U.S. Involvement in World War II: Reasons and Impact

1. Readiness standards comprise 65% of the U. S. History Test 19 A

2. Readiness Standard (7)The student understands the domestic & international impact of U. S. participation in World War II. The Student is expected to: (A) Identify reasons for U. S. involvement in World War II, including Italian, German, & Japanese dictatorships & their aggression, especially the attack on Pearl Harbor

3. THE ROAD TO WAR American Foreign Policy in the 1920s and 1930s “The retreat from an active world policy in the 1920s turned into a headlong flight back to isolationism in the 1930s. Two factors were responsible. First, the Depression made foreign policy seem remote and unimportant to most Americans. . . . Second, the danger of war abroad, when it did finally penetrate the American consciousness, served only to strengthen the desire to escape involvement. . . . The growing danger [by the mid-1930s] of war abroad led to a rising American desire for peace and noninvolvement.”

4. “The United States emerged from World War I as the richest nation on earth. . . . Each year of the 1920s saw the nation increase its economic lead as the balance of trade tipped heavily in America’s favor.” During the 1920s, the U.S. was “careful not to make any binding commitments on behalf of world order. The result was neither isolation nor involvement but rather an cautious middle course that managed to alienate friends and encourage foes. . . . The financial crash of 1929 halted the flow of American dollars across the Atlantic and led to subsequent default on debt payments, with accompanying bitterness on both sides of the ocean.”

5. Kellogg-Briand Pact A treaty outlawing war except in cases of self-defense (1928); initially, 14 nations, including the U.S. signed the pact; eventually, 62 nations were involved On August 27, 1928, French Foreign minister Aristide Briand (right) and U.S. Secretary of State Frank B. Kellogg (above) signed the Kellogg-Briand pact. This treaty outlawed war. On the surface of things, the U.S. and the 13 other nations that signed this Treaty of Paris appeared to be a high minded, idealistic commitment to guarantee a world without international conflict. In fact, it was the culmination of an American effort to avoid becoming entangled by obligations to its recent ally of World War I, the French Republic

6. During the summer of 1927, Briand had approached the United States with a proposal to formally outlaw war between France and America. While the idea appeared attractive—particularly to pacifists—Briand’s true intention was to bind the United States closely to France in the event of any future international conflict. Kellogg adroitly guided negotiations so as to broaden the terms of the agreement. Briand found himself in a somewhat awkward position where he had no choice other than to agree to Kellogg’s counter-proposal. The upshot was a diplomatic charade finally culminating “in the elaborate ceremony in Paris.” If the treaty signatories agreed to “renounce war as an instrument of national policy in all matters except for self defense, in practical terms, the impact of the agreement was negligible. Enforcement rested entirely on the “moral force of world opinion.” Once U.S. senator described the treaty as nothing more than “an international kiss.” The United States continued to keep itself aloof from involvement in international politics. It neither picked up the mantle of world leadership nor expended any effort to preserve world order. Indeed, as conditions in Europe began to deteriorate during the 1930s, “the American people retreated even deeper, searching for an isolationist policy that would spare them the agony of another great war.” What Americans failed to realize was that “there was no place to hide in the modern world. The period cartoon to the left satirizes the ineffectiveness of the Kellogg-Briand Pact.

7. Scorecard Continued • Isolationism—belief that the U. S. should avoid any entangling involvements or agreements with other nations • Internationalism—belief that as a great power, the U. S. should assume responsibility for events abroad Events reflecting America’s willingness to participate in international events in the 1920s • Washington Naval Conference • Kellogg-Briand Pact • Dawes Plan • League of Nations Conferences

8. Rise of World Dictators Mussolini became dictator of Italy in 1922. He exercised tight fascist control over entire nation. He was Hitler’s role model during the early years of Hitler’s administration.

9. European Fascism A form of radical authoritarian nationalism that came to prominence in early 20th-century Europe. Influenced by national syndicalism, the first fascist movements emerged in Italy around World War I, combining more typically right-wing positions with elements of left-wing politics, in opposition to communism, socialism, liberal democracy & and traditional conservatism.

