United States HistoryChapter 26:

The Road to War

Legacy of World War IOfficially, World War II began on September 1, 1939However, you can also say that the beginning of WWII

dates back to November 11, 1918The United States, fearing another conflict, refused to

join the League of Nations, isolating the nation from world affairs

Reparations were forced upon Germany, devastating the European economy Other nations struggled to pay their debt payments The US lowered interest rates, but did not cancel debts

Sanctions were placed on Germany, preventing development of a military

Problems in Germany led to the rise of Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler Served in German

military during WWI, surviving a gas attack

Formed National Socialist Workers’ Party (Nazi)

Imprisoned for trying to overthrow German gov’t in 1923

Wrote autobiography, Mein Kampf in prison

Book outlined his political aspirations and blamed Germany’s problems on Jews

Latin AmericaThe worldwide economic depression also had a

negative effect on the nations of Latin AmericaDictators came to power in Nicaragua, Dominican

Republic, Cuba, and HondurasFDR proposed the Good Neighbor Policy, promising to

respect the nation’s neighbors in regards to their economy and land

The policy was tested in 1938 with Mexico Many American oil companies drilled in Mexico Mexico’s gov’t nationalized the oil industry In regards to the policy, the US would respect Mexico’s

decision, but at the expense of the companies Luckily, the US and Mexico made a deal to compensate

companies for lost property

Italy Led by Benito Mussolini Founded the Fascist Party

in 1921 Fascists believe in a strict

military control of all aspects of society

Suppressed basic rights and invaded several areas of Africa in a quest for an Italian empire

Used an army of followers known as Blackshirts to enforce his power

Principle ally of Germany before and during World War II

Soviet Union Already a Communist

nation Josef Stalin came to power

in 1924 after Lenin’s death

Took away basic rights and took property under gov’t control, causing decreased production and famine

All opposition was crushed by the Red Army

Estimated 30 million Soviets killed as a result of Stalin’s policies

GermanyHitler’s Nazi Party gained popularity, especially

during the early days of the DepressionIn 1932, the Nazis won 40% of the vote in

German electionsHitler became Chancellor, or der Fuhrer, in 1933

Using his SS stormtroopers, or Brownshirts, Hitler suppressed all opposition

Jews and non-Nazis were denied gov’t jobsMilitary services was made mandatoryBreaking the Treaty of Versailles, Hitler set out to

rebuild the nation’s militaryAs a result, unemployment decreased and

Germany’s economy improved

GermanyHitler wanted to expand Germany’s Lebensraum

(“living space”) Rhineland invaded in 1936 Austria annexed in 1938 Sudetenland in 1938

The problems of Germany, according to Hitler, were caused by the Jews

Passed the Nuremburg Laws in 1935, making Anti-Semitism official government policy Stripped Jews of citizenship Destroyed Jewish property

Kristalnacht (night of broken glass) on November 9, 1938 Many Jews tried to escape, but had no place to go

because of strict immigration laws

Spain Just as in Italy and Germany, a fascist dictator came to

power in SpainA civil war broke out between fascists and loyalistsEventually, after a 3 year war, in 1936, General

Francisco Franco came to power with the help of German and Italian military aid

The Soviets supported the Loyalists The United States did not send direct aid, fearing getting

involved in another international conflict However, 3,000 Americans did fight in the conflict with

the loyalist cause Ernest Hemingway glorified the war in his novel For

Whom the Bell Tolls (1940)Much of Europe now fell under fascist control

JapanIn a need and desire to rely less on foreign

resources, Japan sought to expand their empire throughout Asia and the Pacific

Japan rapidly expanded their army and navyIn 1931, Japan invaded and conquered Chinese

controlled ManchuriaBy 1937, a full scale war between Japan and

China broke outThe United States and the League of Nations

condemned Japan’s actions, but were not successful in stopping them

Fascist Reaction Scared of Japanese action against them, the Soviet Union

mended relations with the US in 1933

France and Great Britain also joined the United States and USSR in opposing fascist aggression

Germany, Italy and Japan signed a formal agreement of friendship These nations are known as the Axis Powers

To avoid conflict, Britain, France, Germany and Italy met in Munich in September 1938 A policy of appeasement was adopted Germany gained the Sudetenland, promising not to invade

other lands

The United States adopted neutrality laws Prevented shipments of weapons Required any goods bought from the US to be shipped by

their own ships

Europe 1939

The War Begins…Britain and France, knowing the inevitable, threatened

war if Germany attacked Poland, an area Hitler expressed desire for Asked USSR to join, but the Soviets signed a nonaggression

pact with Germany Also agreed to split Poland with Germany

September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland USSR followed suit, also occupying Lithuania, Latvia,

Estonia and part of Finland France and Britain declared war on Germany two days later

The US continued to stay neutral However, sold weapons to warring nations if they were

carried on foreign ships Established the Lend-Lease Act with the Allies to provide

military equipment

The War Begins… Hitler employed a tactic called Blitzkrieg (“lightning war”)

against Poland It took less than a month to conquer Poland

His next move was to eliminate France Moved around the Maginot Line defenses into Luxembourg,

Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway In the process, trapped thousands of French, British, and Belgian

troops at the French town of Dunkirk Only a bold evacuation across the English Channel saved the troops

from surrender or annihilation in 1940

Germany established a puppet gov’t in Vichy, France The French Resistance, led by Charles de Gaulle, continued to

oppose the Germans for the remainder of the war In June 1940, Italy declared war on Britain and France

Germany sent bombers over Britain, but the British were able to hold off the German Luftwaffe

The US’ Secret MeetingsFDR met with British PM Winston Churchill secretly in

August 1941They discussed how the United States was practically

already at warThey also drafted the Atlantic Charter

Agreed not to pursue territorial gains Right of nations to choose their government Disarming of aggressor nations All nations needed to work to eliminate war and poverty

Situation became worse when Hitler invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941 Broke the nonaggression agreement with USSR Were knocking on Moscow’s door by Fall 1941

Japan and America’s Entry into World War II

Meanwhile, Japan continued to expand in Asia and the Pacific The United States cut diplomatic ties with Japan and froze all

assets Japan and the US met several times over the summer of 1941

to reach a peace Secretly, PM Hideki Tojo was planning an attack on the United

States at Pearl Harbor The US broke codes and knew an attack was coming, but did not

know where On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor

Over 2400 dead Much of the Pacific fleet damaged or sunk FDR asked for a war declaration the next day, bringing the US into

World War II

Hideki Tojo Winston Churchill

Flags of World War II