today we watched a movie. these were my notes
Treaty of Versailles
Germany -pays reparations to France and Britain
-reduces army severely
-the unfair nature of this treaty leads to WWII
1932 election
Nazi party runs under the platform of
jobs for everyone, reunite the Fatherland, get rid of unfair Treaty of Versailles
Facism - glorified state and all powerful leader to whom there is no opposition
-became popular to nations in economic despair after WWI
includes Benito Mussolini in Italy and Joseph Stalin in the USSR
Facists/Communists swept Western Europe
Francisco Franco took power in Spain with Hitler's help
WWII - hitler takes part of czech. (fatherland) and then Poland
-blitzkreigs Denmark and Holland
-all out air war (Battle of Britain)
Winston Churchill talks to Britain over the radio (equivalent of FDR's fireside chats)
in the North Atl. german subs are cutting off Britain.
Germany invades the USSR all the way to Stalingrad
if Britain fell it would would endanger freedom and democracy everywhere.
1930 - US felt that WWI was a mistake - instigated by big buisness. Congress hearing said that it wasnt true, big buisness didnt get us into WWI but they were however selling war supplies to Germany.
FDR didnt like the Neutrality Acts.. wanted to fight against the embargo agressors.
September 1940 FDR takes office for a 3rd term
trades 50 Amer. destroyers for leases on military base sites in Britain
enacts Lend-Lease after reelection
German U-Boats start sinking US ships (ex. Reuben James)
Dec.7 1941 - Pearl Harbor - FDR "a date which will live in infamy" asked congress for a declaration of war
Japan didnt like the Open Door policy in China.
US didnt like Japanese aggression in China
Tripartite Pact signed in Berlin joining the Axis Powers against the Allied Powers
Japan takes Hong Kong, Malaya, Guam, Phillipines after Pearl Harbor
Mexico sent Braceros to accelerate crop production for soldiers in US
by the end of 1937-1938=> rearmament -> rebuilt Navy + industrial mobilization
War Production Board created. unemployment was down
Office of Price Admin. - rationing/recycling
15mill. americans went to training camps, war included women
WACs WAVEs - support jobs
WASPs trained US pilots but were not in the military so they didnt get benefits
1938 - the South was Americas biggest economic problem
southern blacks left the south to take jobs in northern war plants
War against Nazis was hypocritical in some ways because we were segregating blacks.
war puts pressure on racial attitudes. led to the desegregation of the military and eventually to the Civil Rights Movement in some respects.
FDR - fair employment practice committee in response to a threat of blacks marching on Wash.
1943 - 250 riots in 47 cities
windtalkers - Navaho - send messages in native lang. that Japanese cant decode.
Rosie the Riviter - 1/3 of American labor force was women by the end of the war.
Internment of Japan. Americans. 112,000. 2/3 were native born citizens.
-alot were actually really supportive of the war. 800 worked on farms to feed soldiers.
Entertainment industry - war glorification
Tehran Conference - Tehran, Persia. Allied Powers discuss opening of second front in Western Europe. (Nov. 1943) Allies went from Africa into Italy while they also land on Normandy and invade France.
Battle of the Bulge.
April 12, 1945 FDR dies. later, Mussolini is killed.
Hitler kills himself, 1 week later, Germany surrenders.
McArthur defends the Philippines. -unsuccessfully? im not sure.
Midway 100% in the air. Marks the beginning of US islandhopping.
Scientists develop the atom bomb. - Oppenheimer/Manhattan Project
Truman is at Potsdam with Stalin and Hitler when bomb is tested.
bombs Japan August 6th and 9th, Hiroshima and Nagasaki (respectively)
ruins 4square miles.. mushroom cloud 40k feet. Nagasaki - 80k dead
VJ Day (Victory over Japan) - formal surrender on Sept 2 1945
400k American lives lost in WWII - after the war, concerns lurk about Soviet expansion..
