module 5 notes

lesson 1

how did the us feel about entering another world war

• very reluctant

• returned to isolationism due to ww1 and the great depression

what lead to world war 1

• rise of dictators

• mussolini controlled italy

  • some european countries turned to totalitarianism

  • first leader to base government on fascism (military dominated)

• hitler rose to power in germany

  • league of nations lacked power to force germany and italy out of their actions

• british and french turned to appeasement because they did not want to confront germany

  • britain france and italy signed munich pact later that year (gave sudetenland to germany)

why did us return to isolationism

• us support for isolationism was high by 1936

• congressed passed neutrality act

  • barred Americans from lending money to warring nations or selling them arms

• congress passed second neutrality act in 1937

  • us ships could no carry goods to warring nations

  • also added cash and carry act

    • the us could sell military supplies to warring nations, nations were required to transport supplies on their own ships and pay in cash, expired after 2 years

• japan invaded china in 1937, roosevelt got involved and refused to invoke the neutrality acts, wanted to help china by using cash and carry

roosevelt supporting involvement in ww2

• roosevelt began to speak out against isolationism

• favored the allies at start of war with passage of neutrality act

• worked behind the scenes to help great britain

• congress passed the lend-lease act

  • allowed president to sell arms or provide defensive aid to other nations without those nations having to pay cash

lesson 2

pearl harbor

• summer of 1941, us was almost fully involved in war with europe

• countries had a meeting and released document called atlantic charter

  • a joint declaration of principles created by the us and britain as they opposed the axis powers

• also created a declaration for the united nations with these ideas

  • political self-determination for all nations

  • free trade

  • freedom of the seas

  • disarmament

  • creation of an international group to keep the peace.

• attack on pearl harbor

  • us cut off trade (embargo) with japan and deprived them of oil which the japanese military needed

  • us also asked japan to leave axis powers

  • on dec 7, 1941 japan attacked pearl harbor and killed thousands of americans

  • us could no longer be isolated and drew them into ww2

• mobilizing for war

  • us passed selective training and service act in 1940

    • instituted first peacetime draft, men ages 21-35

  • us was ready to switch back to war, factories switched and everyone helped out

  • 1941 roosevelt created the office of scientific research and development (osrd)

    • made improvements to technology like radar and sonar

after pearl harbor

• after pearl harbor us faced a 2 ocean war, japan in pacific and germany in atlantic

• battle of the atlantic

  • us used many tools to destroy german u boats

  • took a turn when britain cracked germany’s code and war supplies got transported to britain

• the eastern front

  • hitler fought a two front war

  • german army surrendered in feb 1943

• north africa

  • stalin wanted allies to invade europe by english channel but instead they attacked north africa, controlled by axis powers

  • eisenhower led operation

  • germany surrendered control of north africa by summer of 1943

• invasion of italy

  • allies launched operation mincemeat

    • one of the most successful wartime deceptions ever

  • convinced germans that they were going to attack greece instead of sicily

d-day invasion

• tehran conference

  • conference with stalin, roosevelt and churchhill in 1943 where they planned operation overload (plan to invade europe), future united nations and soviet support of war against japan after germany’s defeat

  • big 3 - us, britain and russia

• d-day

  • britain used huge invasion of the beaches of normandy across the english channel

  • used passenger boats

  • saved over 100,000 soldiers and brought them home

germany defeated

• allied forces moved across europe after d-day

• hitler ordered desperate counter attack december 1944

• big 3 met at yalta and decided germany should be forced to surrender unconditionally

• finally the nazis surrendered on may 8, 1945

lesson 2 quiz questions

• The Yalta Conference failed to achieve which outcome?

  • German zones of occupation would have free elections

• Which of the following describes the process of U.S. mobilization after the country entered the war?

  • Mobilization was quick because the country had instituted a peacetime draft to acquire soldiers.

• Which of the following is true about the American embargo on sales to Japan?

  • hindered japan’s ability to wage war

• What was one challenge the U.S. military faced in recruiting men to serve in the armed forces?

