World War II 1941 to 1945

Transcription

1 World War II 1941 to 1945 Objectives: Elaborate on the causes of World War II and reasons for the United States entry into the war Identify military, political, and diplomatic turning points of the war and determine their significance to the outcome and the aftermath of the conflict.

2 Reviewing World War I The reasons for World War II began as soon as World War I ended in Remember, a war does not start overnight. The seeds of war begin much earlier than the spark. Let s review the causes of World War I. Identify the causes of World War I. How did this cause lead to World War I? M - A - N - I - A - What are the two causes for US entry into World War I? After the United States entered World War I in 1917, the war quickly ended. The Doughboys, US soldiers, brought fresh energy and strength to the war. President Wilson tried to bring peace to Europe. He created the 14 Points, which was suppose to ensure a lasting peace. His 14 Points formed the Treaty of Versailles. The Treaty of Versailles created the League of Nations. This League of Nations was collective security. Collective security means that an attack on one country in the League was an attack on all. Its was an alliance system. The Treaty of Versailles was NOT signed by the US, which means that the US did not join the League of Nations. Henry Cabot Lodge, a US senator, objected to the Treaty of Versailles because of the League of Nations. The League of Nations went against the US foreign policy of isolationism. Instead, it wanted the US to change to an involvement/intervention foreign policy. The League of Nations was weak because after World War I, the only nation that was strong was the US. The big nations involved in the League were Britain and France, which were weak after all of their losses in World War I. The US failure to join the League made the League unable to enforce peace. Understand that sometimes you have to threatened war/violence in order to achieve peace. After the US did not sign the Treaty of Versailles, it returned to its foreign policy of isolationism. The US economy began booming and Americans began buying products. The government returned to its laissez-faire policy. This policy allowed businesses to operate freely with no government interference. The US would soon pay for this policy with the Stock Market Crash on October 29, The US quickly plunged/fell into a depression, which we know as. Americans lost their faith in hard work and the government until Franklin D. Roosevelt became President in His New Deal helped the American people get out of the Great Depression, but it was really World War II that brought the US out of the depression completely. What are the causes of World War II? During the 1920s, times were hard for Europe. America was doing great, but other countries economies were completely destroyed by World War I. Some people reacted better to a weak economy than others. Germany was hit the hardest. Remember in the Treaty of Versailles, Germany accepted all the blame for World War I. Another part of the Treaty of Versailles stated that Germany had to pay reparations (meaning payments) for all the damage in World War I to the Allies. Britain and France were eager for the reparations because their economy sucked. Germany had a huge problem. They did not know how to make the payments. Understand that the Germany economy was completely destroyed by World War I. Their natural resources were taken from them in the treaty. Germany could not rebuild their factories because they had no money or natural resources to supply the factories. In 1923, Germany failed to make its reparation payments to Britain and France. This was bad. The US decided it would come up with a plan to help Germany. It was called the Dawes Plan. The US loaned money to Germany, which could then pay Britain and France. Britain and France could then pay the US for 2

