Clara Benedett, 6th Hour

US HISTORY - WORLD WAR II

In 1918 WW1 ended when Germany surrendered to the Allies. In 1919, 27

nations met at Versailles to figure a peace agreement out, but how really had the
biggest opinion was the USA, France and Great Britain. The problem of the
‘peace agreement’ is that many Germans did not think the settlements were fair.
Japan and Italy were angry too, cause they thought they deserved more land,
after all the sacrifices. So it left behind a lot of anger, bitterness and frustration.
The World War 1 and The Great Depression affected the entire world.
Summing that to weak democratic governments we get many unhappy people. To
solve that many strong leaders got in power:
 Russia: Stalin (but began with Lenin)
 Germany: Hitler (Nazi Party)
 Italy: Mussolini (fascist country)
 Japan: military control (invades China)
To recover from the depression, Japanese military leaders thought that
expansion throughout Asia would solve their problems. They attacked Manchuria,
in 1931, in northeast of China. Japan moved against China, and then in the capital
Nanjing it was o brutal that became know as ‘Rape of Nanjing’.
Italy and Germany started thinking the same way as Japan, and started
expanding their territories.
The policy that France and Britain used to calm down the aggressive nations
was called APPEASEMENT. It is a policy of giving concessions to a potential
enemy in the hope that it will maintain peace. Unfortunately it did not work, and
just made the nations become even more aggressive and brutal.
Later, at the Munich Conference with Hitler, the British Prime Minister Neville
Chamberlain, and the French Premier sacrificed the Sudetenland (are in the
southeast side of Germany) to preserve the peace. Chamberlain came back to
GB and said that the MUNICH PACT had been successful. But it actually was not
and it just postponed the war.
In Sept 1939, WWII starts in Europe when Germany attacked Poland, because
they had a military alliance, but Germany invaded them anyways. That made
Great Britain and France declare war on them.
 AXIS POWERS: Germany, Italy, Japan …
 ALLIES: Britain, France, (and later) Soviet Union, China, USA…
Germany was being really violent. They took Denmark, Norway, Netherlands,
Belgium, Luxemburg, then invaded France and air attacked Britain.
France really tried to protect their country against Germany. They did the
Maginot Line (line with concrete fortifications and tanks), all along France east
border, the only space they left was the Ardennes Forest, that they though it
would be “unpassable”, but the Germans infiltrated from there. French and British
had been badly defeated in The Battle of France by Germany. To send the many
soldiers back to Britain, they did not have hopes, but it actually worked, even
under aerial attack navy. It was called The Miracle of Dunkirk.
 Britain, mainly London, was all air bombed by Hitler, on 1940, to gain air
superiority over Great Britain’s Air Force. But Hitler did not succeeded. Winston
Churchill, prime Minister of Great Britain, helped convince America to join the
Allies.
Neutrality Act of 1939 – “Anti-Nazi” – helped the Allies buy goods and
munitions from US.
Edward Murrow – was an American journalist. Became to prominence with a
series of Radio News during WW2.
In 1941, Roosevelt approved the LEND-LEASE ACT, ‘economic declaration of
war’, gave the President the power to sell, give or lease weapons to protect the
US. Roosevelt met Churchill to discuss the war, and Hitler seeing that ordered the
German U-Boats to attack American ships.
The War in the Pacific begins on Dec 1941, because of the attack of PEARL
HARBOR. Japan decided to attack the USA after a failed tentative of a trade
agreement. They bombed US Navy’s main base in the Pacific, the ships that
survived were the Aircraft Carriers. Congress immediately declared war on Japan.
Germany and Italy then declared war on US.
Steps that America took to get prepared:
 Men joined the military by millions.
 Women joined the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) as clerical workers.
 Government created agencies to ensure the production of equipment.
Japanese troops made American troop march 60 miles after the Battle of
Bataan, with really few food and water. More than 7,000 soldiers died, in which is
know as the BATAAN DEATH MARCH. Japanese offensive was stopped only at
the Battle of Coral Sea.
Allied forces began to win the war in the North Pacific.
‘EUROPE FIRST’ Strategy – US and GB would use the majority of their
resources to defeat Hitler – Germany and the rest against Japan, and only when
they have already defeated Hitler (considered the biggest threat) they would go all
together against Japan.
In 1941, Germany attacked Russia, and then Stalin wanted the US and Britain
to open a second front in the west, cause then Germany would be surrounded.
British planes started SATURATION BOMBING on German cities. American
planes used the Strategic Bombing.
June 1941, BATTLE OF STALINGRAD was the turning point of the war in
Europe (Russia). Never again Germany would have a significance advance.
To make the invasion of Italy easier, GB and US first got the North of Africa
back from the Nazis, they surrendered, and then they went to Sicily and then
started the invasion on Italy. Italy surrendered on Sept 1943.
On 1943, Allied leaders agreed to open a 2 nd front in France. June 6th, 1944,
know as D-Day (Operation Overlord). Germany was all surrounded now, USSR
on the east and GB and US on the west. Hitler ordered a counter attack know as
Battle of Bulge, it almost succeeded. Hitler committed suicide on April, 1945. And
7 days later Germany surrendered. It was the V-E Day (Victory on Europe).
BATTLE OF MIDWAY – turning point of the war in the Pacific. US only loses 1
Aircraft carrier, while Japan loses 4 Aircraft Carriers. That put Japan in defensive.
US started the ‘Island Hopping’, to take the islands of Japan. That was really
bloody, cause Japanese would fight till death. Island of Iwo Jima was one import
island. Americans made their way to OKINAWA, from there they started bombing
Japan. It was the most costly battle of the Pacific.
1945 FDR died. Truman is the new President. Felt really pressured and in the
beginning did not even know about the atomic bomb. He too the decision to use.
Made it to save American lives. 1st Hiroshima, and then Nagasaki. -> V-J Day, in
1945. Japan surrendered after the second atomic bomb.

With the war women had much more opportunities. But African Americans still
injustices. So they put pressure on FDR. Roosevelt -> EXECUTIVE ORDER 8802
government job = no discrimination.
Because of the attack of Pearl Harbor, the government moved many Japanese
Americans to Internments -> were placed in camps. On 1944, KOREMATSU vs.
United States, in which the Supreme Court said internment was ok. 1988 –
Government paid $20,000 for the survivors.
442ND REGIMENTAL COMBAT TEAM – fought the Italian campaign, and became
the most decorated military unit in American History.
RATIONING – what people buy, just to ensure that that would be enough
materials for war production.
The Big Three, Stalin, Truman (Roosevelt) and Atlee (Churchill), met at
POSTDAM, to formalize the decision to divide Germany in four zones of
occupation.
The UNITE NATIONS (UN) was founded to prevent future wars.