The German Invasion of Poland
1939, Hitler and Stalin of the Soviet Union signed a non-aggression pact
They both agreed to secretly invade and divide Poland
In September of 1939 Hitler invaded Poland and England and France
declared war on Germany
WWII had begun
Blitzkrieg: rapid coordinated movements by airplanes, tanks, troop
carriers, and infantry
Germany rapidly defeated the Poles
They soon defeated the French and quickly had taken over much of
Europe
This war was different than WWI because it was more of an offensive
attacking war
Terror increased by bombing civilians in the cities and using it to their
advantage
America Goes to War
In the 1930’s America passed several laws that would keep them out of
war in Europe
Neutrality Acts of 1935-1937: prevented Americans from traveling on
ships of nations at war
Americans were also prohibited from selling goods to nations at war
Americans could sell non-military goods to non-aggressive nations only
on a “cash-and-carry” basis
FDR delivered the “Quarantine” speech to Americans in 1937 after
Japan invaded China
He said that peaceful nations had to act together to
quarantine (isolate) aggressive nations
The Flying Tigers were American volunteer fighter pilots that sent
supplies to China and conducted air combat missions against the Japanese
pilots
They shot down over 300 Japanese planes
America prepared for war by enacting a peace time draft and FDR ran
for a 3rd term
He was the first and last president to do so
Lend-Lease-Act: was to sell, lease, or lend war materials to any country
whose defense the President felt vital to the defense of the U.S.
FDR Politics on the War
He told Americans he hoped to establish a world based on the Four
Freedoms: freedom of speech and expression, religion, freedom from want,
and fear
1941 FDR met with Winston Churchill and signed the Atlantic
Charter: their countries sought no territorial gains, freedom of the seas, and an
end to war
This was the foundation of the United Nations
The U.S. Enters the War
In 1941 FDR armed U.S. merchant ships that carried supplies to Great
Britain
He felt that war was inevitable if Hitler defeated Britain
He felt Hitler would soon attack the U.S.
U.S. and Japanese Tensions
- Japanese power started to spread by their invasion of Manchuria in 1931
- they invaded China in 1937 and Indochina in 1941
- Japan wanted to replace European imperialism with Asian Imperialism
- FDR froze all Japanese assets in the U.S. and cut off trade with Japan
- He offered to resume trade efforts if they withdrew from Chine
- Japan refused
Japan Prepares a Surprise Attack
The Japanese wanted to invade Indonesia for its oil reserves
The felt if they did this, it would bring the U.S. into the war
Instead they attacked the U.S. Navy in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
on December 7, 1941
They did this to temporarily disable the American fleet and allow them to
fortify the Japanese Asian dominance in the Pacific
At Pearl Harbor, the Japanese sank or damaged 18 U.S. ships, 260
airplanes, and kill or injured 6000 Americans
The next day, FDR asked Congress for a declaration of war
4 days after Pearl Harbor, Japan, Germany, and Italy declared war on
the United States
The U.S. war now at war on two fronts, the Atlantic and the Pacific