3 all the war materials they had purchased during World War I. Germany then had to repay the US for the loan amount. The US was able to continue loaning money to Germany until the Great Stock Market Crash in Once, the Stock Market crashed, the US stopped the loans and Germany was no longer able to make their reparation payments to Britain and France. The world fell into a depression along with the US. The rise of totalitarian governments began in the 1920s as a result of World War I. A totalitarian government is one that restricts personal freedoms and stops all political opposition. Benito Mussolini gained political power in Italy in Mussolini created fascism. In a fascist government, people are not allowed to speak against the government and power normally rests in the hands of one person. Mussolini gained power quickly because he promised the Italian people a return of glory. He encouraged nationalism. Italians were proud to be Italians again. Mussolini inspired another guy to become fascist. His name was Adolf Hitler. These two crazy men will form a friendship and an alliance for world domination. The Weimar Republic was formed by the Allies after World War I. The Weimar Republic was the new government of Germany. It replaced the Kaiser, a monarchy, with a democratic government. Germany had never been a democratic government and Britain, France, and the US were not very good teachers. The Weimar Republic struggled terribly. They had an amazing amount of debt from World War I and their economy was destroyed. The Weimar Republic tried to help its people, but it will fail. The odds were too great and the opposition (Hitler) was too strong. Adolf Hitler was a soldier in World War I. After the war, he was extremely bitter. He believed that Germany got a raw deal with the Treaty of Versailles. A political party, the Nazis, formed in Germany because they disliked the treaty. Many Germans believed that the treaty was unfair and they began to listen to the Nazi Party. Hitler was arrested and given a jail sentence. He had tried to overthrow the Weimar Republic in While in jail, Hitler reflected on World War I and all the problems in the world. Hey, he was in jail and had nothing else to do! While in jail, he wrote a book called Mein Kampf. Many Germans read this book and believed that Hitler made perfect sense. Hitler said that the Treaty of Versailles was wrong. He preached that the only reason Germany lost World War I was because it had a two-front war. This meant that Germany fought Russia and France at the same time, splitting their army in two. He said that in the next war, Germany must not have a two-front war. He also stated: 1. Only way to stop Jewish people from conquering the world was by eliminating them (removing them from society) 2. Germany must find Lebensraum living space 3. Germans needed space for the superior German master race (Aryan race) to exist and flourish The Nazi Party gained political power and Hitler became their leader. Whenever people are poor, they will listen to anyone that offers them help. Well, people in Germany were pretty poor and they needed help, which is what the Nazi Party promised. This is no different that what President Franklin D. Roosevelt had done. He promised relief, recovery, and reform with the New Deal. The only difference is that FDR did not blame a race of people for the US economic problem as did Hitler. While Germany and Italy were developing new political ideas, Japan was formalizing their plans for worldwide domination too. Japan was ruled by Emperor Hirohito. Japan is a tiny island nation. It is mountainous and does not contain a lot of natural resources. It began to build up its armies and decided that the best way to get natural resources was by conquest. Japan began to conquer countries in Asia in the early 1900s. They conquered Korea and occupied Manchuria. By 1937, it was obvious to the world that Japan would continue to conquer nearby countries. The US got very upset because China was a neighboring country to Japan. Americans feared that Japan would try to invade China and stop the US foreign policy with China known as. The US will react once Japan invades China in Another problem area was developing in the Soviet Union. Joseph Stalin became the new leader of the communist nation. His personality was uncompromising and militant. Stalin ruled the Soviet Union firmly. He was also upset about the results of World War I. Remember, the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917 resulted in Russia withdrawing from World War I. Russia signed a separate treaty with Germany. In this treaty, Russia lost a lot of land. Stalin was upset about the land lost. The United States tried to maintain its neutrality/isolationism. The Kellogg-Briand Pact was signed in 1928 by most major countries including the US. The Kellogg-Briand Pact stated that offensive war was illegal. 3

