WORLD WAR II
Back to Isolationism
• During the Great Depression, the United States
returned to isolationism.
• Congress was more concerned with the economy
than international affairs.
• So, they signed several neutrality acts intended to
prevent another war from occurring.
Totalitarian Governments
• During the 1930s in Europe, totalitarian
governments began to arise as people blamed
governments for the bad economy.
• Totalitarian governments are governments that
take control of the entire country and restrict
personal freedoms.
• In Japan, Hideki Tojo took power over the
military. He invaded Manchuria (part of China) in
1931.
• This was designed to increase Japanese power in
the world. The Japanese would also invade other
countries in the Pacific.
Totalitarian Governments
• Because of the neutrality acts, FDR could not use
the military to stop Japan.
• So, the U.S. just restricted trade, which cut off gas
supplies to Japan.
• In 1933, Adolf Hitler seized power in Germany.
He turned Germany into a totalitarian regime
immediately.
• Hitler intended to have all of Europe come under
Germany’s rule.
• First, he invaded Czechoslovakia. Then, in 1939,
Hitler invaded Poland. This started all-out war in
Europe.
“Blitzkrieg”
• In the invasion of Poland and other countries,
Germany used a strategy called “blitzkrieg.”
• Blitzkrieg means “lightning war.”
• In this strategy, Germany concentrated all of its
tanks and weapons at one place and
overwhelmed the enemy.
• Once they broke through, they surrounded the
enemy on all sides.
• Germany also used devastating air attacks to
attack Great Britain.
Lend-Lease Policy
• FDR no longer wanted the United States to
remain neutral. So, he had Congress get rid of the
neutrality acts.
• They were replaced first by cash-and-carry. In
this policy, America sent supplies to Great Britain
and the Allies, but they had to pay cash
immediately for the supplies
• Then, America ended neutrality altogether with
the Lend-Lease Act.
• Lend-Lease policy meant the United States was
giving full supplies needed to Great Britain and
the Allies.
Pearl Harbor
• Germany sank U.S. ships sending supplies to
Great Britain.
• By 1941, the U.S. was in an undeclared naval war
with Germany.
• Then, on December 7th, 1941, the Japanese
bombed an American naval base at Pearl Harbor,
Hawaii.
• FDR, in a famous speech, called it “a date which
will live in infamy.”
• 2,402 Americans were killed at Pearl Harbor.
• The next day, the United States declared war on
Japan. World War II had begun for America.
Mobilization
• World War II was such a massive war, that it
required the full power of the American economy.
• FDR persuaded businesses to transform into war
machines.
• The government also controlled the country’s
resources and prices.
• In addition to urging the people to plant “victory
gardens,” the government also rationed food.
• Americans were given ration coupons, and they
could only have as much food as their ration
coupons allowed.
• Soon, a black market of rations emerged.
Mobilization
• Because young, white men were wanted on the battlefield,
women and minorities were needed to work in factories.
• Women took traditional jobs of men. “Rosie the Riveter”
became an icon of the period.
• Women were also allowed to serve in some support
positions in the military.
• A black labor leader, A. Phillip Randolph, threatened to
march on Washington if blacks were not allowed to have
equal jobs.
• So, FDR created a commission to make sure blacks had
equal access to jobs. This is when many northern blacks
began voting Democratic.
• Mexican workers were also welcomed to America to work
on farms.
Racial Problems
• Despite this progress, there was still a huge race
problem in America.
• Blacks had to serve in their own, segregated units
in the war.
• They faced severe discrimination in the military.
• Young Mexican-Americans were attacked in Los
Angeles because their clothing was considered
“un-American.”
• After Pearl Harbor, many people in western states
were fearful of Japanese people.
Racial Problems
• So, Japanese-Americans were ordered to sell all
of their property and move into camps in inland
deserts.
• In the case of Korematsu v. United States, the
Supreme Court said that the government had the
right to put the Japanese into camps.
“The Big Three”
• The three main “Allies” during the war were Great Britain
(led by Winston Churchill), the United States (led by
Franklin Delano Roosevelt), and the Soviet Union (led by
Joseph Stalin).
• These three met throughout the war to make war
strategies and plan for the post-war world.
• From 1941-1944 the Soviet Union fought Germany on the
ground almost completely by itself.
• By 1942, the Nazis had control of nearly all of Europe
except the Soviet Union.
• The Soviet Union tried to use their superior manpower to
defeat Hitler. This resulted in the Soviet Union suffering
the heaviest losses.
• About 15 million Russians died during fighting in WWII.
The Battle of Britain
• The Soviet Union desperately wanted the United
States and the other Allies to form a “second
front” on the west.
• This would provide the Soviets with some relief.
But Great Britain was more worried with “The
Battle of Britain.”
• “The Battle of Britain” was an all-out bombing
campaign by the Nazis on Great Britain.
