- Shifted from state laws to federl laws- important during civil rights era and Vietnam war
- More women involved in the workforce
- More rights for African Americans- integrated troops
- German Nazii party was completely destroyed and Germany was broken up into 4 zones which became two countries
- Japanese cities were destroyed from bombing and Japan was placed under US military rule
- Most deaths ever in a war
- United Nations starts
- Cold War-US vs USSR
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