4 Offensive war meant that a country conquered another country for land gain. The Pact made this type of war illegal. The biggest problem is that sometimes a country has to threaten war to get an aggressive country to back down and to maintain peace. I know it sounds weird, but sometimes the threat of violence ensures peace. Think about it this way: the threat of not passing the course and the EOC keeps you doing your work! Americans were also upset about the war industries during World War I that had made billions of dollars. Some Americans believed that the ammunition and gun manufacturers promoted the US entering World War I. People felt that these Merchants of Death wanted the US to enter WWI so that they would make more money. Americans felt that they have sacrificed their soldiers and food so that these greedy companies could make money. Because of the Merchants of Death, Americans held more firmly to their isolationist views. Let s review real quick what we have covered so far of the causes for World War II. 1. Who controlled Italy? 2. What type of government was forming in the 1920s that stressed extreme nationalism, censorship of the media, and power resting with a single individual? 3. What was the name of the book that Hitler wrote discussing the problems of World War I? 4. Why did Germans hate the Treaty of Versailles? 5. How did Americans feel after WWI? How effect did this have on the US foreign policy? Once Hitler seized power of the Weimar Republic in 1933 and became the new Chancellor and established the Third Reich, he began to break the rules in the Treaty of Versailles. Hitler began building a military. This was against the treaty. The rearmament (meaning having weapons) of Germany was illegal. Hitler began to secretly rearm Germany in 1933 and by 1935 the world discovered that he was rebuilding a German military. France, the bordering country to Germany, got very scared. Remember, they were quickly invaded and defeated in World War I. The one thing they knew for sure was that Germany having a military meant bad things for France. Germany and Japan quit the League of Nations in Remember, the purpose of the League of Nations was to stop all offensive, land grabbing, wars. When Germany and Japan told the League they were quitting, the League did nothing. The League could not keep Germany and Japan in the League because they were too weak. All the other League nations were still suffering from economic problems due to World War I and the Great Depression in the US. So Germany and Japan had different thoughts and now they had the chance to do as they pleased. They wanted to grab as much land as they could get. Once Germany and Japan leave the League of Nations, they begin to do whatever because there was no consequence for their action. Hitler defies the League of Nations in his next action by annexing the Rhineland in Hitler wanted this land that borders between France and Germany because of its natural resources. Hitler needed these resources for the factories in Germany and to build military equipment. The League did nothing to stop Hitler. Hitler learned a valuable lesson here, he could do as he pleased without any consequences. So naturally his next move was to annex Austria in This is called the Anschluss. The Treaty of Versailles explicitly stated that Germany could never be united with Austria again due to their alliance in World War I. However, Hitler breaks this rule and Germany and Austria are now united. The US responded to all these land grabbing incidents with the Neutrality Acts. The Neutrality Acts stated that the US would not trade with any aggressive, warring country. This meant the US ended trade with Germany, Italy, and Japan. These acts reinforced the US foreign policy of isolationism. Japan was busy too. Remember, they invaded China in This made the US very upset because it threatened US trade interests in China. President FDR sent weapons and aid to China. This broke the US Neutrality Acts, but he did it anyways. FDR felt he had to because US trade was more important in this regards. FDR reconfirmed US views of neutrality and isolationism with the Quarantine Speech. In the Quarantine Speech, FDR stated that if countries who wanted peace would not trade with warring countries, then these warring countries would stop. He advised other countries to isolate Italy and Japan in particular because of Italy s aggression in Africa and Japan s aggression in Asia. In 1938, Britain, France, Italy, and Germany agreed to meet in Munich, Germany. Their meeting is known as the Munich Peace Conference. Britain was represented by Prime Minister Chamberlain, France by Daladier, 4

5 Italy by Mussolini, and Germany by Hitler. At the conference, Britain and France expressed their concern that Hitler was being too aggressive. He had taken Austria and the Rhineland. Hitler told them that he would not take any more land if they agreed to allow Germany to annex the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia. Britain and France had promised that they would protect this region from Hitler, but they appeased Hitler. Appeasement is the agreement to give up something at a moral cost. Britain and France sacrificed Sudetenland area in hopes of maintaining peace in Europe. Hitler promised that he would be good from now on and follow all the rules. After the conference, Hitler took all of Czechoslovakia. Britain and France did nothing to Germany. However, they did begin to build up their military. Chamberlain realized that a war with Germany was coming, so he got Parliament to spend money building ships and training soldiers for war. In 1939, Hitler wanted a little more protection than he had already. He had made an alliance with Italy and Japan. This alliance was called the Berlin-Rome-Tokyo Axis. Hitler asked Stalin, the leader of to agree to form an alliance with Germany. This alliance between Germany and the Soviet Union was known as the Non-Aggression Pact. Stalin and Hitler agreed not to attack each other. Instead, they decided that they should attack Poland together. The attack on Poland caused Britain and France to declare war on the Axis Powers September 3, World War II began and the US declared neutrality. Review Causes of World War II Long Term Causes for World War II years to Short Term Causes for World War II years Cause Year(s) Explanation Treaty of Versailles 1919 to Weimar Republic Mein Kampf 1920s Type of government that stresses nationalism, censors the media, and power rests with an individual. Weak government created after WWI. Financial payment plan created by the US to help Germany make reparations payments. Kellogg-Briand Pact 1920s Third Reich 1933 Annexation of Rhineland Anschluss Outlawed offensive war What Americans called the industries that sold war materials in WWI Hitler broke Treaty of Versailles 1930s Issued by US that reinforced the neutral/isolationist foreign policy 1937 Caused the US to send supplies to China to fight the Japanese Munich Peace Conference 1938 Signed between Hitler and Stalin stating they would attack Poland together 1939 Britain and France declare war on the Axis Powers Europe at War Hitler and Stalin invaded Poland on September 1, The conquest of Poland was quick and easy. Hitler used the battle tactic of blitzkrieg. Blitzkrieg means lightning warfare. A blitzkrieg is a military tactic using air power and tanks before sending in the ground forces. It worked very well and Hitler conquered more countries after Poland. In April 1940, Germany conquered Denmark and Norway. Then in May, Germany launched a blitzkrieg on Belgium, the Netherlands, and France. These countries quickly fell. Germany was now in a position to launch an air strike on Britain. A new Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, was elected in Britain. The Battle of Britain started in July and ended in October Germany launched a major air offensive against Britain. The British were able to stop the onslaught causing Germany to abandon their conquest plans. Germany now had to figure out another country to attack and conquer. Hitler turned his 5