10. How Mussolini Gained Power in Italy • Murdered or imprisoned his political opponents • Suspended elections • Supervised the economy • Modernized Italy’s armed forces • Supported active campaign of territorial expansion (e.g., invasion of Ethiopia)

11. With respect to Mussolini’s 1935-1936 Italian conquest of Ethiopia, “the League’s halfhearted measures utterly failed to halt” the invasion. “Collective security had failed its most important test.”

12. Adolf Hitler –Leader of Germany’s National Socialist (Nazi) party In 1932, Hitler was elected as German chancellor (right). He was fiercely anti-communist, anti-Semitic, and against the provisions of the Versailles Treaty.

13. In 1923, Hitler was legally elected along with war hero Eric Ludendorff (left). Hitler enlisted the support of war heroes like Herman Goering (right) whom he placed in charge of the revived German air force or Luftwaffe. In his book, Mein Kampf (center), published while in jail for the infamous Beer Hall putsch of 1923, laid out his plans for reassertion of German power and establishment of a thousand year German Reich.

14. Issues Giving Hitler Popularity in Germany • Treaty of Versailles • Communism • Charismatic speaking style

15. The notorious peace settlement crafted at Versailles in France sewed the seeds of a second and even greater worldwide conflict. By laying impossible reparation payments, all but exclusive war guilt on Germany, and ignoring Wilson’s principle of self-determination in the restructuring of postwar Europe, the diplomats at Versailles all but guaranteed a future conflict. Moreover, by stripping Germany of critical territory and resources, they rendered the new German republic incapable of meeting the reparation payments that they demanded.

16. Totalitarian State The government controlling every aspect of a person’s life; state considered to be supreme; few rights extended to individuals; all political opposition forbidden

17. How neutrality Acts Became Progressively Restrictive • Neutrality Act of 1935—forbid loans to nations at war and joint resolution banning aid to either side • Neutrality Act of 1937—banned shipments of non-military goods to warring nations • Stimson Doctrine—Secretary of State Henry Stimson declared the U.S. would not recognize Japanese territorial gains in China (but without any plan for action)

18. Stimson’s failed to change Japan’s flouting of the treaties aimed at preserving peace.

19. In 1937, Japanese bomber planes sank U.S. gunboat Panay on patrol in Yangtze river, killing 2 crew members; government accepted official Japanese apology and $2 million in damages (reflected American desire to avoid war at any cost).

20. U.S Response to Japanese Attack on China, 1937 • Japan lacked raw materials to sustain a developing industrial economy • Japan sought to expand onto Asian mainland • 1905—took Korea • 1931—invaded Manchuria • 1937—invaded China A Collision Course

21. Although technologically able, Japan found itself without a wealth of resources. This deficiency led to imperialist behavior.

22. Deterioration of Events in Europe Munich Pact that bought temporary peace A conference in 1938 in which the British and French agreed to allow Hitler to take Czechoslovakia’s Sudetenland (which had a majority of German population)

23. Munich—a Monument to Failed Foreign Policy British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain) fell under Hitler’s charismatic spell (as had many others including famous American aviator Charles Lindbergh). Upon debarking from the airplane that brought Chamberlain home from Munich, he triumphantly waved treaty papers in the air and (like Benjamin Disraeli in an earlier generation) proclaimed that he had brought Great Britain “peace in our time.” The subsequent flow of events revealed the folly of appeasement when applied to unscrupulous leaders whose word could not be trusted.

25. Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact A non-aggression pact signed between Germany and Russia in 1939. The agreement spared Germany a two-front war. Unlikely Bedfellows

26. The Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pace shocked the world. Heretofore, official Nazi policy was decidedly anti-Soviet. Moreover, Mein Kampf revealed Hitler’s dismissive evaluation of both the communist system and the Slavic peoples. As the cartoons of the period reveal, the German-Russian alliance was a cynical undertaking. Hitler would turn on Stalin in 1941 when the Wehrmacht invaded Russia. As for America, while the U.S. government largely ignored the Soviet Union during the 1920s, President Roosevelt finally extended official recognition to the Bolshevik government in 1933.

