Monday-
The US never signed the Treaty of Versailles
President Woodrow Wilson (Democratic Party) vs Congress (Republican controlled)
Joined the League of Nations or go back to isolationism
President Harding won the 1920 Presidential Election with a promise of a return to normalcy
The US went back to neutrality in 1920s-1930s
US never joined the League of Nations
Four Power Pact, Five Power Pact, Nine Power Pact- all signed
The Neutrality Acts were passed in the US in the 1930s- passed to keep the US neutral and isolationist
Tuesday-
Passed to ensure that the US would not get into any conflicts or wars
US had a strong history of isolationism
America First Committee- keeps the US out of war, be neutral
Get involved sooner
US 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- come over in own ships and can get supplies from the US if pays cash and transports alone
Neutrality Act of 1939- Cash and Carry System- weapons are included now that can ship them
Bases for Destroyers- Passed in September 1940 between the United States and Great Britain- the US would give Britain destroyers. Fifty US destroyers were given to Britain in exchange for land rights (for 99 years) on British colonies for naval or air base purposes- many areas in the Caribbean and Newfoundland in Canada
End of US Neutrality- Lend Lease Act- The end of neutrality for the US came with the Lend-Lease Act, passed in March, 1941. The act allowed the US to sell, lend, or give war materials to nations hte US wanted to support. The US gave $50 billion to Allied nations throughout the war.
54% was military goods, 21% industrial materials, 13% food and agricultural products, 12% services.
Biggest beneficiaries- Great Britain- 31 million, Russia 10.9 million, China 5 million dollars
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.
Operation Torch- Invasion of North Africa
Operation Overlord- Invasion of France
After repeated attacks by German U-Boats on U.S. ships in the Fall of 1941, FDR announced that he ordered the US Navy to attack German and Italian war ships in the "Waters we deem necessary for our defense"
How did the US/Allies fight back against U-Boats- Convoy System- Merchant ships surrounded by warships
Hunter-Killer Convoy Groups- typically formed around an airraft carrier that would provide aerial reconnaissance and air cover for the convoy group, US Coast Guard Cutters armed with depth charges
Wednesday- No School
Thursday- Allied Intelligence- Churchill and Roosevelt knew the importance of intelligence in safeguarding Allied trade to defeat the Axis powers. Allies shared information from RADAR and High Frequency Radio Direction Finding (Huff duff). RADAR provided a means of detecing submarines and aircraft above the ground. Allied intelligence began sharing code-breaking secrets known as "Ultra"- German, broken by Britain, and "Magic" Japanese, broken by the US.
Enigma was used to break the German code. D-Day invasion of Normandy, France.
Casualties- 6,603 Americans (1,465 killed)
United Kingdom- 2700
Canada- 1074 (359 fatal)
Germany- Estimated between 4000-9000
Yalta Conference (February 1945)- Like Potsdam, but with Germany. Stalin, Churchill, and Roosevelt met to determine what happened when the war ended. They agreed on the following. They agreed to set up the UN (United Nations), changing the League of Nations to make it better, with teeth and part of an army. Germany should be divided into four zones, controlled by France, Britain, US, and the USSR. Free elections should be allowed in the states of Eastern Europe, free elections weren't allowed though. Soviet Union promised to join the war against Japan.
FDR dies on April 12th, 1945 and Harry Truman is sworn in as President of the United States. Hitler tries to use it was a rallying cry. Harry Truman was a Senator from Missouri, and was VP for 1 month, before being sworn in as president.
Women in WWII- Rosie the Riveter- represented women workers in WWII. Ration stamps were not allowed to be given away.
WASP- Women's Army Service Pilots- tested planes and transported planes
Native Americans- Navajo Code Talkers- Japanese had to capture a Navajo Code Talker and torture them to give them information.
African Americans- all-black units. Tuskegee Airmen/Institute. Not allowed to bomb at first, and then were allowed later - one of the best bombing units in the war.
Asian Americans in WWII- discriminated against, but did most of the same as the rest.
Hollywood and WWII- A lot of movies were propaganda that were about WWII. Designed to make Americans feel good about themselves.
Friday-
Bob Hope went to entertain soldiers with comedy
Kilroy engraving on the WWII Memorial in Washington DC
Rationing was put into affect
Horse meat wasn't rationed and you could buy as much as you wanted
War Production Board- Do your part and do whatever you can, keep production going.
Make things for all of the Allied powers.
War Finance Committee and War Bonds- Over the course of the war 85 million Americans purchased bonds totaling approximately $185 billion. Helped pay for the entire war. It was an investment for US citizens. It was as low as $18.75 per bond. Ten years later the government paid out $25.
Japanese Internment Camps- Forced to sell their homes and pack up things in their bags and were forced to go to areas throughout the country. Quite a bit of racism that was involved in it.
At these camps, people worked and got paid, but not a lot of money for what they were doing. Kids could be educated here as well. It wasn't great conditions and they were forced to go to these camps. People tried to make the best out of it, wasn't death camps or slave labor camps.
Bill Clinton passed a law that apologized for the Japanese internment camps.
Causes of WWII-
In Europe-
- Treaty of Versailles
- Great Depression
- Hitler's Actions in 1930s
- Mussolini's Actions of 1930s
- Failure of the League of Nations
- Policy of Appeasement
- Hitler's invasion of Poland
- Rise of Nationalism
in Asia
- Great Depression
- Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931
- Japanese invasion of China in 1937
for the US
- Quit trading oil with Japan
- Tough policies towards Japan in Fall 1941
- Pearl Harbor Attack
Effects-
- Stimulated economy of the United States
- Government power was very powerful now and had gotten more powerful
- More women were involved in the workforce, middle class expanded, wages increased, jobs were available
- African-Americans were given more rights, spurred on civil rights movements
- German Nazi party was destroyed
- Most deaths ever in a war
- United Nations starts
- Cold War - US vs USSR
Deaths
China, Germany, Japan, USSR over a million, roughly 300,000 deaths in US
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