6 attention to the Soviet Union. What is the problem with Hitler attacking the Soviet Union? Stalin was shocked, but he quickly recovered by joining the Allies. The Allies were Britain, France, and the Soviet Union. Britain was struggling to fight off Germany. Germany was powerful, especially with all these conquered nations under its belt. Below in the boxes, list the countries that Germany conquered by Germany The US became very concerned about Britain s ability to fight off Germany. So, the US created the LendLease Act. This act enabled the US to provide war supplies to Britain. Even though the US agreed to sell war materials to Britain, the US would not transport the war supplies to Britain. This allowed the US to remain officially neutral while helping Britain. In order to ensure that the supplies got to Britain, the US brought back the convoy system. Remember, the US used the convoy system in World War I. A convoy system uses battleships to surround a merchant ship. FDR and Churchill agreed to secretly meet in August 1941 in Newfoundland. At this meeting, Churchill and FDR created the Atlantic Charter. The Atlantic Charter created a plan that would ensure peace and freedom after World War II was over. What was the problem with this meeting? Why did the US enter WWII? The US had placed an embargo on Japan. An embargo is when a country refused to trade with another. What was the name of the speech in which FDR asked for an embargo on aggressive nations? Japan was very upset with the US and other countries because of the embargo. They did not have steel or oil, which they normally traded with the US to get. Now that the US refused to sell to them, Japan felt it was time to conquer areas. This is why Japan invaded Manchuria and China earlier. Japan then began attacking Southeast Asia and the Dutch East Indies. Japanese General Tojo Hideki decided it was time to reduce the threat of the US naval forces at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto helped plan the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. On December 7, 1941, the US military base at Pearl Harbor was attacked by Japan. The surprise attack on Pearl Harbor killed and wounded nearly 3,000 people. Americans were outraged. FDR knew that this attack could not go unpunished. On December 8, 1941, FDR addressed the American people. In his speech, he stated that the attack on Pearl Harbor was a day which will live in infamy. Infamy is just a fancy word for saying that something is famous for a bad reason. Al Capone, the gangster bootlegger, was infamous. During this speech, FDR asked Congress to declare war on Japan. Congress agreed. Later, they approved a declaration of war against Germany and Italy. The US was now a member of the Allies. The Allies were now Britain, France, the Soviet Union, and the US. Americans enlisted in the military the day after Pearl Harbor. Americans were ready for the war because Congress had passed the Selective Service Act in It was the first peacetime draft. World War II would be a two-front war for the US. The US will have to fight Germany and Italy in Europe and Japan in the Pacific. Both areas would be challenging and difficult. Attack on Pearl Harbor 6