• In order to combat this, Great Britain and the U.S.
started building their own bombers to attack
Germany.
Turning Points – Eastern Front
• In 1942, Great Britain and the United States decide to
invade North Africa and take it back from Germany and
Italy.
• This was meant to take control of the oil fields in the
Middle East and cut off the Nazis’ supply.
• This helped relieve some of the stress on the Soviet Union.
• But, one of the turning points in the war was the Battle of
Stalingrad.
• Here, the Soviets fought hard and lost millions of men. This
finally stopped the German advance across Europe.
• “Never invade Russia during winter.”
• Also, Allied forces landed in Italy and began trying to take
it back.
Turning Points – Western Front
• Finally, in 1942, Allied forces started a ground
invasion to take back France.
• This invasion would be called “Operation Overlord”
or “D-Day.”
• This was the largest amphibious invasion of all time.
Meaning, it used water, air, and ground forces.
• Now, Germany was fighting on three fronts: Italy,
France, and the Soviet Union, and had to send troops
to fight on the western front.
• The Battle of the Bulge was Germany’s major
offensive on the war.
• They were defeated, and British, American, and
French troops began marching towards Berlin.
Turning Points – Western Front
• Soviet troops also began marching towards
Berlin.
• This laid the foundation for the split of Berlin,
which will help cause the Cold War later on.
• Finally, the Soviet reach Berlin and it falls in May
of 1945.
• On April 30th, 1945, Adolf Hitler committed
suicide, shooting himself. His wife also committed
suicide with him, by chewing a cyanide pill.
The Pacific Theatre
• Now the United States could focus its efforts on Japan. The
strategy in the Pacific was “island hopping.”
• In April of 1945, FDR died of cerebral hemorrhage. So, his
Vice President, Harry Truman, became President.
• The U.S. hoped to take back the islands in the Pacific that
Japan had invaded, until they were closer and closer to
Japan.
• A huge victory at Midway stopped the Japanese advance in
the Pacific. But the Japanese were a fierce enemy.
• The Battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa ended in thousands
of Americans dead.
• This showed the United States that a land invasion of Japan
would be long and hard.
The Pacific Theatre
• But, the USSR (Soviet Union) promised to help in
an invasion of Japan. So, the USSR invaded Korea
as promised. (Korea is directly beside Japan)
• But, on August 6th, 1945, President Truman
decided to drop an atomic bomb on Hiroshima,
Japan in order to prevent the need for invasion.
• Japan did not surrender. So on August 9th, 1945,
another bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan.
• The result was devastating. An estimated 250,000
died from the bombs. [In the first 2-4 months]
• As a result, Japan fully surrendered.
The Pacific Theatre
• The use of the atomic bomb by the United States
was one of the most controversial acts of war in
world history.
• It also laid the foundation for the Cold War. The
USSR did not trust the United States.
• Also, the Soviets were occupying Korea, which
laid the foundation for the Korean War.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLjb2dEH
hN4
• http://www.history.co.uk/explorehistory/ww2/atomic-bomb/video.html
THE HOLOCAUST
The Beginning
• During the 1930s, the Jews began to face severe
persecution and discrimination in Germany.
• During the 30s, laws were passed in Germany that
required sterilization for “inferior” people. Over
400,000 people were sterilized against their own
will.
• The Holocaust came from a long history of antiSemitism (hatred of Jews) and Social Darwinism.
• In 1935, the Nuremberg Laws were passed. These
laws greatly limited Jews’ rights. They also made it
illegal for Jews to have sex with “Aryans” (whites).
• In 1938, the Nazis began targeting Jewish
neighborhoods and burning down Jewish
synagogues, homes, and businesses.
The Beginning
• This was called Kristallnacht or “Night of the
Broken Glass.”
• Kristallnacht and the Nuremberg Laws were
widely reported, but no action was taken by the
world community to stop it.
• Immigration laws of the United States, Great
Britain, and others were not changed to allow
Jews to come and find safety.
The Holocaust
• Once the war started, there was no military action
taken to stop the shipment of Jews to camps.
• “The Final Solution” was the name given to the
program of trying to exterminate all Jews in Europe.
• Jews were sent to “concentration” and
“extermination” camps.
• This program of genocide ended with over 6 million
Jews being murdered and 5.5 million others.
• Jews were sent to camps where sometimes they
were sent directly to the gas chambers. Some were
saved temporarily because they were deemed fit to
work.
Killing of Jews in Ukraine, 1942. A woman shields
her child with her body.
“Work will set you free.”
Hitler Youth march.
The Holocaust
• Jews were often given a bar of soap to make them
believe they were going to take a shower.
• As the war ended, the soldiers who found the
camps and the public were horrified.
• The “Nuremberg Trials” were set up to charge the
Nazis for their war crimes.
