Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, and Japan
September 1939 Neutrality Acts were revised to lift the arms embargo against any
nation engaged in war
Germany massive invasion–blitzkreig–through Denmark, Norway, Netherlands,
Belgium, and France
June 22 France fell to the Axis powers when Mousilini invaded, created a
government run by germans
Wendell Wilkie: An Indiana businessman nominated by the republican party for
the presidency
Lend-Lease Act: allowed Britain to “purchase” arms from America by making
Britain promise to return the weapons when the war was finished
Prior to US entering the war German submarines would sink ships in the atlantic
making it hard for goods to be transported. America claimed the ocean was
neutral and that they could patrol it
Atlantic Charter: new world order based on self-determination, economic
cooperation, and antimilitarism
Japan went into french Indochina and seized the capital of vietnam, the US made
in impossible for Japan to buy american oil and froze all of Japans assets in the
US
Hideki Tojo: General; leader of the war party
Japan dropped a bomb on pearl harbor in December 7 1941 causing mass
casualties, next day US declared war
Japanese airplanes attacked American airfields in Manilla leading to many other
american posessions falling or surrenduring like Guam and Phillipeans
American forces won the 4-day battle regaining control of the central pacific
Guadalcanal: six month war with many losses on all sides; japan eventual forced
to retreat
General Eiseinhower: in charge of the invasion of france
General Rommel: threatening the suez canal in Africa
General Patton: regrouped from the Kasserine Pass and started a counteroffense
Field Marshall Montgomery: drove germans out of Africa
Winter 1942-1943 red army held off a major german assult at Stalingrad
July 10, 1943 american and british armies landed in sicily 38 days later they
conquered the island took over italy following
Diversity in the Military: Filled a military force of 16 million, including Jews, Greeks,
and many more.
Many different war experiences awaited pilots and infantrymen, officers and
grunts, generals and numerous other ranks.
During World War II, African American troops served in segregated units.
Challenges Faced: Searing heat, numbing cold, bad food, disease, additional
hardships, and constant fear of death.
Segregation: Some ships with white sailors, and more black units were sent into
combat.
Segregation lessened at the end of the war.
Communication: Brought them into intimate contact, often for the first time, with
white society, and it awakened in some of them a taste for the material
advantages of the capitalistic world and assimilation to its customs.
Japanese Americans: Japanese Americans (62 percent of all adult males) were
drafted.
Proved their patriotism until undue misfortune fell against them with harrowing
experiences.
The American Economy in Wartime
Economic Involvement:The United States had been so involved in so prolonged
and consuming a fashion.
American armed forces engaged in combat around the globe for nearly four
years.
Stateside changes, in the meantime, reached into every corner of the nation.
The Holocaust: The death toll would ultimately reach 6 million Jews and at least 4
million others.
Allied bombers were unable to destroy the death camps.
The War Department argued that it did not possess the resources to divert to
such missions.
Allied Actions: Allied leaders resisted requests for assistance by Jewish
organizations.
Allied leaders maintained their nations' war production of energy and attention
toward the overriding goal of victory.️
The Soldiers' Experience
Combat Roles: Many different war experiences awaited pilots and infantrymen,
officers and grunts, generals and numerous other ranks.
During World War II, African American troops served in segregated units.
Hardships: Seating heat, numbing cold, bad food, disease, additional hardships,
and constant fear of death.
Segregation: Some ships with white sailors, and more black units were sent into
combat.
Communication: Brought them into intimate contact, often for the first time, with
white society.
Awakened in some of them a taste for the material advantages of the capitalistic
world and assimilation to its customs.
Prosperity and the Rights of Labor Economic Boom: American domestic life
improved by ending the Great Depression.
Catalyst: The war was a catalyst for the growth of government spending and
intervention.
Gross National Product: Soared from $91 billion in 1939 to $166 billion in 1945.
Federal Budget: Increased from $9 billion to $98 billion.
West Coast: Became the launching point for the war against Japan and the
growing aircraft industry.
Government Investment: Government made almost all the wartime capital
investments.
Labor:
Workforce Expansion: Women and minorities entered the workforce.
Labor Unrest: Despite overall gains, labor unrest increased due to wage freezes
and increased workloads.
Strikes: Numerous strikes occurred, including the Little Steel strike and the United
Mine Workers strike.
The Boom and Mobilizing Production
Stabilization: The central concern was stabilizing prices.
Office of Price Administration (OPA): Helped moderate inflation.
War Spending: The government spent a total of $321 billion.
National Debt: Rose to $49 billion in 1941 and $259 billion in 1945.
Wartime Science and Technology
Technological Advancement: World War II spurred substantial scientific and
technological development.
Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD): Oversaw wartime research.
Radar and Sonar: Allied victory was enhanced by superior radar and sonar
technology.
German Technology: German technology was advanced, especially in rocket
technology (V1 and V2 rockets).
Allied Advantages: Allies enjoyed superiority in radar technology and developed
effective anti-submarine warfare.
British and American Forces: Excelled in producing powerful four-engine bombing
aircraft.
Intelligence
Allied Intelligence: Benefited from a radio device that sent a sonic message to
airplanes to tell them when they were within 20 yards of their targets.
Ultra Project: The greatest advantage was the deciphering of German messages
through the Ultra project.
Enigma Machine: Allies broke Germany's coded communication through the
Enigma machine.
"Bombe": British scientists developed an electromechanical computer called the
"Bombe" to decipher Enigma messages.
