US History Midterm 2 Flashcards
Who was elected president in 1928?
Herbert Hoover
Who was elected president in 1932, 1936, 1940, 1944
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Who was Franklin Delano Roosevelt?
o FDR’s life’s work was politics
o Gets elected to states government as a democrat
o Serves as an assistant of the Navy
• Was not a part of combat
o 1920 – FDR was chose for being vice president
o Goes to Canada for a family gathering, feels sick, gets a high fever and starts hallucinating, fever finally breaks days later, but he was paralyzed. He contracted polio – spreads through water, attacks nervous system.
o Spends the next several years of his life trying to get back the use of his legs
• Gains limited use of his legs while in water
• Spends the rest of his life in a wheelchair
o Press was respectful when taking pictures of him
o FDR wore steel braces to help him stand and used a cane or held on to someone strong, his sons mostly, for balance, or he used his crutches.
o 1928 offers nominating speech for Al Smith for president, who gets nominated.
o FDR runs and wins government ship. Does something meaningful.
o Smoker
o People felt he overcame Polio
o Loved to drive – it gave him a sense of freedom
• Gave speeches from his car so he wouldn’t have to stand
• Christened a ship from his car
o Saves the United States twice – The Great Depression & WWII
• When historians name the top presidents they always pick President FDR 3rd
What were “Hoovervilles”?
Shacks made of tin and named after President Hoover because they blamed him for their circumstances.
What was PECE?
President’s Emergency Commission for Employment
What was POUR?
President’s Organization on Unemployment Relief
What was the Reconstruction Finance Corporation? (RFC)
Federal government saves money to give to the states – in a form of a loan.
What did the Bonus Army do and what did its members want?
Promised to be paid after WWI and were denied those wages. The press picked up on this as they went across the states to Washington DC to confront congress.
o Congress hears their petition and said no because it would bankrupt them to pay what these military men were owed.
o Hoover tells them to go home, but they have no homes to go to so they stay.
o Hoover calls in police – fights break out
o Hoover calls in military, telling them to be low key, but to get them out of the federal buildings that he allowed for them to live in while the veterans petitioned.
o Brings troops in with bayonets, tear gas – which killed a baby -
o The military chased them with cars with machine guns, and tanks,
o The military disobeyed specific orders to not cross the river and burned all of the Hoovervilles
What was the “New Deal”?
It was created by Franklin D. Roosevelt to send relief to people suffering from the effects of the Great Depression
What did “Alphabet Soup” refer to?
The New Deal i.e. AAA, NIRA, CCC, CWA
What were “The Hundred Days” and what happened during them?
What they (the president) can accomplish in the first 100 days
What was the Agricultural Adjustment Act?
o AAA – Agricultural Adjustment Act (Did not work)
• Not to product/ grow as much
• Pay farmers to take land, etc. out of commission
• Problem – farm prices were so low they lost money so they didn’t go to market
• Ruled unconstitutional
• Did not take enough land out, the plan was not big enough so it did not work.
• Mother nature from 1931 – 1935 the “Dust Bowl” takes millions of acres out of farming because of a drought. Less competition make farm prices go up.
What did the Civilian Conservation Corps do
o CCC – Civilian Concentration Core
• Plant trees, plowing, soil work, build campgrounds & picnic areas
• Clothes, food, and a place to sleep was provided for the kids who worked there, education was available at night – everyone was to leave them reading and writing.
• $30 dollars paid
Who was Huey Long?
- Supports Roosevelt then turns on him and comes up with a plan to tax the wealthy to share the wealth to the low income.
- Writes a book “My First Days in the White House”
- Shot down by an assassin - unpopular among the wealthy/educated in Louisiana
Francis Townsend
• Francis Townsend- Retired physician
o $200 dollars a month to every person over 65 (?) if they spent every cent before the end of the month
Father Coughlin
• Catholic
• 1920 – radio was new and Father Coughlin was a talented public speaker
• Gave sermons over the radio
• “Roosevelt is Christ’s Candidate” – endorsement
• National Fundraising – tax status, where is that money coming from?
o FDR investigates and Father Coughlin turns on him
• 1934 – Criticizes FDR for doing too much
• International Jewish Society
Upton Sinclair
• Socialist
• 1934 changed his political affiliation to democrat
o So he can run for governor of California
• Wrote “EPIC” - The End Poverty in California movement book
• Wanted unemployment to run/produce …
• Becomes a victim of the first political smear campaign
o Opposing team made a series of news reels
• Propaganda
• False
• Ditsy women portrayed as immature, when asked “Who are you voting for” they answered “Sinclair” - implied if you want to vote with the dumb vote Sinclair
• Hobos coming off of the trains saying they are going to California for when Sinclair is elected. – meaning if Sinclair is elected all of the transients will travel to California.
o FDR does not endorse him
o Proved a demand for more government assistance
What was the FERA?
o FERA – Federal Emergency Relief Agency
• Ran by Harry Hopkins
• Distributed one million dollars in aid
• Found a way to create jobs for people
What was the NRA
o NRA – National Recovery Administration
• Big businesses dominate small businesses
What was the TVA?