7 1. What caused the US to enter WWII? 2. Why did the Japanese attack the US? 3. Who said that December 7, 1941 was a day that will live in infamy? The US is in it to Win it! European Front The European front refers to the war in Europe against Germany and Italy. FDR felt that it was necessary to make another speech that you need to know. Sorry, but he wanted the American people to support the war effort. He said that there were four freedoms that were essential for liberty. This speech is called the Four Freedoms. These freedoms are: 1. freedom of speech and expression 2. freedom of every person to worship God in his own way 3. freedom from want (meaning that you have no unmet physical needs like food or shelter) 4. freedom from fear (meaning you don t have to be afraid that your neighbor will attack you) Once the US joined WWII, the war strategy was to invade Africa first. FDR and Churchill had agreed earlier that the best strategy to win WWII was to defeat Germany first. Churchill was interested in this because he wanted Europe (his hometown) to be free of Hitler. The invasion of Africa was called Operation Torch. The Allies wanted to invade Africa then cross the Mediterranean Sea to invade Italy. The only problem with Africa was German General Erwin Rommel. General Rommel was a tough old guy and was good at fighting. The fighting began in November Once, the US arrived in Africa, Rommel was pushed too far and fled Africa. The Axis Powers surrendered in May The next move by the Allies will be to push into Italy. Churchill and FDR met at Casablanca. They discussed the Allies next move. Stalin did not attend the meeting. Churchill and FDR agreed that Italy must be the next invasion point. Also, they agreed that it was time to launch an attack against Japan in the Pacific area. The most important decision of this meeting was Churchill and FDR s agreement that the Axis Powers must surrender unconditional. Unconditional surrender is when the winners set all the terms of a peace treaty. What other war did the US fight in which it would only accept unconditional surrender? US General George S. Patton led the attack on Italy in July Mussolini was quickly captured. German troops moved into Italy and did not surrender until May The US lost over 190,000 soldiers in the Italian campaign. The invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941 forced Stalin to join the Allies. As the war progressed, the German Army s brutality increased. The Russian Army, Red Army, decided it was time to make a stand at a city called Stalingrad. The Battle of Stalingrad started in September It was cold and the German Army was not ready for it. The Soviets were accustomed to the cold winter. The Soviets defeated the Germans, but at great cost. The Soviets and Germans lost many men. The significance of the Battle of Stalingrad is that it was a turning point in World War II because it was the first time the German Army was stopped in an invasion attempt. The Big Three, FDR, Churchill, and Stalin, met in Tehran. Their meeting was called the Tehran Conference. At this meeting, the Big Three agreed to invade another area to alleviate/ease the Soviet Army. Stalin felt that Britain and the US needed to keep Hitler occupied in another area besides Italy. If Hitler was busy in three places (Italy, France, and the Soviet Union) it would lessen the number of soldiers Hitler had for the invasion of the Soviet Union. It was selfish of Stalin, but his army was getting exhausted and a second front (a 2 nd point of attack by Britain and the US) would help him. The Big Three began planning Operation Overlord. Operation Overlord was the code name for the D- Day invasion. US General Dwight D. Eisenhower was made the Supreme Allied Commander led the allied forces at D-Day. On June 6, 1944 the Allies stormed the beaches at Normandy, France. The invasion of Normandy was rough 7

8 and many soldiers were killed. Once, the Allies won the beaches of Normandy, the Allied army moved into Paris. Paris (the capital of France) was liberated on August 25, Germany was now in full retreat. The Allies were pushing into Germany from all angles. The Allied army was coming from the South (Italy), the West (France), and the East (Soviet Union). The Allied army was pinning Hitler in. Hitler knew this and decided it was time to stop the invading Allied army. The last counterattack by Germany was the Battle of the Bulge. A counterattack is when a losing army tries to attack an invading army to stop them. Hitler ordered the German Army to stop the invading Allies at all cost. The German Army pushed into the Allied army line, but lost the battle. The Allied forces continued pushing into Germany. In February 1945, the Big Three met again at Yalta. This is called the Yalta Conference. Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin discussed what would happen when WWII ended. Stalin promised to declare war on Japan once Germany was defeated. Stalin also stated that he would allow free elections in the countries that he was occupying. In exchange for this, Roosevelt and Churchill agreed that the Soviet Union would keep Poland, have rights to some islands and China. Also, the Soviet Union would get half of their money back in reparations payments from Germany once the war was over. The most important thing decided at Yalta was the decision to divide post-war Germany into four zones and create the United Nations. Each zone would be controlled by one of the Allies: France, Britain, the US, and the Soviet Union. The United Nations would replace the League of Nations and try to maintain peace. As April approached, the Allies were pushing into Germany from all angles. Hitler decided that defeat was inevitable and felt it would be better to commit suicide. Hitler and his new wife, Eva Braum, committed suicide on April 30, Germany surrendered on May 8, 1945, V-E Day. It means Victory Over Europe. However, Roosevelt did not get to see the end of World War II. He died on April 12, 1945 and his Vice President Harry S. Truman became the President. Map of Europe Answer the following questions on the map below. 1. What country did Hitler rule? Shade the area red. Label it. 8

