Chapter 23: Living in a World at War Review Flashcards
What does isolationism mean in the context of American foreign policy?
A belief that the US should keep clear of nearly all involvement with the rest of the world, stay neutral and out of any wars.
What was the Kellogg-Briand Pact?
A post WW1 international agreement that renounces war as an instrument of foreign policy.
What did the Nye Commission investigate?
Collusion between the federal government and arms manufacturers in WW1.
What were the Neutrality Acts of 1935?
Prohibits American arms sales to warring nations.
What was the Cash and Carry Provision established in 1939?
Allowed Allies to buy US arms and non-military goods as long as they paid in cash and used their own ships.
What was the Lend-Lease Act of March 1941?
Allowed the US to lend or lease arms to countries vital to US interests, boosting the economy.
What are the Four Freedoms as articulated by FDR?
- Freedom of speech and expression
- Freedom of worship
- Freedom from want
- Freedom from fear
Who led the America First Committee?
Charles Lindbergh.
What was the America First Committee?
- advocated American isolationaism in rallies and speeches = neutrality and staying out of WW2
What was the purpose of the Destroyers for Bases agreement in 1940?
Exchange obsolete navy destroyers for British bases to strengthen America’s defenses.
america gave Great Britain old navy destroyers to help them fight Nazi Germany, while they were able to strengthen their defenses using British bases in the western atlantic.
What was the significance of the Atlantic Charter signed in August 1941?
A declaration of principles for the post-war world that incorporated the Four Freedoms and 14 points, and laid the framework for the United Nations.
self determination issue also!
* FDR wanted Britain’s empire to fall apart so the US could become the new international power (Vietnam and India)
What was the significance of “arsenal of democracy” phrase?
- a phrase coined by FDR in a speech of the same name
- main idea: US must be the arsenal of democracy for Britain and its allies in its fight against Nazi Germany
What were the reasons for the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor?
- Desire for natural resources
- Need for oil due to US embargoes
- Strategy to prevent a US response.
When did the Pearl Harbor attack occur?
December 7, 1941.
What was the Battle of Midway?
A turning point in the Pacific Theater where Allies deciphered Japanese code, forcing Japan to be on the defensive.
What was Operation Overlord?
The U.S. and British invasion of France in June 1944.
What was the turning point of the Battle of Okinawa?
Provided Allied forces an airbase from which bombers could strike Japan easier.
What is the Selective Service System?
A federal agency that coordinated military conscription (the draft).
- was created by the Selective Secrete Service Act that FDR asked Congress to pass - shifted toward war preparation
- increased defense spending
- required all eligible males to register for the draft
What was the outcome of the Battle of the Bulge?
Germany’s last chance to break into the Western front failed, leading to a shortened end of the war.
How did the wartime effort change societal roles for women?
- each branch of military had special units for women
- provided more jobs for women - before there were 12 million women in the work force, during/after 6 million MORE joined - went into previously male dominated industries
- caused new fashion
What was the Fair Employment Practices Committee?
A federal agency created to curb racial discrimination in war production jobs and government employment.
What was the Planned March on Washington in July 1941 about?
A march to demand government protection of economic rights for African Americans in new industries.
idea proposed by A. Philip Randolph, president of the Brotherhood of the Sleeping Car Porters (a powerful black-led organization in US)
Randolph said to hold an all-black march on Washington to demand government to protect their economic rights (thought to be 10,000 people but rose to 100,000)
Randolph called off the march after the government agreed to protect the economic rights of African Americans in new industries
What triggered the Zoot Suit Riots in June 1943?
Racial tensions between military personnel and Latinos wearing baggy clothes as a resistance to white culture.
What was Executive Order 9066?
Granted authority to exclude any persons from military areas, leading to Japanese internment.
Japanese citizens were forced to sell all they owned, pack a suitcase, and then live in horrible conditions in the mountains in the name of “protecting national security”