Tennessee Valley Authority May 1933 to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer
What kinds of things did the Civil Works Administration do?
o CWA – Civil Works Administration
• Lanes, streets, curbs, drains, created millions of jobs for people
• Then there was a cut back on budget, people lost jobs.
• Built 25,000 miles of roads
What did the Public Works Administration do?
o PWA – Public Works Administration
• Harold Ickes – made sure al the money spent by PWA went where it needed to be
• Tennessee Valley Authority – 22 dams built
• Frequent flooding – building dams created jobs, they built reservoirs, dams used water for hydro electro power. – which drew industries in.
What was the CCC?
o CCC – Civilian Concentration Core
• Plant trees, plowing, soil work, build campgrounds & picnic areas
• Clothes, food, and a place to sleep was provided for the kids who worked there, education was available at night – everyone was to leave them reading and writing.
• $30 dollars paid
What was the WPA?
• WPA – Works Progress (Projects) Administraion
o Airports, storm drains, etc.
o Saw over by Harry Hopkins
What was included in the Social Security Act of 1935?
• Social Security Act of 1935
o Wanted old people to retire to free up jobs, and so they spend money creating stimulus.
o Old age pensions (60?) – Those working paid for the retired, and then when they retire the younger generation would work for you.
o Specific workers were excluded – southern senators didn’t want to lose their maids
• Agricultural workers were also excluded
What was the Fair Labor Standards Act?
• Fair Labor Standards Act o Minimum wage • .22 per hour o Maximum work week • 44 – 40 hours in two years o Minimum wage was created to work full time (40 hours) and be paid enough to live off of and consume a little o Wanted more workers and less hours o Penalized for overtime hours
The National Labor Relations Act?
The Wagner Act
What was the Wagner Act?
• Wagner Act – National Labor Relations Act
o Right to unions
o Appointed by president
o Yearly terms
What was the Roosevelt Recession?
o Cut back on spending too soon and cut work programs
What was Court Packing? How did it affect the New Deal?
• Court Packing – Courts were getting behind
o Brought in new judges to “help”
o FDR wanted to bring in new justices who are more in line with his views
o This pleased the republicans because they later used this against FDR
o Courts got the message regardless and is influenced by public opinion
o Measures of the New Deal
How successful were New Deal programs in meeting the challenges of the Great Depression?
• Goals:
o Stability (did better than recovery)
o Recovery
In the eyes of most historians and economists, what did Roosevelt do wrong? What did he do right?
• What did he do right?
o Supports recovery work programs
• What did he do wrong?
o Worried about the National Debt and didn’t do enough
When did the Great Depression end? What had changed by that point?
WWII Ended The Great Depression
What was Upton Sinclair’s plan to deal with the depression in California?
plan to rescue the state’s economy and find work for California’s estimated 700,000 unemployed.
What was the “Share Our Wealth” plan?
Huey Long and Share the Wealth
• Supports Roosevelt then turns on him and comes up with a plan to tax the wealthy to share the wealth to the low income.
Who was Vladimir Lenin?
Russia
• Lenin takes charge
• Civil War
o Whites vs Reds (West etc., joins whites)
• War communism -> Vladimer Lenin
• Consolidating the state
o Union of Soviet (counsil) Socialists Republics (USSR)
• Dictatorship of the proletariat
o Stable state where strong men controlling state to reconstruct society
o No one gets past the firm authoritarian dictator
o The man would be satisfied
o Ignored the fact every one is greedy
o It is a religion
Then Lenin’s Health Declines Due to Strokes
• Rumors that he was poisoned
• He is still on display in museums now.
Joseph Stalin?
• (Russia) Enter the Man of Steel: Joseph Stalin
o Solidifying Power
o Committed Communist
o Believed only he could do it
Who was Leon Trotsky and what happened to him?
• Tratsky – ends up in Mexico where he us tracked down and murdered with an ice axe.
o Died because of the infection
o Axe split his brain
Who was Benito Mussolini?
