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US Perspective: WWII

Causes of WWII

  • Treaty of Versailles severely punished Germany:
    • Lost colonies
    • Had to pay reparations
    • Humiliated and demilitarized
  • World-wide depression:
    • Increased debt
    • Made countries and leaders desperate for solutions
  • Rise of Fascist and militarist governments
    • Fear of communism from capitalist countries
  • USA was in a state of isolation because of the Great Depression
    • Didn’t intervene when Germany was expanding
  • European appeasement → Munich Pact
    • Gave Germany land and resources for promise of no war (Hitler lied about that)

Beginning of WWII

  • Hitler invades surrounding lands
    • Used these lands’ resources to strengthen the German army
    • Germany invades Poland (Sept. 1, 1939)→ WWII officially begins (Sept. 3, 1939)
  • Hitler (Germany) joins forces with Mussolini (Italy) and Tojo (Japan)
    • Both are communist and expansionist
    • USA’s opinion about joining the war are changing
  • US Neutrality Acts + ways around them
    • Cash & Carry →sell arms to Britain and France
    • Destroyers for Bases → Lend destroyers in exchange for the right to build bases in Europe
    • Lend-Lease Act → arms and territories for lease
  • Japan bombs Pearl Harbor (Dec. 7, 1941) → US joins war

Home Front

Government & Economy

  • Created boards and agencies to manage America’s war efforts, many of which are the same from WWI
    • War Production Board (WPB): transitioned American production from consumer to military items
    • National War Labor Board (NWLB): ensured labor and industry rights to avoid disruptions and strikes
    • Office of Price Administration (OPA): controlled prices to avoid inflation
    • Office of War Information (OWI): created propaganda

Society

  • Many Americans joined the war effort from their homes
    • Rationed food, fabric, metal, and more
    • Created victory gardens (grew their own food)
    • Recycled and reused items
    • Carpooled to save gas for military purposes
    • Donated and bought bonds
    • Joined the military or workforce
    • Paid higher taxes

Military

  • Government issued peacetime drafts → 16 million registered
  • 6 million volunteered
  • Still segregated

Women

  • Military
    • Women’s Auxiliary Corps (1942)
    • 1300 women served non-combat roles
  • Workforce
    • 18 million working
    • Took traditionally masculine jobs
    • Welders
    • Mechanics
    • Lumber jacks
    • Lawyers
    • Physicists
    • Unfair wages in non-defense industries
    • Lost these jobs when the men returned from war
  • Farms
    • Women’s Land Army (WLA): 2.8 million women farmed local land
  • At home
    • Still expected to take care of the family, hence often called working a “double shift”
    • Carried out personal war efforts listed in the society category above

African Americans

  • Opportunities
    • War industry offers higher wages
    • Executive Order 8802 banned discrimination in war industries
    • Second Great Migration: many moved north and west in search for better pay and treatment
    • The Double V campaign: African Americans fought for democracy and equality both overseas and at home
    • Tuskegee Airmen: the first African American pilots served as escorts for bombers
    • Incredibly successful
    • Upon return, achievements were ignored
  • Hardships
    • Urban cities have high racial tension
    • Military is still segregated
    • Forced into non-combat service roles

Mexican Americans

  • Workforce
    • Higher wages → moved to cities
  • Military
    • Serving led to respect and benefits post war
  • Zoot Suit Riots (Los Angeles, 1943)
    • Racial attacks on Mexican Americans
    • Initially caused by fashion of Mexican American youth → the zoot suit: baggy pants = against rationing fabric
    • Fueled by racist reports and police department

Mexicans

  • Bracero Program: relocated Mexicans to work in agriculture
    • Needed because of lack of workforce

Japanese Americans

  • Japanese Americans were detained and sent to interment camps
    • Executive Order 9066 authorized interment
    • Reasoning = national security
  • Life in the camps
    • Attempted normalcy
    • Schools
    • Libraries
    • Gardens
    • Camp councils
    • Offenses
    • One room barracks for each family
    • Shared bathrooms, living space, and dining space
    • Dusty and isolated
    • Always under watch
  • Some served in the military to prove loyalty
    • 442 Regimental Combat Team
  • Challenges to the order
    • Korematsu vs. US: challenged internment in general → denied
    • Endo case: challenged internment after loyalty test → won
  • Aftermath: Reagan apologizes and pays $20k to survivors (1980)

Fighting WWII

Europe

  • USA agreed to a Europe first strategy
    • Hitler = bigger threat
    • Britain is the only ally left and needs help
  • Invade North Africa first
    • Want British to keep Suez canal (supply source)
    • Not ready to invade Europe yet
    • Africa = weakest German colony = practice fighting Nazi forces
    • Gateway to attacking Italy (second weakest)
  • USSR joins the war in the battle of Stalingrad
    • Why: protect land after Germany attacked
    • Impact: puts Germany on defense + creates and eastern battle front for Germany
    • Has to fight both sides and split troops
  • D-Day
    • Why: need to reduce stress on USSR, no progress in Italy → need new entry point
    • Impact: turned the tide of WWII, lead to liberation of France and other countries
  • Battle of the Bulge
    • Why: final push towards Germany
    • Impact: last offensive by Germany, final goal = capture Berlin
  • European battle ends May 8th 1945 when Soviets capture Berlin

Japan

  • Expansion was fast and violent.
    • Took much of China
    • Bataan Death March: Japan marched prisoners of war in the Philippines and beat/bayoneted 7000+ to death
    • Captured Burma → great loss for Allies because China lost its supply route
    • If Japan defeated China, they could send troops elsewhere
    • Captured majority of Pacific down to Indonesia
  • America used leapfrogging to slowly take back islands while fighting in Europe simultaneously.
    • Leapfrogging: skipping a strong island, taking a weaker one, then using that weak one as an airbase to attack the stronger one
  • Doolittle Raids: weak air strike on Tokyo that increased American morale
  • Battle of the Coral Sea
    • Fought entirely by aircraft over open water
    • US barely wins
    • Impact: blocks Japanese expansion to Australia
  • Battle of Midway
    • Why: Japan was getting dangerously close to Hawaii
    • Impact: USA victory here put Japan on defense
  • Battle of Iwo Jima
    • Why: eliminate Japan’s defensive barrier
    • Impact: showed Japanese determination, island secured as air base
  • Battle of Okinawa
    • Why: eliminate Japan’s final stronghold, use as staging area
    • Impact: USA wins, major losses on both sides, Americans rethink an invasion of Japan to avoid further losses
  • Truman’s decision to drop the atomic bombs
    • Invasion = enormous losses
    • Japanese cities = rubble → millions of Japanese suffering
    • Japan refuses to surrender unconditionally
    • Truman doesn’t want the Soviets to get involved
    • End the war quickly
  • Impact of the bombs
    • Hiroshima (Aug 6, 1945): 80,000 died instantly
    • Nagasaki (Aug 9, 1945): 40,000 died instantly
    • Total death: 250,000
    • Japan surrenders unconditionally