World War II andUs Neutrality.

Economic Instability → Political Extremism

  • Treaty of Versailles (1919)

    • Germany forced to pay reparations → long-term economic strain

  • Global Depression (1929 onward)

    • Collapse of economies → unemployment, instability

    • 1931: Hoover Moratorium temporarily paused war debts → failed

  • Result: Economic crisis created conditions for extremist ideologies

Rise of Dictatorships

Germany — Adolf Hitler

  • Nazi Party exploited economic crisis + nationalism + anti-Semitism

  • 1932: Nazis gain 203 Reichstag seats

  • 1933: Hitler becomes Chancellor

  • 1934: Declares himself Führer

  • Methods:

    • Violence/intimidation

    • Elimination of opposition

    • Use of Gestapo (secret police)

  • Outcome: Democracy → Totalitarian state

Italy — Benito Mussolini

  • Promised order, stability, national pride

  • Used Fascist militias to gain power

  • Eliminated:

    • Free speech

    • Labor unions

    • Political opposition

  • 1935: Invaded Ethiopia → weak global response

Japan — Expansionism

  • 1931: Invaded Manchuria

    • Goal: natural resources + expansion base

  • 1932: Created puppet state Manchukuo

  • Reaction:

    • League of Nations condemns → Japan withdraws

    • U.S. issues Stimson Doctrine (non-recognition, no action)

U.S. Isolationism

Causes

  • Trauma of World War I

  • Rejection of League of Nations (led by Henry Cabot Lodge)

  • Suspicion of war profiteering:

    • Nye Committee (1934) investigated banks/arms industry

Neutrality Acts (1935–1937)

  • 1935: No arms sales to warring nations

  • 1936: No loans to warring nations

  • 1937:

    • No transporting arms

    • “Cash-and-carry” for non-military goods

  • Goal: Keep U.S. out of foreign wars

Spanish Civil War (1936–1939)

  • Francisco Franco (Nationalists) vs Republicans

  • U.S., Britain, France → neutrality

  • Germany + Italy supported Franco

  • Volunteers (e.g., Abraham Lincoln Brigade) fought fascism

  • Result: Franco dictatorship (1939)

Shift Away from Isolation

Roosevelt’s “Quarantine Speech” (1937)

  • Argued aggressor nations should be isolated

  • Public backlash → no immediate policy change

Hitler’s Expansion (Appeasement Policy)

Key Events

  • 1938: Austria (Anschluss) annexed

  • 1938: Sudetenland

    • Taken after Munich Conference

    • Britain/France adopt appeasement (Neville Chamberlain)

  • 1939: Czechoslovakia fully taken

  • 1939: Poland invaded

    • Start of World War II

U.S. Gradual Involvement

Neutrality Act of 1939

  • Allowed arms sales (cash-and-carry)

  • Shift from strict neutrality

1940–1941 Developments

  • Germany conquers Western Europe (France falls, 1940)

  • U.S. actions:

    • Selective Service Act (draft begins)

    • Destroyers-for-Bases Deal (aid to Britain)

Lend-Lease Act (1941)

  • U.S. supplies Allies without direct involvement

  • Marks clear move away from neutrality

Atlantic Charter (1941)

  • Agreement between FDR & Churchill

  • Principles:

    • Self-determination

    • Free trade

    • Collective security

Undeclared Naval War

  • German U-boats attack U.S. ships

  • Example: USS Greer incident (1941)

  • U.S. response:

    • Armed ships

    • Enter combat zones

Key Themes (APUSH Focus)

  • Economic crisis → rise of authoritarian regimes

  • Weak international response → emboldened aggression

  • U.S. isolationism gradually erodes

  • Transition from neutrality → indirect support → near-war involvement