• Benito Mussolini
o Gets politically active
o Socialist
o Runs newspaper “Il Duce” = “The leader” in Italian
o He made trains run on time
o League of Combat Veterans
• Black shirts uniform
o 1922 time for Mussolini to take power
o King makes Mussolini prime minister
• The old prime minister heard he was marching towards them so he quit
o Mussolini holds onto power through 19???
o Eliminates opposition
o Instills order
o Economy got better under his lead
o Italy lost confidence in him during The Great Depression
• So he distracts by seizing territory in North Africa
o Begins conquest of Ethiopia
• Economic Depression and Foreign Adventurism into Ethiopia in 1935
• A crisis but International Inaction
• No one helped Ethiopia because he helped Italy
• Mussolini provided strength and order
What were the Fascists?
People who believed an authoritarian and nationalistic right-wing system of government and social organization.
Who were the Black Shirts?
Mussolini’s Men
What does Il Duce mean?
The Leader
What was National Socialism?
• The Rise of National Socialism
o “Nazi Party”
Who was Adolph Hitler and what was his link to National Socialism?
The Austrian Corporal and German Fascism = Hitler
• From art student to paramilitary leader, he was turned down twice for promotions
• Decorated solider
• The Rise of National Socialism
o “Nazi Party”
• Inspired by Mussolini
o Brown shirts
• Der Führer = The Leader
• Pan Germanism = All Germans should be united
• Hitler’s psych evaluation said Hitler had no leader qualities
• Beer Hall Putsch – Attempt to overthrow the government
o November 1923
o Fails
• “Secret Police” = “Gastopal”
• “National Socialists” = “Nazi”
• “Mein Kampf” – book wrote in prison
• A plan and making good use of propaganda
o Book sells a lot of copies
• Hitler comes to power the same time FDR comes to power in the USA
o 1932-33: Seizing Power
o Constitutionally (Sort of) going after communists and Jews
o He says I’ll only help you if I’m prime minister – they agreed thinking Hitler would be easily manipulated – he manipulated them.
o Parliament building burns down and they blamed communists – it was unidentified people
o This gave Hitler power over his enemies.
Who were the Nazis?
(Hilter’s men) “National Socialists” translated in German
Who were the Brown Shirts?
Nazis
What does Der Fuehrer mean?
The Leader
How did the Treaty of Versailles affect Germany?
It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1919,
When did Adolph Hitler come to power?
1932
What was the Sudetenland?
• Sudetenland, 1938 - Land of Southern Germans
o Hitler said they were being abused by the Czech’s
o He wanted this territory
What happened at the Munich conference?
• Munich Conference of Appeasement is held to talk about Hitler trying to invade Czech
o They gave him seizure of Czechoslovakia in 1939 to stop his imperialism
o Czech was devastated by this because they made weapons, and fortifications to defend against attacks, it left them open.
What was Appeasement?
Giving Germany Czechoslovakia
What was the Anschluss?
• Anschluss (Anex), 1938
o Marches troops into Austria to take control of Austria and make it into Germany
When and why did World War II start in Europe?
Germany was trying to take over
Who was Hirohito?
Japanese leader
Then a rise in reaction: Hirohito and the imperial way
o Modernized everything and become a world power
o Seize land, take on Russia, China, etc.
o Japan felt that it wasn’t taken seriously though
o Tokyo hand an earthquake and they instilled “Marshal Law” to regain order
What was the Imperial Way?
• Imperial way looked like fascism
o That which builds state = serves emperor
What happened at Nanking?
o Rape of Nanking, etc.
• Conquest and occupation Japanese Imperial Army lost control of their troops and they went on murder and raping sprees
• Diplomatic documented it
What caused Americans to change their opinions about Isolationism?
?
What was the Mukden Incident?
• The Mukden Incident (1931)
o From Manchuria to Manchuko – railroad
• Planted a body of dead Chinese soldier near an explosion to be able to march into China
What was the China Incident?
• The China Incident (1937) Japanese invade China
o Chinese Nationalists and Communists form a truce… sort of
o Japanese responsible for the deaths of 25 million Chinese
Who was Francisco Franco?
• General Francisco Franco – Neutrallity, doesn’t join WWII
o A fascist Spain (With a little help from his friends)
• “Spanish” Civil War
o July 1936 – April 1937
Who won the Spanish Civil War and who helped them?
was an armed conflict between the Republicans and Nationalists led by General Francisco Franco.
Who was Winston Churchill?
?
Who was Chiang Kai-shek?