  • providing enough soldiers to fight in both europe and pacific

• one of the goals of operation overload was

  • create a second front to liberate france

• german army’s goal at battle of the bulge

  • disrupt allies supply line

• what was allied strategy for ww2

  • focus of defeating axis in europe before pacific

• why was battle of stalingrad huge turning point

  • soviets pushed west toward germany

• Which explains why the United States issued an embargo on Japanese trade in 1941?

  • Japanese aggressors conquered Allied colonies in the Pacific

• code name for allied invasion of italy

  • operation mincemeat

• result of salerno invasion

  • mussolini forced to resign

• The Atlantic Charter confirmed that the United States and Great Britain believed in which of the following ideals?

  • every nation has right to choose own form of government

lesson 3

pacific theater: the area of military operations in the pacific ocean region during ww2 in which the us and other allies fought the japanese

why was the us a target for japan?

• japan had been the most powerful nation in asia before pearl harbor

• 2 needs that drove quest for power

  • overpopulated, needed more territory

  • lacked natural resources (especially oil)

• caused them to go after manchuria in 1931 and china in 1937

• japan also signed agreement with axis powers and in response us froze japanese assets and placed an embargo on oil to japan

what was the outcome of the early battles?

• japanese launched another attack while pearl harbor was going on

  • they invaded the philippine islands controlled by us

  • japan took control quickly and forced us to retreat to bataan peninsula and corregidor island

    • us got trapped and eventually were forced to surrender

  • 75000 troops (around 12,000) american surrendered to japanese

  • the japanese forced their captives on a march

    • bataan death march: april 1941, forced march of us troops through the bataan peninsula, thousands of soldiers died during the march due to abuse and starvation

how did naval battles change warfare in ww2?

• ww2 is seen as 2 different wars, one in europe and one in pacific

• coral sea

  • us leaders sent 2 aircraft carries to attack japanese ships in coral sea

  • one aircraft carries was destroyed but they succeeded in stopping japanese advance

  • first battle in which opposing sides used a new type of warfare focused around aircraft carrier

  • new aircraft was built that made war in are and ground more dangerous

    • torpedo carrying dive bombers

    • fighter planes

• midway

  • the battle of midway: key naval battle in june 1942, us vs japan, japan’s naval forces were damaged which equalized strength of the two sides, destroying japan’s naval advantage in the war in the pacific

island hopping

• island hopping: taking one island after another in a strategic pattern, used by the allies to gain control of pacific theater in ww2

• toward later battles in pacific, japanese navy was no longer effective, turned to kamikaze attacks

  • kamikaze: suicide bombers, loaded their planes with bombs and crashed into american ships

    • plane was destroyed and pilot died but it was still worth it in their eyes

key battles in 1945

• battle of iwo jima: feb 1945 after allies set out to capture japanese island of iwo jima, american troops faced opposition, killed almost 19,000 japanese troops and around 7,000 american troops

• battle of okinawa: battle in pacific from march to june 1945, killed over 12,000 americans and 110,000 japanese, battle convinced allied commanders that invading japan may not be their best action plan

lesson 3 quiz questions

• in early years of war, thousands of american soldiers were forced into japanese prisons during which event

  • bataan death march

• what battle did the allies destroy japan’s naval advantage

  • battle of midway

• what new technology allowed the allies to bomb japanese mainland

  • b-29s

• what battle convinced allied leaders that invasion of the japanese mainland might be too costly in human lives

  • okinawa

• what pushed the us to enter ww2 in the pacific

  • bombing of pearl harbor

• lieutenant colonel james doolittle lead what action in 1942

  • air attacks on tokyo

• what battle turned the war in the pacific in the allies favor

  • battle of guadalcanal

• turning point for the us in the pacific theater was what battle

  • battle of midway

• photo shows what differ

• ence between battles in pacific

  • fought in tropical locations

lesson 4

hitler scapegoats jews

• nazi occupied europe from 1933-1945

• by end of ww2, hitler’s forces killed nearly 2/3 of jews, 6,000,000 people

• this mass event became known as the holocaust

• antisemitism (hatred toward a race, jews) was on the rise during the 20th century

  • jews had been persecuted since the middle ages

  • forced to live in ghettoes

• hitler explained his racist theory in his book mein kampf (my fight) published in 1925