9 2. What country did Mussolini rule? Shade the area red. Label it. 3. What countries made up Berlin-Rome axis? and Shade them red. Label it. 4. What land did Hitler annex in 1936? Shade the area red. Label it. 5. What was the Anschluss? Shade the area red. Label it. 6. Other than Germany and Italy, what two other countries met at the Munich Peace Conference? and them. 7. What was the result of the Munich Peace Conference? Shade these areas blue. Label Shade the area red. Label it. 8. Name the countries that signed the Non-Aggression Pact. and 9. Name the country that was invaded by Germany causing Britain and France to declare war. Shade the area red. Label it. 10. Name the countries that Hitler conquered following the outbreak of war in 1939.,, and Shade these areas red. Label them. 11. What was the name of the country that changed their alliance with Germany in 1941 and joined the Allies? Why? Shade this area blue. Label it. 12. Identify the water area that Operation Torch wanted to cross over to get into Italy. Label it. 13. Identify the invasion point of Operation Overlord. What is another name for Operation Overlord? Draw a black line where Operation Overlord took place. Label it. 14. What countries made up the Big Three?,, and 15. What color is represented the most? Why? Pacific Front The war in the Pacific refers to the war with Japan. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Americans were very angry. They enlisted in the military. US General Douglas MacArthur was appointed to lead the Allied forces in the Pacific. He was stationed in the Philippines when the US entered WWII. Japan began invading the Philippines. MacArthur quickly evacuated the Philippines, but some soldiers were left behind and were captured by the Japanese Army. The war in the Pacific would use air and naval power. The Battle of Midway started in June US Admiral Chester Nimitz was stationed at Midway, which was an island blocking a full invasion of Hawaii by Japan. Japan felt that Midway would be highly defended. The US stopped the Japanese at the Battle of Midway by blowing up the Japanese naval fleet. This battle was a turning point in WWII because Japan was never able to rebuild its naval fleet. MacArthur realized that the only way to defeat Japan was by attacking it at its weakest points. He developed the tactic of island hopping. Island hopping was used by the Allies to attack the weakest fortified islands then moving up to islands closer to Japan. Island hopping is like leap frog. So the Allies will leap frog their way to victory in the Pacific. The Japanese began to use kamikaze pilots. Kamikaze pilots flew and crashed their planes into the sides of the Allies naval fleet hoping to sink them. However, this new tactic was unsuccessful. The Big Three, now Truman, Churchill, and Stalin, met at Potsdam. At the Potsdam Conference, the Allies agreed that Japan must surrender unconditionally as Germany had done. When the US entered WWII, scientists in the US began to develop new technologies. The most significant was the creation of the atomic bomb by the secret military operation, the Manhattan Project. The Manhattan Project was headed by J. Robert Oppenheimer and worked in New Mexico. On July 16, 1945, the scientists tested the new atomic bomb. It 9

10 worked. The US won victories at Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. Each of these victories were costly. The new President Truman was informed that the atomic bomb was ready. After the causality report came back from the Battle of Okinawa, Truman decided that an invasion of Japan would be too costly. Truman was not willing to lose more American lives in a land invasion of Japan when he could use this weapon and force Japan to surrender unconditionally. Truman made the decision to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan on August 6, The Thousands of civilians and military personnel were killed, but the Japanese still refused to surrender. The Soviet Union two days later kept their promise made at Yalta and declared war on Japan. Truman then made the decision to drop another atomic bomb. This time the decision was to drop it on Nagasaki. After the destruction of Nagasaki, Japan surrendered. August 15, 1945 V-J Day, Victory Over Japan, was declared. Japan had surrendered unconditionally. Map of Pacific Answer the following questions on the map below. 1. Identify and label the country that was ruled by Emperor Hirohito. Shade it red. 2. What country did Japan invade in 1937? Label it. Shade it red. How did the US react to the Japanese invasion? 3. Where did the battle occur between the US and Japan that destroyed the Japanese naval fleet? Label it. Shade it blue. 10