• Many of the Nazis pleaded that they were “just
following orders.” But, these people were still
executed or given prison sentences.
• This set the precedent that individuals are
responsible for their actions during times of war.
• 12 Nazis were sentenced to death.
The Holocaust
• After the war, many Jews began migrating to the
area of the Middle East known as Palestine.
• Soon, the United Nations created the state of
Israel for Jews. This is where many Jews live
today.
• The United States supported the creation of Israel
and has supported Israel as an ally ever since.
T HE COLD WAR
Beginning of the Cold War
• The Soviet Union and the United States were only allies
during the war because they wanted to defeat Hitler.
• After the war, they immediately had disagreements over
the post-war world.
• The USSR wanted to create governments in Poland and
other countries around it to help prevent another German
invasion.
• The United States wanted Poland and these other
countries to have elections to decide on their government.
• The capital city of Germany, Berlin, was split into east and
west. Germany was also split into east and west.
• The west was controlled by the United States and its Allies.
The East was controlled by the Soviet Union.
Cold War Presidents
Beginning of the Cold War
• In 1946, Winston Churchill proclaimed that an “Iron
Curtain” had fell on Europe. The curtain separated
Soviet-controlled countries from the rest of the world.
• In Greece and Turkey, the government was threatening
to turn Communist. The United States did not want this.
• This is when the United States began a policy called
“containment.” This policy was meant to stop countries
from becoming Communist.
• In Greece and Turkey, the United States gave money to
help the democratic leaders fight the Communists there.
• “Containment” would be an important policy throughout
the Cold War for the United States.
• “Containment” was a policy first used by President
Truman, so it is also known as the “Truman Doctrine.”
The Marshall Plan
• The United States was afraid that Europe’s terrible
economy would lead to the rise of Communism in many
countries.
• So in order to “contain” Communism in Europe, the
Marshall Plan was introduced. The Marshall Plan gave
money to Europe to rebuild their economies.
• This would provide money for capitalist reforms to stop
Communism.
Berlin Airlift
• In June of 1948, the first major crisis of the Cold War took
place. The Soviet Union began blockading all of the roads and
railways leading to West Berlin.
• The Soviets hoped to cut off American food supplies and
troops from entering, and basically take over all of Berlin.
• In response, the Western Allies (U.S., Great Britain, France)
began what was known as the “Berlin Airlift.”
• The plan was to provide West Berlin with all of the necessary
food and supplies by flying into West Berlin and dropping off
them off.
• The Soviets refused to believe that this plan would actually
work.
• But by the spring of 1949, there were more supplies being
sent into West Berlin than there were before through
railways and roads.
Berlin Airlift
• This was a huge embarrassment for the Soviets. America
had won the first major crisis of the Cold War.
• So, the Soviets finally stopped the blockade of West
Berlin.
The Berlin Wall
• East Germany (controlled by the USSR) had strict
restrictions on people moving to West Germany.
• But despite the restrictions, during the 1950s, 3.5
million people escaped East Germany and moved to
West Germany. Most of these people escaped by passing
through Berlin.
• In order to stop people from escaping, the Soviet Union
erected the Berlin Wall in 1962. This was meant to keep
people from escaping from East Germany to West
Germany.
• After the wall was built, almost all immigration from
East to West Germany stopped. The wall worked.
• http://www.history.com/topics/berlinairlift/videos#berlin-wall-deconstructed
1949 – The Cold War Escalates
• A series of events in 1949 made the Cold War escalate – or get
worse.
• First, the United States formed NATO – The North Atlantic Treaty
Organization.
• This organization was a system of alliances that were directed at
preventing the Soviet Union from becoming too powerful.
• Also in 1949, the Soviet Union tested their first atomic bomb. This
frightened people in the United States and led to the U.S.
accelerating the creation of its first “hydrogen bomb.”
• Also during 1949, a civil war broke out in China between the
Nationalists and the Communists. America supported the
Nationalists.
• But, the Communists won, and China became a Communist
country. This worried many who felt China was the first of many
countries who could turn Communist.
• Mao Tes-tung (Mao Zedong) was the leader of the Communist
forces in China. He became the head of the Chinese government.
First Soviet atomic bomb test
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6Q8Q1smwg
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6Q8Q1smwg (longer)
The Korean War
• When World War II ended, Korea was divided between North
Korea, which was Communist, and South Korea, which was
Democratic.
• In 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea. President
Truman believed that the Soviet Union was behind the
invasion. He urged the United Nations to stop it.
• The United Nations supported “police action” but not an allout war to defend South Korea. So, the United States sent
troops.
• When U.S. troops crossed the 38th parallel into North Korea,
China intervened in the war and sent troops. The Chinese
pushed the U.S. troops back below the 38th parallel.
• The public no longer supported the war when this happened.