  • combined antisemitism with german nationalism and militarism

  • german people were viewed a the “aryan” race, highest species of humanity on earth, jews were lowest

• hitler ruled germany as a fascist state

treatment of jews

• when hitler gained power, he moved against the jews

• jews were banned from govt service, driven from law, medicine and arts too

• 1935, jews stripped of citizenship

• november 9, 1938 known as kristallnacht or “night of the broken glass”

  • mobs destroyed 7,000 jewish owned businesses, over 1,000 synagogues and 30,000 jews were arrested and sent to concentration camps

  • beginning of the holocaust

america’s response

• many german jews could not get out mainly because other countries would not take them in

• us had immigration quotas that were put in place 1924 that limited entry to immigrants

• nativism

  • 1933 was worst year of great depression and the year hitler came to power

  • people thought that what happened in europe was not america’s business

  • some german jews were allowed in but american refugee policies made it hard for them to get entry visas

• antisemitism

  • strong current of antisemitism in the united states

  • father charles e coughlin was a roman catholic priest in detroit, hosted a popular radio program, openly antisemitic and blamed jews for excess of capitalism and communism

  • father aviator charles lindbergh made speeches praising hitler and was a big supporter

  • henry ford was also a big supporter of hitler, many people supported henry because of his already present influence

    • the nazi government awarded ford the grand cross of the german eagle, highest medal that could be conferred on a foreigner

final solution

• germany invaded poland on sept 1, 1939, marking the beginning of ww2

• wherever germany’s army reached, the jews were subjected to the same treatment as in germany

• by end of 1941 jews were in many camps, being prepared for genocide

• the final solution: extermination of all jewish people

us response during the war

• the us and other countries kept the final solution partially quiet because they couldn’t accept the refugees

• reports about death camps came in and most american newspapers treated them as rumors

• in april 1943, us and british leaders met to discuss options for rescuing victims of the holocaust, no decisive action was taken

• in 1944 the war refugees board was set up to rescue hitler’s victims but by then 80% were already dead

• american military policy held that the best way to help refugees was to defeat hitler as quick as possible

other victims

• jews were singled out for extermination but other groups also faced persecution and murder in hitler’s concentration camps

• at the beginning of the war, hitler initiated a program of mercy killing men, women, and children he deemed “unworthy of living” meaning disabled and people with mental illnesses

• gypsies had often ben despised, around 20-50% of them died in the holocaust in europe

• poles and russians were the largest group of others to be subjected

  • nazis went after the intelligentsia (educated classes) in poland

• each group in the concentration camps had a badge on their clothes

  • yellow star for jews

  • pink triangle for homosexuals

non human jewish victims

• communists and other political prisoners

  • imprisoned for opposing nazism

• people who were disabled

  • first starved to death then later gassed

• homosexuals

  • seen as threat to future of “master race”

• jehovah's witnesses

  • religious group that refused to salute the nazi flag

• polish educated class

  • thousands shot in attempt to destroy their nation’s culture

• ordinary polish citizens

  • slavic people, 1.5 million of whom were sent to camps

• roma and sinti (“gypsies”)

  • ethnic groups of which 20-50 percent were killed

• soviet prisoners of war

  • about 3.3 million killed by through murder and abuse

after liberation

• by the end of april 1945, germany was defeated and hitler committed suicide

• official surrender came may 7, 1945

• liberation of concentration camps began the previous july

• first american troops entered buchenwald on april 11, 1945

• for jewish americans, evidence of holocaust intensified a commitment to zionism

  • zionism: a national movement for the establishment and preservation of a jewish state

• not all people were free, more than a million disables persons could not return to their countries where they had lived before war

• in 1948, congress passed a law allowing for the admission of 200,000 refugees to the us

lesson 5

war shaping daily life

• more than 16 million americans served during ww2

• more than 10% of americans served directly in the war

• government started rationing

• people paid higher taxes and bought war bond to raise money

war and civil rights

• roosevelt issued the executive order 9006 in 1942

  • allowed the us government to arrest or relocate people that seemed dangerous to the nation

  • applied mostly to japanese americans

• more than 100,000 japanese americans were moved into internment camps

review

• native americans

  • Left reservations for war work on the West Coast

• mexican americans

  • Became agricultural workers under the bracero program

• african americans

  • Benefited from the issuing of Executive Order 8802

• japanese americans

  • Forced to live in internment camps for much of the war

• women

  • Worked in great numbers in defense industries

• puerto ricans

  • Granted U.S. citizenship by the Jones Act in 1917

• german americans

  • Faced discrimination fueled by anti-Nazi propaganda

quiz

• Why were Japanese Americans placed in internment camps during World War II?

