moving from isolationism to war. franklin delano roosevelt president at the start of world war ii...
TRANSCRIPT
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
President at the start of World War II Elected to four terms as President
*Other important events during presidency:• Great Depression
Dictatorship a country, government, or the form of
government in which absolute power is exercised by a dictator.
Good Neighbor Policy
The United States wanted to become better friends with their American neighbors.
Why?• Rise of dictatorships in Europe and Asia worried U.S.
about a possible rise in Latin America
• U.S. had to establish friendlier relations with Latin America or else risk creating hostile neighbors.
Montevideo Conference (Uruguay)
U.S. pledges NOT to interfere in the affairs of its neighbors
Constant intervention by U.S. was thought to breed anti-American sentiment among Latin Americans
Montevideo Pact
“No state has the right to intervene in the internal or external affairs of another state”
– U.S. foreign policy change: no longer one of armed intervention in Latin America
Trade Friendly Partners
Canada, France, and Great Britain
Laid groundwork for political cooperation in WWII
REVIEW
What was the Good Neighbor Policy?
Who were our trading partners?
Define “Dictatorship.”
Name three, threatening dictators.
Rise of Fascism
System of government concentrating all political, economic, and cultural power in the state.
Economic Situation
What were the economic situations in these countries?
How did that aid the rise of dictatorship?
One last Dictator:(U.S. friend before the Cold War)
Joseph Stalin (Soviet Union/Russia)– Friendly to U.S.
• U.S. – suspicious of Stalin (Communism)
Dictators
Mussolini• Wanted Middle-East and Mediterranean Sea
Japanese War Lords• Complete control of East Asia
Hitler• World conquest
Stalin• Spread communism
Franco• Less aggressive than the other dictators• Came to power in Spain after a bloody civil war
Dictators
AGAINST– Free Speech– Free Press– Individual Freedom
FOR– Glorifying FORCE– Strong military
On the Move
ITALY– 1935 invades Ethiopia
• Use bombers• Poison Gas• What kind of defenses did Ethiopia have?
Japan 1934-35
Rapidly build up military and navy• Break pledges made in Washington
Conference– Washington Conference
» Conference where naval powers of the world agreed to a set ratio limiting their naval power in a step toward peace and limiting future arms races.
Axis
Term developed by Mussolini, the line from Rome to Berlin formed the “axis” on which the world would turn thereafter.
Japan / Germany / Italy
American People’s Feelings About the War
Disillusioned that WWI did not bring peace
Did not bring disarmament
Did not bring democracy worldwide
Failure to reduce armaments
Quarreling among European powers
Tariff wars
Failure of the League of Nations
Not an effective instrument of peace
U.S. wise not to join because it was designed to fail
How?
Would U.S. joining have helped?
League of Nations fail to check the aggressions of the Axis powers
What did the League lack? WHY did it fail?
U.S. Argument Against War #1Atlantic and Pacific
A natural protection
Improved relations with Latin America gave even more protection/even if dictators won Europe and Asia
U.S. Argument Against War #2 Depression
Many Americans felt the U.S. priority was fixing the depression
(What did the depression influence in the 1930’s?)
U.S. Argument Against War #4Money
Unpaid war debts from WWI Money from WWI benefited banks and
business– It is typically viewed as a bad thing to make money
off of something tragic (like war)
Johnson Debt Default Act
Forbade American Government and private American companies from lending money to any country that defaulted on their loans from WWI
How is this a victory for the isolationists?
American Annoyance
Only Finland repaid war debt
NOW countries who had defaulted on loans were pouring money into building up armaments
ENTANGLING INVESTMENTS
Neutrality Acts
Prevented shipment of munitions to belligerents• belligerent
Authorized President to list things other than munitions that could be sold to belligerents only on a “Cash and Carry” basis
• Cash and Carry
Against the law for Americans to travel on warring vessels
• Lusitania Sinking 1915• Restricted U.S. citizens on where and how they could travel
The Other Side
Not ALL Americans were isolationists
Neutrality Acts made it difficult for U.S. to help victims of aggression– Moral duty to help victims
Don’t act, may find ourselves surrounded by powerful enemies
Quarantine Speech
Compared Axis aggression as a disease
Disease needs to be quarantined (like sick patients)
U.S.S. PanaySUNK!
Gunboat and 3 U.S. oil tankers
Yangtze River
Several Americans killed, many wounded
Secretary of State Cordell Hull Demands full apology from Japan
Compensation
Promise not to have any future similar incidents.
STILL Isolationist Attitude Prevailed – even after Panay Incident
54% of Americans believed U.S. should withdraw completely from China
Europe and the Axis Advance
1938– Hitler moves his forces into Austria– Announces a German-Austrian union
under Germany
Hitler invades Sudeten Land
Sudetenland – western part of Czechoslovakia (1938)
Why?• Large area of Germany speaking people
Hitler – Uniting the Germans
Hitler saw his conquest of Austria and Czechoslovakia as uniting German Speaking peoples (Germans).
Did not want to “unite” with Germany Had a well trained army Fellow democratic nations backed them
• Who?
Czechoslovakia
Munich Conference
Hitler and Mussolini attended Great Britain and France attended
• Great Britain forges a policy of appeasement• Will allow Hitler to invade as long as he will not
move any farther• Hitler agrees• Appeasement?
Munich Conference
Appeasement
"The settlement of the Czechoslovakian problem which has now been achieved is in my view only the prelude to a larger settlement in which all Europe may find peace."
Appeasement
Hitler has the power to make demands
Nation’s see the writing on the wall: begin to build up armaments at a faster speed.