• Rise of Chiang Kai Shek – New leader of China
o Trouble with communists
Who was Mao Zedong?
• Mao Zedong
o Responsible for the death of tens of thousands
o Communist leader
o Civil War
What does the word “Blitzkrieg” mean?
Blitzkrieg – Lightening
What as Isolationism? Why were Americans sympathetic to it in the period after WWI?
?
What was the purpose of the Washington Conference?
• Washington Conference on Naval Weaponry 1921, to prevent war
o US and Britain get 5 ships while Japan get 3
The Kellogg- Briand Pact?
• Kellogg –Briand Pact 1928 – Treaty signed by Germany, France, and the US
o Outlaws War = war is illegal
o No way to enforce it without war
What was the Nye Commission and what did it conclude?
• Gerald Nye Commission 1934 – why did the war happen and how did the US get involved
What were the Neutrality Acts?
• Neutrality Acts, 1935-1937 – Keep USA out of war
o Because of giving weapons and money we had invested in a war, we would have to see it through.
o Can sell raw materials
o Pay Cash
o We wont sell ship
What was the Ludlow Amendment?
• Ludlow Amendment – Have a national vote to go to war 1937 takes time, and can’t take time during a war.
What was the purpose of the America First Committee? Who was its most prominent member?
• America First Committee – We need to stay out of war – Europe’s war is not our war
Gerald Nye
What was Lend-Lease?
1949 - Lend or lease British surplus military weapons – they will return or replace after
What factors contributed to the Japanese decision to attack Pearl Harbor? When did the attack take place? When did the Japanese attack the Philippines?
• Pearl Harbor – December 7, 1941 o Japanese attack over petroleum • The Philippines – December 8, 1941 o Douglas McArther – evacuate –Said he would stop them on the beaches – doesn’t • Too many troops not enough supplies
What was the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere?
Co-Prosperity Sphere (AKA Japanese empire)
o Replace European Domination with Japan’s own
Which nations were the “Allies”? The Axis?
o US, o Great Britain, o Canada, Egypt, o Soviet Union (German’s went against them so we allied) o China (Fighting with Japanese so we allied) • Axes (The pact of steel) o Rome → Berlin Axes o German’s allied with Japan and Italy
What was the purpose of the Doolittle Raid?
• Doolittle Raid – April 18, 1942
o No plane strong enough to make the distance to drop bombs and make it back to a safe territory to land.
o Longer range planes, require a mile or so landing strip to take off
• B25 – take off in 1,000 feet – stripped off armor, put bombs on and tried to make it work.
o Loaded up 17 planes on the Hornet to drop bombs on Tokyo and landed in China where it was safe.
o On the way there they encountered a Japanese fishing boat, sunk them, but didn’t know if they had a radio.
o It wasn’t a secret/surprise anymore so they launched early
o Take off, land on Japan
o One plane was shot down, one lands in the Soviet, pilots got arrested
o By coincidence authorities in Tokyo were practicing an air raid so people thought it was all a part of their practice.
What was Island Hopping?
A Strategy: Island Hopping • Hop and bomb strategic islands • Guadalcanal August 1942 • Saipan June 1944 – D Day • Iwo Jima – February 19 – March 16, 1945 • Okinawa April 1 – June 21, 1945
What happened at the Battle of the Coral Sea?
• Coral Sea
o Waters East of New Guinea
o Japanese were turned back from their conquest
o All fought entirely by airplanes and naval power
o Lost the Lexington plane
o The York Town is heavily damaged
• Goes to pearl harbor
• Said it will take 3-6 weeks and 48 hours to fix it.
Why was the Battle of Midway so important?
The Battle of Midway, June 1942
• Volcano erupted to make this Island
• Japan thinks US plane came from there instead of a plane flying from a plane – Doolittle raid
• Reason we won is “Japanese out screwed us up”
o US screwed up, but Japanese screwed up more
• Set a trap
o Sent out a coded message
• Midway sends message, un-coded, open air
o Japanese close in starting to bomb island in preparation for amphibious landing
o US fleet discovers where Japanese flights are
o Everyone of US planes got shot down
o Japanese surveillance plane sees US ships
• But no aircraft carriers
• “American ships are turning into the wind”
o Japanese ships tried to torpedo the US ships
o But US ships find Japanese ships first and they weren’t prepared
• All four Japanese ships were sunk
• Japanese had to make 6 more ships later
• The US made 40+ more ships
o Japan was trying to make it costly so US couldn’t afford to fight
What did the Allies think they learned at Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa?