  • as a result of anti-Japanese prejudice and fear

• How did Native Americans contribute to the war effort on the homefront?

  • working in war factories in the West

• What was the purpose of the "Double V" campaign?

  • to fight racism at home and abroad

• Which of the following was a direct cause of the formation of the bracero program?

  • decline of the rural population in the Southwest

• The U.S. government introduced rationing mostly in order to

  • make sure war industries had the resources they needed

• What was the effect of Korematsu v. United States?

  • Internment camps were affirmed as legal.

• Why were internment camps established in the United States?

  • to isolate people believed to be threats

• What did the zoot suit riots symbolize?

  • tensions between white Californians and Mexican Americans

lesson 6a

europe

• after battle of the bulge ended, allied advanced on germany

  • goal was to capture hitler

• both sides bombed, especially allies

• hitler committed suicide on april 30, 1945 when he realized the nazis had lost

• may 8 became known as VE day (victory in europe day) and everyone celebrated

the pacific

• while germany was defeated in europe, the battle of okinawa raged in pacific

• allied forces had secured the japanese island of iwo jima

major decision

• americans considered using a new, deadly weapon

• us, canada and great britain joined forces in the manhattan project

  • secret program to build an atomic bomb in ww2

• fdr died during his 4th term in office, truman took office and did not know about the development of the atomic bomb

• in july 1945, first atomic bomb was detonated in a remote area of new mexico

• potsdam conference: allied leaders in germany made plans for rebuilding europe

• potsdam declaration: japan must surrender or they will face destruction

japan

• japan failed to respond to declaration, truman approved use of atomic bomb

• first bomb dropped on august 6 over hiroshima

• second bomb dropped on august 9 over nagasaki because they still did not surrender

• finally surrendered on august 10

consequences

• 35-60 million people died in ww2 and economies were ruined

  • us escaped destruction

• general douglas macarthur led effort to rebuild japan’s economy and create a new government

• nuremberg trials tried nazi leaders for their actions in the holocaust

• in the yalta conference, allies decided that germany would be divided into zones with us, britain, france and russia

lesson 6b

truman’s policies

• economic boom

  • After the Great Depression and World War II, the economy of the United States was solid.

  • People began to build houses on property they owned. They fled the cities, and the suburbs grew.

  • The Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, popularly known as the G.I. Bill, provided unprecedented benefits to returning veterans

• labor policies

  • called a fair deal

  • recommended that all americans have health insurance and increased minimum wage

    • people rejected health insurance plans

  • Truman also proposed the Fair Employment Practices Act, which would outlaw racial and religious discrimination in hiring. Congress passed the Employment Act in 1946 and clearly stated the government's responsibility in helping to achieve full employment.

  • The Taft-Hartley Act, passed via President Truman's veto, placed restrictions on unions

defense, education and california master plan

• The National Security Act of 1947 saw the War Department became the Department of Defense. The National Security Act created a National Security Council to advise the President on defense matters.

• Higher education also experienced a boom as Congress passed the GI Bill in 1944 that provided subsidies for returning veterans to attend colleges and universities.

• The 1960 Master Plan for Higher Education in California is a great example of state government choosing to fund education within its borders.

rise of us and soviet union as superpowers

• soviet union was a key factor in defeating germany

• had many differences though which led to cold war later

• To avoid a third world war, the Truman administration changed U.S. foreign policy by taking an active role in aiding the redevelopment of post-war Europe. America became very involved in international affairs, leaving behind a long standing policy of Isolationism.

quiz questions

• axis powers countries

  • germany, italy and japan

• what did taft harley act restrict

  • mandated unions

• what allowed over 10 million servicemen to attend higher education in us

  • servicemen’s readjustment act of 1944