Weekly Blogs 4/9-4/13

MONDAY-

US After WWII

-US never singed the Treaty of Versailles

-Wilson (Democrat) vs Congress (Republican controlled)

-Join the League of Nations or go back to isolationism

-Republican Warrren 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 & 1930's

Neutrality in General

-The Neutrality ACt were passed by the US in the 1930's in repsonse to the issues in Europe and Asia that eventually led ot World War II

-They were caused by the desire to be isolationist in the US following WWII

-Passed to ensure that the US would not become involved in world conflicts (war)

-US had very strong history of isolationism

Interventionists vs. Isolationists

Inter - help them 

Iso - do nothing

America First Committee - Work on America first (first neutrality committee) be neutral

Thing that put us in the War - TRADE

 US Neutrality Acts during 1930's

-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

Quarantine Speech - countries must come together to quarantine other mean agressive countries

Bases for Destroyers

-Passed in September, 1940 betweent eh US and Great Britain

-50 US destroyers were given to GB in exchange for and rights (for 00 years) on Birtish colonies for naval or air base purposes (Helping Britain)

GB gave us naval bases 

US gave them destroyers

End of 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 $50 billion (650$ billion today) to Allied nations throughout the war

Won - US produced materials for us and allies (Lend Lease)

 Over 50% was weapons -others was food/services

GB (31 billion) Russia 11 (billion)

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 - 45 once US entered war

-First peacetime draft in US history

How did the draft work?

-Each male was given a number between 1-7,836

-Thrown into fish bowl, stirred then came out, number picked, you would go

-158 was the first number chose (6,175 men had that number) 

VJ Day - Japan officially signed on USS Missouri

TUESDAY-

German U-Boats 

-After repeated attacks by German U-Boats on US ships in the Fall of 1941, FDR announced that he had ordered the US Navy to attack German and Italian war ships in the "waters which we deem necessary for our defense"

-War was imminent

How did the US/Allies fight back against U-boat warfare?

-Convoy System

-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

-consist of corvettes, detroyers, frigates, US coast guard cutters

Hedgehogs - series of 30 smaller bombs

Enigma -typewriter

-system in which Germany transferred their information thought codes

-Solving the Enigma system remains one of the great Allied trimphs of WWII

Allied Intelligence

-Churchill & Roosevelt knew the importance of intelligence in safeguardin gAllied trade to defeat the Axis powers

-Allis shared info from RADAR and HIgh Frequency

-RADAR provided a means of detecting vessels and aircraft avove the surgace

-HDFD was used to locate the source of enemy radio transmissions such as submarines 

-Allied intelligence began sharing code-breaking secrets known as ULTA and MAGIC

Breaking the code helped us win the war

D-Day Facts

-June 6, 1941

-The D stands for "day" since the final invasion date was unknown and weather dependent

-free France from Germany

-156,000 allied troops from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Free France and Norway

-Omaha was the costliest beachin terms of Allied casualties

-The allied code names for the baches along the 50 mile stretch of Normandy coast targeted fro landing were Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword

Yalta Conference Feb 1945

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 ar against Japan

FDR died, Harry Truman is sworn in (April 12, 1945)

Women in WWII

-Rosie the Riveter (represented women workers in WWII) (worked in factories) "We Can Do It"

-Ration, cut back on food, grow your own food, don't buy on black market'

-Women became nurses

WAVES - Women's Navy

WASP - Women's Army Service Pilots

Native Americans - Navajo Code Talkers 

(no one could transfer our code) (never been written down)

African Americans in WWII

-Tuskegee Institute /Airmen (allowed to fly missions over Italy, best pilot of WWII)

Asians Americans in WWII -fought in war

Hollywood - make the enemy look stupid 

Bob Hope and the USO (United Service Organizations) - entertain the troops (bring singers/actors/dancers)

Bing Crosby - famous singer

John Wayne - actor 

Kilroy Engraving on the WWI Memorial 

WEDNESDAY - no school

THURSDAY

OPA & 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 & nylon

-Gasoline rationing begin in May 1942 -five gallons a week

-Gas rationing was about saving rubber, not gas

-A black market developed in stolen/counterfeit stickets that were used in up to 30% of gasoline sales

-The "A" sticker was the most common of the WWII gas ration stickets. General public

-"B" sticker wwas issued to business owners - 8 gallons per week

-"C" red cross, news paper, carrier, surgeon, preachers, nurses, construction, farmers, teachers

-"M" - motorcycles

-"T" - truck drivers 

-"X" -traveling salesman

People standing in line for sugar

Canned fruits/vegetables/meat

War Production Board - be more productive/don't waste time

War Finance Committee and War Bonds

-Helped pay for the war

-Investment for US citizen

-low was $18.75 per bond

-Ten years later government paid out $25

Japanese Internment Camps  -relocation camps

Causes of WWII

In Europe:

-Treaty of Versailles

-The Great Depression

-Hitler's actions in the 1930's

-Mussolini's actions in the 1930's

-Failure of the League of Nations

-Policy of Apppeasement

-Hitler's invasion of Poland

-Rise of nationalism

In Asia:

-The Great Depression

-Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931

-Japanese invasion of China in 1937

For the United States:

-Quit trading supplies (oil) with Japan in the summer of 1942

-Tough policies towards Japan in Fall 1941

-Pearl Harbor Attack

FRIDAY

Effects on WWII on US

-stimulated economy

-17 million new jobs created

-average wages increased 30%

-middle class greatly expanded

-federal power during the war increased

-shifted from state laws to federal laws -important during civil rights era and Vietnam war

-more women involved in the workforce

-more rights for African Americans -integrated troops

German Nazi Part was completely destroyed and Germany was broken up into 4 zones which became two counties

-Japanese cities were destroyed from bombing and Japan was placed under US military rule

-Most deaths ever in a war

-United Nations start

-Cold War US vs USSR

Why did we rebuild Japan and Germany? So they didn't fall to communist

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