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