Colossus: British scientists built the first real programmable, digital computer,
Colossus.
Minority Groups and the War Effort
A. Philip Randolph: President of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters.
Fair Employment Practices Commission (FEPC): Threatened march on Washington
led to the establishment of the FEPC to investigate discrimination in war
industries.
Migration: The war increased the migration of African Americans from the rural
South into industrial cities.
Congress of Racial Equality (CORE): Organized in 1942, mobilized mass resistance
to discrimination.
"Freedom Rides": CORE organized sit-ins and demonstrations to desegregate
buses and restaurants.
The Treatment of Japanese Americans Anti-Japanese Sentiment: After Pearl
Harbor, propaganda depicted Japanese as devious and savage.
Internment: Most Japanese Americans were interned in relocation centers.
Nisei: First-generation immigrants were considered easy for Anglo Americans to
imagine as a threat.
The Zoot Suit Riots
Zoot Suits: American and Mexican young laborers wore zoot suits.
Tensions: The suits became symbols of wartime tensions.
Riots: Sailors attacked zoot suiters in Los Angeles.
Aftermath: Los Angeles passed a law prohibiting the outfit.
Home-Front Life and Culture
Resurgence of Consumer Culture: Americans spent half their income on
consumer goods, entertainment, and leisure.
Popular Entertainment: Movies, dances, and music provided escape.
Music: Popular music reflected American ideals and sentiments.
Dance: Popular dance styles emerged.
Office of War Information (OWI): Government agency that shaped public opinion.
Role: Controlled war news, promoted patriotism, and censored information.
Impact: Influenced the image of American ideals and war sacrifices.
Love, Family, and Sexuality in Wartime
Imagery: Soldiers' letters and mementos reflected love and longing.
Popular Images: Pinups and idealized depictions of women.
Women at War: Military branches recruited women for various roles.
Roles: Served as hostesses, in clerical positions, and in support roles.
Restrictions: Faced regulations and societal expectations.
Homosexuality: Military sought to discharge homosexual individuals.
Impact: Homosexual encounters occurred despite the restrictions.
The Growth of Wartime Conservatism
Shift in Political Climate: Late in 1943, Roosevelt publicly supported "Dr.
Win-the-War."
Decline of New Deal: Reflected a shift away from reform.
Republican Gains: Republicans gained seats in Congress in 1942.
1944 Election: Roosevelt sought re-election.
Roosevelt's Health: Suffered health issues during the campaign.
Outcome: Roosevelt won the election.
European Theater
Allied Offensive (1944-1945): The Allied counteroffensive against Germany.
D-Day (June 6, 1944): Allied forces landed in Normandy, marking the start of the
liberation of Western Europe.
Liberation of France: Allied forces freed Paris and liberated France from German
occupation.
Battle of Saint-Lo: US 1st Army spearheaded by heavy tank attacks.
Allied Drive: Allied armies drove the Germans out of France and Belgium.
Rhine River: Allied drive came to a halt at the Rhine River.️
Pacific Theater
The Pacific Offensive: American naval forces under Admiral Chester Nimitz led the
offensive.
Island Hopping: Strategy to seize islands closer to Japan.
Key Battles:
Battle of the Philippine Sea: Decisive naval battle.
Iwo Jima and Okinawa: Costly battles close to Japan.
Kamikaze: Japanese suicide attacks.
Japanese Resistance: Fierce resistance anticipated on the Japanese mainland.
The Manhattan Project and Atomic Warfare
The Manhattan Project: US project to develop the atomic bomb.
Key Scientists: Involved scientists like Albert Einstein.
First Test: The first atomic bomb tested in Alamogordo, New Mexico.
Hiroshima and Nagasaki: Atomic bombs dropped in August 1945.
Japanese Surrender: Led to Japan's surrender and the end of World War II.
The Holocaust
Auschwitz: Concentration camp where prisoners were killed.
Liberation: Soviet troops reached Auschwitz and liberated remaining prisoners.
Evacuation: Nazis forced prisoners to evacuate before Soviet arrival.
Bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima
End of WWII: Allied leaders demanded Japan's surrender by August 3.
Failure to meet deadline: Truman ordered the use of atomic weapons.
Controversy: Debates over justification and motives. Some argue bombs were
[Link] argue they prevented a costly American invasion.
Hiroshima
Date: August 6, 1945.
Bomb: Dropped by American B-29, the Enola Gay.
Target: Hiroshima, a Japanese industrial center.
Destruction: Incinerated a four-square-mile area.
Casualties: Over 300,000 civilians [Link] suffered from radioactive fallout.
Effects passed on to future generations.
Nagasaki
Date: August 9, 1945.
Bomb: Dropped by another American plane.
Target: Nagasaki.
Impact: 100,000 deaths and terrible damage.
Aftermath
Japanese government: Stunned, initially unable to agree on a response.
Soviet Union: Declared war on Japan on August 8.
Emperor's intervention: Broke the stalemate in the cabinet.
Surrender: Announced on August 14, 1945.
Formal surrender: Signed on September 2, 1945, aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo
Bay.
Significance
End of WWII: Most destructive war in human history.
Emergence of the US: As a superpower with unprecedented power and prestige.
Casualties of WWII: Fourteen million combatants and fifty million civilians
perished.
Nuclear warfare: The world was menaced by the threat of nuclear warfare.
US and Soviet Union: The world was dominated by the two strongest nations.