27. “The successful aggression by Nazi Germany brought into question the isolationist assumption that American well-being did not depend on the European balance of power. . . . The long retreat from responsibility was about to end as Americans came to realize their own democracy and security were at stake in the European war. . . . Americans were stunned [at Hitler’s conquest of France]. Hitler had taken only six weeks to achieve what Germany had failed to do in four years of fighting in World War I. Suddenly they realized they did have a stake in the outcome; if England fell, Hitler might well gain control of the British navy.”

28. Munich—A Cynical Bargain Notions that the situation in Europe would work out were "destroyed on August 23, 1939, by the news of a Nazi-Soviet pact. Fascism and communism were political philosophies supposedly in deadly opposition. Many Americans had secretly hoped that Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia would fight it out, neutralizing each other." Cynicism of Pact exhibited pre-pact quotes by: " It is quite possible to course that there are madmen in Germany who dream of annexing the Soviet Ukraine. If there really are such lunatics in Ger., rest assured we shall find enough straitjackets for them in our country" Stalin

29. "The ideas by which we are governed are diametrically opposite to those of Soviet Russia....our task is to destroy Marxism. We will fight it to the death...Bolshevism is the most malignant poison that can be given to a people. Any treaty with the present Russian government would be completely worthless" Hitler. One is reminded of the old adage, “’Tis time to fear when tyrants seem to kiss.”

30. Winston Churchill Churchill became British prime minister after Chamberlain’s resignation when policy of appeasement became discredited. In fact, Churchill’s political career had been largely in decline. As a younger man, he had held many important government posts before becoming persona no grata. During his “wilderness years,” he was virtually a lone voice warning of the dangers that Nazi Germany posed to the peace of Europe and the world. It was only under the extraordinary circumstances of the late-1930s that his popularity revived and he became acceptable as the national leader.

31. Appeasement The policy adopted by Allies in dealing with Hitler’s Germany; give in to Hitler’s demands for territorial gains hoping Hitler would eventually be satisfied (or, as Churchill put it, “feeding your neighbors to the crocodile, hoping that he would eat you last”)

32. Blitzkrieg “Lightening war” introduced by Hitler in 1939; involved sudden, fast moving attacks with planes and tanks The combination of Panzer tanks and planes proved unstoppable.

33. Nations Conquered by Germany by 1940 • Czechoslovakia • Poland • Denmark • Norway • Belgium • The Netherlands • France

34. Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere • An imperial concept created and promulgated for occupied Asian populations during the first third of the Showa Period by the government and military of the Empire of Japan. • It promoted the cultural and economic unity of the East Asian race. It also declared the intention to create a self-sufficient “bloc of Asian nations led by the Japanese and free of Western powers.” • It was announced in a radio address entitled “The International Situation and Japan’s Position” by Foreign Minister Hachiro Arita on June 29, 1940.

35. American Entry into World War II The bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese galvanized pro-war sentiment in the U.S. It gave FDR the pretext that he needed to do what he had known for a long time that he would have to: lead America into the fray and militarily support the Allied cause.

36. Why the U.S. Finally Entered the War The bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese galvanized pro-war sentiment in the U.S.

37. Why Did the U.S. Go to War? Pearl Harbor was the immediate cause What about the long term causes?

38. The Alliance Structure The three totalitarian nations that signed the Anti-Comintern pact formed the so-called Berlin-Rome-Tokyo “Axis” • The Allies • Great Britain • France • Soviet Union • The Axis Powers • Germany • Italy • Japan

39. The Road to War • In 1940, Japan sought to incorporate its possessions into a greater East Asia co-prosperity sphere • Nature of the conflict—U.S. wanted Japan to evacuate China • Japan wanted a free hand in China • The “Rome-to-Tokyo Axis (September 1940) fused the conflicts in Europe and Asia turning the struggle into global war” • Fearing a two front conflict, and hoping to postpone war with Japan, the U.S. “engaged in a kind of diplomatic shadow boxing”