11 4. What three islands did the US win after the Battle of Midway?,, and Shade them blue. 5. Where did the US dropped the atomic bombs? and 6. What was the name of the strategy that helped the US win the war against Japan? Social Issues During World War II The US government needed to switch from a peacetime to a wartime economy. The US government created the War Production Board (WPB). The WPB had Americans rationing food and resources for the war effort. It encouraged people to carpool to save gas for the military. Thanks to the WPB, America had enough supplies for all the Allies. People also purchased war bonds. War bonds were a way for the government to raise money for the war. People would buy a war bond and the government would pay the bond back in so many years with interest on the original amount. Let s say you invested $50 in When that bond could be cashed in 1950, the government would give you $100. That is a $50 profit. After Pearl Harbor, Americans became distrustful of Japanese-Americans. Some felt it would be better if they were segregated from other Americans. Internment camps were developed by the US government. The US forced Japanese-Americans to relocate to internment camps. Their possessions were confiscated/taken. This was a serious infringement of their rights. In 1944, Fred Korematsu, a Japanese-American, sued the US government on grounds that the internment camps violated his civil rights. The Supreme Court hear the case, Korematsu v. US, The Supreme Court ruled that in times of war, the government can limit civil liberties. It stated that internment camps were legal. In the 1980s, the victims and their descendents were given an official apologize by the US government. African-Americans wanted to fight in World War II too. However, segregation was still in effect. African-Americans and white soldiers fought in segregated units. The most famous African-American servicemen were the Tuskegee Airmen. The Tuskegee Airmen was an all African-American group of fighter pilots. They fought bravely in World War II. Because many men joined the military in the US, women were asked to join the workforce. The US government decided to use propaganda to influence women to work. The character of Rosie the Riveter was created. Rosie the Riveter symbolized all women who worked in a war industry. She became an inspiration for all women to help out the war effort. Once, WWII was over, these women will be forced out of their jobs for the returning soldiers. Because of this generation of women, the feminist movement will start in the 1950s. Women also wanted to fight in World War II. However, women were not allowed to fight in battle. Instead, women joined the WACs/WAACs. The WAACs (Women Army Auxiliary Corp) served in noncombat positions. Typically, they were secretaries or supply pilots. 11

12 So the Axis got the Axe Now that Germany, Italy, and Japan were defeated, the Big Three had to put the world back together. The Big Three had to take the lead. America this time did not return to an isolationist foreign policy. Instead, the US became an intervention country. The United Nations will be created. Remember, Hitler did not like Jewish people. So, he sent them and others that opposed the Nazi Party to concentration camps. Hitler created the Final Solution, which was a plan to get rid of all objectors to the Nazi Party. The Holocaust Museum Holocaust was the result of the Final Solution. More than 6 million Jewish people died in the concentration camps. More than 4 million other groups that Nazi Germany did not like died as well. People were shocked when the concentration camps were discovered in After the war was over, the people that operated the concentration camps were charged as criminals. The trial to determine the guilt or innocents of these people was known as the Nuremberg Trials. Only 12 of the guilty were sentenced to the death penalty. How Did WWII Change America? After the soldiers returned from WWII, some returned to their old jobs pushing those Rosies out of their jobs. President Truman created the GI Bill. The GI Bill provides soldiers with a paid education and home loans. This made it possible for soldiers to readjust to civilian life after the war. We still have the GI Bill. After WWII, people began to have more than two children. Families became larger. The children born after WWII are called Baby Boomers. 1. What was the name of the symbol for women in the war industries? 2. Who were the Tuskegee Airmen? 3. How did the WAC/WAACs play an important role in WWII? 4. What happened to the men who ran concentration camps after WWII? 5. What was the Supreme Court ruling in Korematsu v. US, 1944? 12