The flawed peace process after the Great War caused lasting bitterness in Axis nations, where oppressive reparations allowed the rise of fascist dictators. The worldwide depression and the post-war problems created a sense of racism that caused a genocide known as the Holocaust.
Allied Powers
· England
· France
· Soviet Union
· United States
World War II
· surreal in its intensity; obscene in its cruelties
· plastic explosives, flamethrowers, proximity fuses, rockets, jet airplanes, weapons of mass destruction
· genocide
American isolationism
· Resistance to international commitments
· Opposition to the League of Nations
· The Red Scare
· 100% Americanism
· Restrictive immigration laws
War debts
· French and British insisted that they could pay America only as they collected reparations from defeated Germans
· During the Depression, the whole structure of war-debt repayment failed
· 1932: Most European countries defeated on their war debts to the United States
Disarmament
· A feeling that armaments had caused the war
· A feeling that arms limitation would bring lasting peace
· The fanciful idea of abolishing war altogether
The rise of fascism
· Italy and Germany
· Fascio: bundle
· Fasces: a Roman symbol of authority
· Values nation and race
· Silences opposition
· Espouses nationalism and racism
Benito Mussolini
· Nickname: Il Duce
· 1922: Mussolini seizes power
· Organized fascist movement: a combination of superheated nationalism and socialism
· Mussolini promised to restore order and pride to Italy
Adolph Hitler
· Duplicated Mussolini's organization
· Created the National Socialist Party (NAZI)
· Copied Mussolini's ancient Roman salute
· Capitalized on Germany's anger and resentment toward the Versailles Treaty
Francisco Franco
· Fascist leader in Spain
· Seized power in a violent uprising
· Formed an alliance with Mussolini and Hitler
The rise of Hitler
· 1933: Hitler is elected chancellor of Germany; Germany exits League of Nations
· 1934: Hitler assumed the title of Reichsfuher (national leader)
· Nazi police state persecuted Jews
· German army began rearming in spite of Versailles Treaty
Holocaust
· Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals, Jehovah's Witnesses, Russians, Poles, Slaves
· 10 to 14 million people killed
Appeasement
· Western democracies seemed paralyzed
· Concessions for the fascist dictators
· Scandal of war profiteering in WWI
· America seemed isolated from the conflict
Blitzkrieg
· Germany's "lightning war" of 1940
· Denmark falls in one day
· Norway falls in one week
· France falls in one month
Winston Churchill
· New Prime Minister of England
· England now stood alone
· Churchill: "We shall never surrender."
· Asked America for help
Joseph Stalin
· Stalin: "man of steel"
· Seized power after Lenin's death
· Seized all farm property and forced small farmers to work on collectivist farms
· Those who opposed were shot or sent to prison camps
Growing American involvement
· FDR requested $1.9 billion for defense
· FDR called for the production of 50,000 combat planes a year
· Congress voted more than $17 billion for defense
· Sept. 16, 1940: Congress institutes a Peacetime conscription
1940 Election
· Franklin Roosevelt (D) versus Wendell Wilkie (R)
· Wilkie accused Roosevelt of planning to start a war: FDR denied it
· Both candidates supported war aid for England
The axis expands
· Italy invaded Greece
· Italian-controlled Libya invaded British-controlled Egypt
· Germans invaded Yugoslavia and Greece
· Hitler now controls most of Europe
· Germans invade the Soviet Union
American-English summit
· Churchill and Roosevelt secretly meet to plan a counterattack on Nazis
· FDR commanded the American Navy to "shoot on sight" the "rattlesnakes of the Atlantic" (German and Italian navies)
"The Arsenal of Democracy"
· Jan. 6, 1941: In a fireside chat, FDR proclaimed that America must the "arsenal of democracy"
· America must help England defeating Axis Powers
· Lend Lease Bill authorized president to sell, transfer and exchange arms
Pearl Harbor
· Dec. 7, 1941: A date which will live in infamy
· Surprise attack
· Americans demand war
Government contracts
· Larger companies tended to win the most government contracts
· The larger the companies became, the more contracts they won
· This created the military-industrial complex
George and Herman Brown
· 1919: Herman's employer goes bankrupt and he accepts some mules an lieu of wages.
· Herman Brown and his brother-in-law Dan Root take the mules and form Brown & Root
· Later, Herman's brother George is put in charge of marketing
· Brown & Root get contracts
· Paved dirt roads
· Built bridges
· 1937: Newly elected Lyndon Johnson help brothers secure a contract for the construction of the Marshall Ford Dam on the Colorado River
· In turn, Brown & Root contribute to Johnson's campaigns
Brown & Root becomes Halliburton
· 1940: Brown & Root become the head contractor in charge of building the colossal Corpus Christi Naval Air Station
· 1962: After the death of Herman Brown, George Brown sells Brown & Root to Halliburton
Conservation
· Consumer durables ceased to be produced
· Cars, washing machines, non-defense housing
· 1943: the WPA is abolished
· 1944: Florida pioneers right-to-work legislation (labor unions lose power)
Changing role for woman
· 1940: 15% of married women were employed
· 1945; 24% of married women were employed
Changing role for blacks
· Tuskegee flight school trained about 600 black pilots
· Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters demanded an end to racial discrimination in defense industries
· FDR issues an executive order prohibiting discrimination by defense industries
Fear of the Japanese
· Fear and hatred of Japanese after Pearl Harbor was similar to fear and hatred of Muslims after Sept. 11, 2001
· Japanese citizens were forced into "War Relocation Camps."
· FDR issued an executive order initiating the removal of Japanese Americans
1985: reparations for Japanese: $20,000 and an apology
Churchill and Roosevelt
· Churchill thought Roosevelt was being na•ve about the Soviets
· Roosevelt thought Churchill was a drunk
· The two argued about where to attack first
· Finally they decided to attack Axis power in northern Africa
Gen. Dwight Eisenhower
· Leads Allied troops in Morocco and Algeria
· 1943: Axis powers lose control of Northern Africa
· FDR announced that the war would end only with "unconditional surrender" of the Axis powers
Sicily and Italy
· Churchill considered Italy the "soft underbelly of the Axis"
· July 10, 1943: Allied powers invade Sicily and Italy
· July 25, 1943: Italy's king dismisses Mussolini as premier
· Sept. 3, 1943: German air raid rescues Mussolini, and he takes control of Northern Italy
Invasion of France
· Operation Overlord: Allies began planning an invasion at Normandy
· Disinformation: Axis powers thought they would invade at Calais
· D-Day: stores closed, baseball games were cancelled, every American waited for radio reports from the front lines
· 5,000 Allied troops died on the beaches of Normandy
Conference at Yalta
· Churchill, Stalin and Roosevelt met to begin postwar planning
· Boundaries of Europe were redrawn; Stalin makes Eastern Europe a Soviet satellite
· United Nations is created
· Security Council would require agreement of U.S., Britain, Soviet Union, France, China