So, a peace was signed and Communism was “contained” in
North Korea.
• About 37,000 American troops died in the Korean War.
Soviet Advances
• In 1955, the Soviet Union organized the “Warsaw Pact.”
This was a treaty organization meant to counter NATO.
• Then, in 1957, the Soviets launched the first satellite into
Earth’s orbit. It was called Sputnik.
• Sputnik shocked the world. The United States was
determined to match the Soviet Union’s space
technology, this was the start of the “space race.”
• The United States passed the National Defense
Education Act, which invested more money in math and
science in order to win the space race and arms race.
• American began using bomb shelters and schools began
doing nuclear bomb test drills.
Red Scare: 1940s and 1950s
• The (2nd) Red Scare came as Americans were
scared because of the Soviet atomic bomb, the
Korean War, and the fall of China to Communism.
• The Truman Administration told Americans that
the Cold War was a battle of good (Democracy)
vs. evil (Communism).
• They released propaganda about the evils of the
Soviet Union. This led Americans to look for
enemies within the country.
Red Scare 1940s and 1950s
• Republicans took advantage of the fear of
Communism. They had not won a presidential
election since 1933 and they were desperate.
• They began accusing the Democrats of being “soft on
Communism.”
• Senator Joseph McCarthy would be the leader of the
Republicans who criticized the Democrats.
• McCarthy began accusing countless people within
the government of being Communists or spies for the
Soviet Union.
• He used the strategy of “big lie” – meaning that it was
a lie so crazy that people would never believe that
someone could make it up. (originally Hitler’s idea)
Red Scare 1940s and 1950s
• Then, public hearings were televised in 1954 for
the people that McCarthy had accused.
• In these hearings, McCarthy appeared to
Americans to be a bully.
• This caused the public to reject McCarthy. The
hearings found that there were some Soviet spies
within the government, but the vast majority of
people were innocent.
Cuba
• During the 1950s, Communist forces under the
leadership of Fidel Castro overthrew the
government in Cuba.
• Immediately after taking office, Castro began to
have a close relationship with the Soviet Union.
• He also began Communist reforms in Cuba. He
took over American businesses and brought them
under the control of the government.
• The fact that Cuba had fallen to Communism and
was so close the United States scared many
Americans.
“The Bag of Pigs” Invasion
• The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) came up
with a plan during Dwight Eisenhower’s
presidency on how to deal with Cuba.
• The CIA plan was to train Cubans exiles (Cubans
in America who escaped or were expelled from
Cuba) to invade Cuba and start a revolution.
• The CIA believed that once the Cubans began
invading, other Cubans would join them in
overthrowing Castro.
• The Cubans were being trained for the invasion
when President John F. Kennedy took office.
“The Bay of Pigs” Invasion
• Kennedy approved the invasion. So, in April of
1961, the Cuban exiles tried to invade. It was a
miserable failure.
• This was a major defeat for the United States in
the Cold War. Communism lived on in Cuba.
“Cuban Missile Crisis”
• In the Fall of 1963, American spy planes
photographed nuclear missile sites begin built in
Cuba.
• Castro and the Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev, had
a secret plan to start arming Cuba with nuclear
missiles.
• With Cuba being only 90 miles from the U.S., it would
be easy for a nuclear attack to be launched from
there.
• President Kennedy was determined to stop any
nuclear missiles from coming to Cuba.
• So, he ordered a blockade of Cuba to prevent Soviet
ships from coming with nuclear missiles.
“Cuban Missile Crisis”
• He demanded that the Soviets dismantle all weapons sites
in Cuba. He never expected the Soviets to agree.
• Instead, Kennedy was ready for war. For 13 days, American
ships blockaded Cuba, and America and the Soviet Union
inched closer to war.
• Finally, the tensions ended and an agreement was signed.
• The Cuba Missile Crisis was the closest the two countries
ever came to war, and the closest the world has ever come
to nuclear annihilation.
• As a result of the crisis, a permanent hotline was installed
between the United States and the Soviet Union in order to
prevent nuclear war.
• Also as a result of the crisis, both countries signed a
nuclear test ban treaty.
Cold War in the Middle East
• During the 1950s, the CIA helped the “Shah of Iran”
overthrow the government of Iran and become King.
• The Shah was an oppressive dictator, but the U.S.
supported him because it created a buffer country near the
Soviet Union.
• The Shah’s government was later overthrown in the 1970s.
As a result, 150 Americans were taken hostage in Iran for
more than a year, until they were finally released.
• In 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. In order to
“contain” Communism, the United States supported one of
the groups who fought against the Soviets.
• These rebels won the war over the Soviet Union, but they
would later turn into a group called al Qaeda.
• Al Qaeda is the group responsible for terrorists attacks in
the United States on September 11th, 2001.
• Eisenhower Doctrine: extend containment into the Middle
East.