40. War Guilt • Most of the responsibility lies at Germany’s door, specifically charged to Adolph Hitler (whose whole policy had been war-oriented) • A peace of more than 25 years would do great harm to Germany. . . “in eternal peace, mankind perishes” • Social Darwinism—war ridded mankind of unfit species—the primal law of life and death and gaining at the expense of others • To his generation, who were products of World War I, the idea of peace seemed unpleasant. . . There was a fascination with hostility • The Western Allies were also to blame to a lesser extent, especially France and Britain • Russia—her Non-Aggression Pact with Germany made the war well-nigh inevitable

41. FDR declared that the security and peace of 90% of the world is being jeopardized by the remaining 10%

42. Areas of the World in Which Most of the Fighting Occurred The Pacific Theater

43. Contrasts with World War I — It Differed in Origins and Major Events • World War II was far more a world war, involving more territory in Asia, China, Africa, and Europe • World War I had been largely a war for position; WW II was in almost constant movement • Weapons that were chiefly new were responsible for greater speed and mobility in WW II. • the airplane revolutionized war on land and sea • almost 25% of the casualties in WW II were airmen, e.g., those caught in "Flack Alley" amounted to 70,000 • bomb targets were the manufacturing backbone of the 3rd Reich, the industrial centers

44. Contrasts Continued • The use of air warfare against civilian targets eradicated the distinction between the fighting and home fronts. . . World War II was more of a total war than World War I. • The production of planes, ships, munitions, weapons, food, and clothing drew in civilians. • World War I was in part a clash of ideologies and systems of rule; World War II was a more acute clash in a doctrinaire fashion, a kind of worldwide civil war to decide not so much the kind of power that would henceforth rule the world as the kind of morality

45. Comparisons with World War I • Both wars were tied to the follies of Versailles • Both were tied to the Great Depression • World War I was a cause of the Depression • World War II was in part the result of it • The desire for German hegemony was a key motive in both wars In this, Hitler becomes representative of a general German imperialistic drive as remote as the Bismarckian period; that drive culminated in Hitler who radicalized "flight from fears of the socialist menace" into expansionist ideas

46. Comparisons Continued • Eastern Lebensraum had long been a part of German ideology; the big question was whether hegemony would fall to the Teuton or Slav. • The concept of English neutrality to wage successful war against France with simultaneous conquest in the East—this had roots in the Wilhelmian period

47. Six Causes for World War II • Versailles Treaty—planted the seeds of a new and greater war. One historian calls World War II the "war over the settlement of Versailles”—The peace left many national and international problems unsolved—they all contributed to the coming of war in 1939 • Struggle between the Right and Left in Europe—both were against democracy • Rioting and the threat of communist revolution scared those on the Right • Communism and Fascism were alternative solutions to cope with dissatisfaction over inefficient government • In times of crisis, people turn or lean to extremist solutions and powerful leadership

48. Causes Continued • Economic ills • post-war inflation, especially in Germany and Italy • the Great Depression which followed inflation • Fatigue—a lack of desire to become involved with international problems. This led the main democracies to bury their heads in the sand, to respond with appeasement, i.e., the giving of the aggressor what he wanted

49. Causes Continued • Failure of the League of Nations to preserve peace • 1931—Japanese invasion of Manchuria • 1935—Italian invasion of Ethiopia • The League was powerless to prevent war—it had no armed forces and had to depend on the military support of France and England who were unprepared for war, and lacked large armies • The League wouldn't render unified support to check the actions of the aggressor states • Rise of Aggressor Nations which Tested the Strength of the Democracies—intense nationalism was given purpose by a drive for conquest and a hatred of minority groups

50. Mussolini—”We have buried the putrid corpse of liberty. . . war alone sets the stamp of nobility on the peoples who have the courage to face it.” FDR—the security and peace of 90% of the world is being jeopardized by the remaining 10%.