American Concern
July 1938 Roosevelt asks Congress for
appropriations to build up defenses• Appropriation
Congress approves $1 Billion for a two ocean navy.
Roosevelt
Contacted Mussolini and Hitler Asked them to settle differences with
negotiations and international cooperation
Why did Mussolini and Hitler ignore the U.S.?
• Isolationism
Roosevelt
Extends Monroe Doctrine to Canada
Buenos Aires Conference of 1936 (threat to one is a threat to all)
• Reaffirmed• 1938 Lima, Peru • 21 nations – Protect Western Hemisphere
Roosevelt’s Annual Message to Congress
January 1939
Need appropriations for National Defense
Reconsider Neutrality Legislation
Verge of World War
Great Britain France
• If Germany invades Poland, it means war.
• What happens?
• What does G.B. and France do?
Soviet Union
Great Britain and France
Sign non-aggression pact with Germany– What does this mean for Germany?
• No two front war• Cleared way for invasion of Poland
Soviet Union
Invades Poland from the east
Germany invades Poland from the west
Germany and Soviet Union split Poland
Great Britain and France
Need military equipment
U.S.A. can supply it
Germany has plenty of armaments
Neutrality Acts – How are they hurting Great Britain and France?
Roosevelt
“I regret that Congress passed the act”
The Neutrality Acts favored Germany Britain and France really needed the
military equipment
Neutrality Laws Amended
Anyone can buy munitions/arms from U.S.
Must be transported on foreign ships.
Declaration of Panama
Pan American Union warns belligerents to keep war vessels out of a safety zone surrounding the continent (300-1000 miles wide)
Disagreement
Germany, France, Great Britain argue that no nation of group of nations had the right to close the high seas to their ships.
Agreement showed cooperation of American countries
Fall of France
• April 9, 1940
Blitzkrieg– Lightning war
Denmark, Norway, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, N. France
France Signs Armistice
Armistice
June 22, 1940
a temporary suspension of hostilities by agreement of the warring parties
Charles De Gaulle
French National Committee pledges to continue resistance
Rallied parts of French colonial empire against the Nazis
Marshal Petain – new leader of German controlled French government.
Churchill
Rallied the British people Strengthened will to fight British will never surrender If Britain fell, it’s Empire
beyond the seas would carry on the fight.
Churchill
“If we can stand up to him [Hitler], all Europe may be free and the life of the world may move forward into broad, sunlit uplands. But if we fail, then the whole world, including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abuses of a new Dark age… Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, ‘This was their finest hour.’
British
August 1940 – Hitler unleashes blitzkrieg
Royal Navy, Royal Air Force Hopelessly outnumbered Flew day and night Shot down 100 Nazi bombers in 1 day.
Alien Registration (Smith) Act
Illegal for any person in the U.S. to advocate the overthrow of the government by force or violence, or to belong to an organization that advocated the violent overthrow of the government
America Plans
Act of Havana– Any American colony in danger, the
American republics collectively would take control of the colony and maintain control through a group of trustees from the American republics.
Permanent Joint Board of Defense Plan– Plan to defend the Western Hemisphere– Prime Minister Mackenzie of Canada
Burke-Wadsworth Act
September 1940
– All men 21-35 to register for the draft and made them liable for one year of military training.
Lend Lease Program
War materials flowing to Britain
Britain does not have the cash for war materials
Raise production of war materials so U.S. can LEND or LEASE materials to Allies
Lend Lease Program
FOR– Best hope for
keeping us out of full participation in war
AGAINST– Involve America in a
shooting war
The Atlantic Graveyard
Ships being sunk by German submarines
American ships convoy (accompany) merchant vessels carrying supplies
Merchant ships would be armed, ordered to “shoot on sight”
Atlantic Charter
Churchill, Roosevelt
Principals for a lasting peace.• Pledge for a world after war free of aggression• Every nation would have the right to adopt its
own form of government
America’s Response
Freezes Japanese assets Embargo on the shipment of
• Gasoline• Machine Tools• Scrap Iron• Steel
Trade between U.S. and Japan practically ends
U.S. extends Lend-Lease to China.
Peace Mission
November 1941
DEMANDS– U.S. must unfreeze assets– Supply Japan with as much gasoline as it
wants– Cease aide to China
Sunday December 7, 1941
Japan- further negotiations were useless
U.S. showed no conciliation
Before message got to U.S. planes were already attacking.
Pearl Harbor
December 7, 1941
Pacific Naval fleet damaged Pacific Air fleet nearly destroyed
2000 soldiers and civilians killed 2000 more wounded
Pearl Harbor
Roosevelt asks Congress for a declaration of war on Japan (Dec 8).
Senate declares war unanimously, House only had one dissenting vote.
American people, completely on board.
December 11, 1941- Germany and Italy declare war on U.S. (U.S. then declares war on them)
Essay
Explain the 3 parts of the U.S. Neutrality Laws. What was the goal of the Neutrality Laws? In explaining the three parts, be sure to include what the Neutrality Laws prevented the shipment of, what they prevented U.S. citizens from doing, and explain the cash and carry policy. Name one country the laws favored? Name two countries the law hurt. How were the Nuetrality Laws amended (changed) and what country did the change favor?
Essay
Explain the Battle of Britain. Who was the Battle of Britain between? What role did Prime Minister Churchill play prior to, and during, the Battle of Britain? What challenge was the Royal Air force facing (think in terms of numbers)? For Hitler to invade Britain, what did he first have to gain control of? What two secret weapons/military intelligence did the British have against the Germans? If Britain fell, what did this mean for the United States?