Ch. 34 Notes
FDR and the Shadow of War
The London Economic Conference
1. In 1933, sixty-six countries met in London to discuss
the depression – their main goal was to stabilize the
various currencies of the world in order to restore
world trade.
2. While the U.S. was supposed to attend, FDR
eventually decided not to, fearing an international
agreement to stabilize the dollar could hurt the
economic recovery of the U.S.
3. FDR’s “every man for himself” attitude helped make
the depression worse and more importantly help lead
to the extreme nationalism that played into the rise of
fascism in Europe.
Rise of Totalitarianism
1. For many European nations, the end of WWI
was the beginning of revolutions at home,
economic depression and the rise of
powerful dictators driven by nationalism and
territorial expansionism.
2. The Treaty of Versailles failed to provide a
“just and secure peace” and left many
nations with bitter resentments and others
politically and economically overwhelmed.
Joseph Stalin and the Soviet Union
1. Vladimir Lenin died in
1924 and Joseph Stalin
assumed control of the
Soviet Union.
2. Using his 5 Year Plans, he
transformed the Soviet
Union from a rural nation
into a major industrial
power by placing all
economic activity under
strict government control
– and killing anyone who
opposed him (estimated
he killed around 20 million
either through execution,
work camps of starvation).
Benito Mussolini and Italy
1. In 1921, Benito
Mussolini formed the
Fascist Party in Italy.
2. The Fascist Party
stressed nationalism and
militarism and placed
the interests of the state
over the interests of the
individual.
3. By 1922, Mussolini had
control of Italy and used
his Blackshirts to keep
control.
Adolf Hitler and Germany
1.
2.
3.
In 1919 Adolf Hitler joined
the Nazi Party and quickly
rose up its ranks because of
his oratory skills.
Calling himself “Der Fuhrer”,
he promised to return
Germany to its days of glory.
By 1932 the Nazi Party was
the strongest political party
in Germany and in 1933
Hitler was appointed
Chancellor of Germany –
from there he seized power
and created a totalitarian
government.
Hirohito and Japan
1. Emperor Hirohito
governed Japan from 1926
– 1989.
2. During that time Japan is
going to be very
imperialistic – he governs
an island nation in need of
resources if they’re going
to be a world power.
3. He will attack China in
1931 (Manchuria) and
dream of dominating the
Pacific – to do that, the
U.S. is his biggest threat.
FDR’s Foreign Policy
1. The U.S. will be in an isolationist phase after WWI and the
Great Depression will make it even worse.
2. FDR will officially recognize the USSR in 1933 – this will
give the U.S. a diplomatic ally against the rising power of
Germany and Italy and more importantly another trading
partner.
3. In 1934 Congress will pass the Tydings-McDuffie Act to
grant the Philippines their independence (within 12
years), mainly because the islands were an economic
liability.
4. FDR will also institute the Good Neighbor Policy in regard
to Latin America – no more armed intervention in Latin
America – its cheaper and it will enlist the Latin American
countries in defending against the dictators of the world.
U.S. Attitude Towards the Rise of
Totalitarianism
1. By 1934, the U.S. still favors isolationism and is
more concerned with rebuilding the economy
than stopping the rise of totalitarian
governments in Europe (or Asia).
2. Congress is going to pass the Reciprocal Trade
Agreement Act, which increased U.S. foreign
trade by lowering the tariffs on imports from
countries that also agreed to lower their tariffs
(21 countries will do so by 1939).
European Aggression
1. In 1935, Italy invaded Ethiopia.
2. The U.S. responds by passing the Neutrality Act
of 1935, which outlawed the sale of arms or
loans to nations at war.
3. In March of 1936, Germany invaded the
Rhineland (a German region bordering France
and Belgium that was demilitarized by the Treaty
of Versailles).
4. In October of 1936, Hitler and Mussolini formed
the Rome-Berlin Axis (Axis Powers – Japan will
later join in 1940).
1. In July of 1936, General
Francisco Franco will stage
a coup in France.
2. Hitler and Mussolini will
come to the aid of Franco
while the Soviet Union will
add the Spanish Republic.
3. The U.S. refuses to get
involved – we will amend
the Neutrality Act to apply
to nations involved in a
civil war.
4. Franco will win the civil
war in 1939 (the civil war
drew Hitler and Mussolini
closer together and also
allowed Hitler to try out
his new air force, the
Luftwaffe.
The Spanish Civil
War
The Neutrality Acts
1. The Neutrality Acts (actually three separate ones
were passed in 1935, 1936 and 1937) resulted
in:
1. the U.S.’s abandonment of its traditional policy of
freedom of the seas.
2. a decline in the armed forces of the U.S.
3. the inability of the U.S. to distinguish between
aggressor nations and victims – we wouldn’t trade
with either.
4. the spurring of aggressors along their paths of
conquest – they knew the U.S. wouldn’t do anything.
Japanese Aggression
1. In 1937, Japan renewed their attacks in China.
2. In response, FDR sent arms and supplies to
China – he got around the Neutrality Acts
because Japan hadn’t actually declared war on
China.
3. However, we also continue to trade with Japan.
4. In Chicago, FDR makes his Quarantine Speech,
calling for economic sanctions against Japan and
Italy.
5. Most U.S. citizens were opposed to this idea,
believing that economic embargoes would
eventually lead to war.
Hitler Advances
1. In March of 1938, Hitler sends troops into Austria –
they will be welcomed in with open arms.
