1930’s Political Ideologies Democracy viewed as weak, indecisive Fascism: (Bundle of Sticks) can’t break them

Established in Italy under Mussolini, 1922

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  Nazi short for National Socialists
  
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  Builds upon racist rhetoric of 1920s Austria
  
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  Aryans (Anglo-Saxons) considered most highly evolved humans
  
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  Jews (and others) considered racially inferior
  
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  Jews blamed for conspiring to control world through international finance- “Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion”
  
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  Hitler also viewed communism as a Jewish conspiracy
  

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  1848 Karl Marx, German philosopher creates communist ideology
  
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  1017, Lenin leads working class revolution in Russia
  
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  Solution: overthrow capitalism (business owners) and establish government/worker control of economy
  

Britain, US, France

Neutrality Act of 1935 imposed an embargo on trading arms with warring countries

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  Hitler invades Poland Sept. 1, 1939
  
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  2 days later Britain/France declare war on Germany
  

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  April 1940, Germany launches Blitzkrieg or lightening war
  
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  Invasion of Denmark, Netherlands, Norway, Belgium, Luxembourg, France
  
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  Nazis sign nonaggression pact with the Soviet Union, 1939- Soviets neutralized
  
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  Britain and US left remaining
  
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  1940 The London Blitz, 6 months of German bombing of London, killing 50,000 leaving 500,000 homeless- over 100 tons of high explosives
  
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  Neutrality reconsidered
  
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  Intervention #1- congress passes the Lend Lease Act, 1941
  
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  Provides arms to maintain British survival (later to Soviets after German invasion June, 1941)
  
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  US effectively enters war
  
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  Intervention #2 The Atlantic Charter- joint declaration between FDR and Winston Churchill
  

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  Dec. 7, 1941
  
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  Marks official US WWII Involvement
  

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  Japan became imperial power; developed racist attitude against Asian neighbors
  
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  Invades Manchuria, China 1930- no action taken by League of Nations
  
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  Launch full scale invasion in 1937 known as the Rape of Nanking- horrific atrocities
  
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  Deaths disputed- 50,000-400,000
  
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  Japan refuses to accept responsibility or apologize to this day
  
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  Japan/China relations today- not good
  
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  Japan signed Tripartice Pact, 1940 Alliance of Japan, Germany, Italy
  
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  Prime Minister Hideki Tojo started war preparations Sept, 1941
  
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  US aware, didn’t know when
  
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  Dec. 7 Japan attacks
  
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  Killed 2,400 US Americans
  
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  Destroyed 8 battleships, 3 cruisers, 200 airplanes
  

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  Demoralize US
  
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  Incapacitate US as Japan pursued oil elsewhere in south Asia
  
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  Draw US into war in Pacific to keep it out of Europe
  

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  Bolstered US determination to fight
  
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  Tactical failure; no damage to repair facilities, oil reserves, aircraft carriers
  
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  Declaration war signed Dec 8
  
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  2 days later Germany declared war on US
  
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  “I am afraid we have awakened a sleeping giant” Admiral Isoroku Yamamto, Japan
  

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  WWII does more than end Great Depression
  
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  Economy takes off, full employment
  
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  Inflation, not depression era deflation, was a problem
  
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  GDP; 1940 $99 billion 1945 $211 billion
  
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  Production increased dramatically- the “sleeping giant” was awakened
  
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  100 largest corporations got 2/3 of all military contracts
  
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  86,000 tanks/296,00 airplanes built
  
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  Kaiser takes 17 days rather than 1 year for ship construction
  
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  War created demand for 7 million jobs
  
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  Most jobs filled by women as welders, riveters, drill press operators, blast furnace cleaners
  
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  Scientific developments spur postwar economy- nuclear, plastics, chemicals, synthetics
  
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  Sets in place historically unprecedented postwar economic growth
  

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  Revenue Act of 1942 raised taxes on all Americans- 43 million Americans pay income and/or payroll taxes
  
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  War bonds- patriotic act; also kept inflation low. Why” 7 bond drives oversubscribed
  

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  Energized civil rights movement, black activism
  
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  Double “V” campaign; victory over Nazism abroad, victory against racism at home
  
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  FDR’s FEPC (1941) staved off “March on Washington”
  
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  Totalitarianism abroad questioned segregation at home
  

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  US overwhelmingly supports war effort
  
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  High morale
  
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  Moral war (the good war) freedom over totalitarianism
  
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  Most sacrifice little; war viewed as a good time
  

Germany- Hitler

Italy- Mussolini

Japan- Tojo

Great Britain -Churchill

Soviet Union- Stalin

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  Invasion of Poland
  
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  1939-1940 “phony war”
  
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  1940 Hitler launches Blitzkrieg, controls Poland
  
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  June 22, 1941: Hitler attacks Russia in Operation Barbarossa, ending the nonaggression pact
  
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  Largest attack in military history
  

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  German armies pushed deep into Soviet territory near Moscow and Leningrad
  
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  Hitler started North Africa offensive- capture Suez Canal
  

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  Soviets halt German advance and win Battle of Stalingrad (present-day Ukraine
  
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  Germans lost 333,000; Soviets 550,000
  
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  Allies (mostly US) defeat Germans in North Africa fulfilling FDRs promise to Stalin for second front
  
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  Italy withdrawals
  
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  Allies attack German forces through Italy- Europe’s “soft underbelly”
  

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  Soviets push Germany out of Russia by mid 1944
  
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  D-Day; June 6, 1944. 1.5 million troops cross English Channel to beaches of Normandy, France; aka Operation Overlord
  
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  Allies bomb German military and industrial installations- level Dresden, Cologne, Berlin, causing 1 million casualties- many civilian
  
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  Germans counterattack in the Battle of the Bulge, December. 1944. Germans defeated after 10 days fierce fighting
  

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  FDR dies April 12, 1945 from cerebral hemorrhage, Truman takes over
  
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  Germans surrender May 8, 1945; V-E Day
  

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  Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941
  
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  Within 3 month Japan invades; Guam, Hong Kong, Wake Island, Burma, Philippines, Malaya
  
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  Grim situation
  

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  Summer 1942, us launches “island hopping” campaign
  
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  May 7-8 Battle of Coral Sea protects Australia
  
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  In June, Battle of Midway inflicts major damage on both sides
  

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  1943 Battle o Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands
  
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  1944 Reconquest of Philippines- Japan incurs major losses
  

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  To attack Japanese mainland, US needed islands Iwo Jima (Feb.) and Okinawa (April)
  
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  Japan fiercely defends islands; 14,000 US killed
  
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  US bombing of mainland killed over 330,000 civilians, crippled economy
  
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  Japan starts suicide kamikaze missions and refuses to surrender
  
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  Aug. 6 and 9. US drops atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki respectively.