2. Hitler then begins building up his troops on the
eastern border of Czechoslovakia – the Sudetenland
is home to 3 million German-speaking people.
3. In September of 1938, Hitler invites the French and
British Prime Ministers to meet with him in Germany
– they sign the Munich Agreement – Hitler gets the
Sudetenland and in return he agrees to leave the rest
of Czechoslovakia alone.
4. This policy was known as appeasement and most
people favored it, believing it would bring peace.
5. It didn’t work – in March of 1939 later Hitler took the
rest of Czechoslovakia.
The Munich Conference
Poland
1. Hitler then began building up troops on the
western border of Poland.
2. Most countries didn’t believe Hitler would attack
Poland because it would bring the Soviet Union
into the war.
3. But in August of 1939, Hitler and Stalin signed
the Non-Aggression Pact – they vow never to
attack the other and agree to split Poland
between them.
4. Hitler then rolls into Poland in September of
1939, using his strategy known as the blitzkrieg,
or “lightening war”.
The Non-Aggression Pact
WWII Begins
1. After the invasion of
Poland, Great Britain
and France will declare
war on Germany
(September 1, 1939).
2. Even as France and
Great Britain enter the
war, the U.S. still
desires to remain
neutral – but its not
looking good.
The Cash and Carry Policy
1. After France and Great Britain entered the war,
Congress passed the Neutrality Act of 1939, which
established the cash and carry policy.
2. Under this policy, the European democracies would
be able to buy American war materials, but they
would have to transport the goods themselves after
paying for them in cash.
3. This way, the U.S. would avoid loans, later war debt
and possible attack from German U-boats.
4. This policy helped the U.S. economically as well as
aided their future allies in their efforts to stop
Germany.
The Holocaust
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
The Holocaust was the systematic, bureaucratic, state-sponsored
persecution and murder of approximately six million Jews by the Nazi
regime and its collaborators.
The Nuremburg Laws (passed in 1935) put severe restrictions on the
rights of Jews living in Germany (and later areas occupied by the
Germans).
Then, in 1938, the Kristallnacht, or “night of broken glass” occurred,
where German mobs ransacked over seven thousand Jewish stores and
all of the country’s synagogues – over ninety were killed and about
thirty thousand were eventually rounded up and sent to concentration
camps.
Many Jews began trying to flee Europe.
In May of 1939, almost a thousand Jews boarded the St. Louis and
attempted to flee to Cuba – they were denied entrance into Cuba, the
U.S. and Canada.
They returned to Europe and were given asylum in Western Europe –
many were captured when the Germans took France and ended up in
concentration camps.
The Fall of France
1. By 1940, France had fallen to the Germans and
Great Britain was fighting the war by itself.
2. In response, to this, the U.S. passed the
Selective Training and Service Act, which was
the U.S.’s first ever peacetime draft.
3. FDR also gave the Great Britain fifty U.S. WWI
destroyers in exchange for eight defensive base
sites in the Western Hemisphere.
4. By this time, the majority of Americans
supported the Allies and wanted to provide
Great Britain “all aid short of war”.
The Presidential Election of 1940
1. In 1940, the Republicans nominated Wendell
Willkie, a charismatic lawyer (and former
Democrat) with no political experience.
2. The Democrats nominated FDR for a third
term, claiming that the country needed a
tried leader during this time of war.
3. In a close race, at least in the popular vote,
FDR won an unprecedented third term of
office.
FDR and Wendell Willkie
Presidential Election of 1940
1. By 1940, Great Britain was
running out of money and
couldn’t afford to pay cash to
buy war materials.
2. In response, Congress passed
the Lend-Lease Act – this law
will eventually provide over
$50 billion worth of arms and
equipment to those nations
fighting aggressor nations.
3. Germany viewed this law as
an unofficial declaration of
war and German U-boats
began attacking U.S.
merchant ships and
destroyers – Congress will
eventually legalize the
arming of U.S. merchant
ships.
The Lend-Lease
Act
The Atlantic Charter
1. In August of 1941, FDR and Winston Churchill
will secretly meet on a warship off the coast of
Canada.
2. Both agreed that people had the right to choose
their own form of government (selfdetermination), there should be no territorial
changes after the war and that there should be a
new League of Nations (United Nations).
3. This meeting is also seen as a kind of “passing of
the torch” between Great Britain and the U.S. as
the leading nation of the world.
Hitler Invades the Soviet Union
1. In June of 1941, Hitler
launched a surprise
attack on the Soviet
Union – a direct
violation of the NonAggression Pact.
2. The U.S. immediately
broadened the LendLease Act to include
the Soviet Union.
The Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor
1. Japan joined the Axis Powers in June of 1940.
2. In response, the U.S. began placing embargoes on
Japan, mainly on war materials.
3. The U.S. will also begin seizing Japanese assets in the
U.S.
4. The U.S. agreed to lift the embargo in Japan if they
would pull out of China but Japan refused.
5. The U.S. knew that Japan was preparing for war with
the U.S. because we had cracked the codes they used
to communicate with their diplomats in the U.S. – we
just didn’t know where it would occur.
Pearl Harbor
1. On December 7, 1949,
the Japanese navy
launched a surprise
attack on the U.S. fleet
stationed at Pearl
Harbor.
2. Over 2000 Americans
were killed and the U.S.
battleship fleet was
basically wiped out –
fortunately our carriers
weren’t at port.
3. The U.S. then declared
war on Japan, which
caused Germany and
Italy to declare war on
the U.S. – we were now
in WWII.