• Guadalcanal August 1942 – January 1943 – six months
o The Japanese would fight until the very end
o 900 come out of the jungle 800 mowed down
o 100 ran into jungle
o Japanese would kill medics with grenades who would try to save the injured Japanese soldiers
o Japanese violated/mutated prisoners
o So there were not a lot of Japanese prisoners
• Tarawa November 1943
o 4000 Japanese defenders – less than a dozen taken as prisoners
• Saipan June 1944 – D Day
o Japanese lost
o High rates of suicide – civilian and military
o Thought Americans were horrible
o Japanese were sending a message that you better not attack the main Island because it will be a blood bath and there will be no survivors to be enslaved
o Wanted to reform, not enslave
What was different about the way the Japanese chose to defend Okinawa–as well as during the previous battle at Iwo Jima?
That Japanese would fight to the death before they surrender
Where did the war in the “European Theater” start for the United States? Whose idea was it to attack Axis forces there?
• April 1945 – FDR was elected for his 4th term – died of a stroke
• Death of Mussolini April 28, 1945
o Italians found him and his family – strung him up and stoned/beat him to death
• Death of Hitler April 30 – 1945
o Him and his mistress got married
o Committed suicide
• She took poison he shot himself
o Soviets dissolve his bones in acid and dump the rest in the river
• Surrender May 7, 1945
o V – E Day May 8, 1945
When was the Normandy Invasion and why was it important?
• Battle of Normandy D Day – June 6, 1944
o Omaha Beach
o 5 Beaches
• Utah Beach
• ?
• Omaha Beach
• Juno Beach
• Canada Beach
o Set up fake diversion force
• 100 tents, no one in them
• Inflatable tanks and trucks making noise
• Hitler bought into it
• Fake Troopers dropped by planes – hit the ground and fire crackers go off
o The Germans were stretched thin
o Hitler was a control freak and nothing went until he made the call
• He woke up at 2pm and they were already invaded
o Over 2,000 dead first day
o 5,000 over the beaches
o The goal was to get through German lines
o Huge movement of personal tanks, ships, etc.
o Germans realized they had lost
What was the Battle of the Bulge?
• Battle of the Bulge o Men from 14-60 became soldiers o Goal is to overwhelm US lines o Take US supplies o Create tension that Great Britain would break alliance with US – didn’t work o “Nuts” meant “Go to hell” o Dropped food and medical by air
When was V-E Day?
V – E Day May 8, 1945
What was Strategic Bombing? What were its goals? What were its successes and failures?
• Undermined a places ability to wage war by taking out industrial manufacturing and weapon making
• Started to fly at night (British) can hide their planes but also can hide their targets
• Area bombing – destructive and deadly
• Nordin Bomb Site – Correct for wind etc.
o Can drop a bomb in a pickle barrel from 5,000 ft.
o But it was a larger area and from 25,000ft. – 150 yard of the target
o Planes flew in cluster
Why did the Allies decide to bomb Germany? How effective were their efforts?
Britain
Not as successful as they thought, but important
Bomb spread terror and tactfully – not strategic
What happened at the Yalta Conference?
?
When did Roosevelt die?
April 1945
Who was Harry S. Truman?
Wrote the Truman Doctrine March 1947 - US will stop expansion of communism
What happened at the Potsdam Conference? The Potsdam Declaration?
• Potsdam Declaration – July 26, 1945
o Says to Japan –Surrender immediately and unconditionally or be annihilated – No response
• Hiroshima – August 6, 1945
• First atomic bomb
• Nagasaki – August 9 1945
Conference - they missed it and didn’t get to vote
What factors when into the decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japanese cities?
• Saved 100,000 lives • Saved Millions of Japanese lives • Japanese were ready for an invasion – estimated 2-3 million lives lost • What was least bad – atomic bomb • Japan not a victim but an aggressor o 2.4 million Japanese deaths o 30 million German war deaths. • 50 – 60 million died in WWII
What happened at Hiroshima and when did it happen?
- Hiroshima – August 6, 1945
* First atomic bomb
How did Japanese leaders react to the dropping of the first atomic bomb?
They thought that it was the only one the US had but had a meeting about it.
Japanese were having a meeting thinking the US only had one atomic bomb
o The emperor didn’t want to give up his power
• Dropped the second bomb while they were in that meeting
Shocked Japanese into surrendering
What factors explain why the Japanese finally made the decision to surrender?
Russians came in 90 days after the war – lied that emperor would stay in power so he would surrender
• Fire bombed after 2nd atomic bomb
• Japan surrenders
When was V-J Day?
Victory of Japan day – V – J Day August 15, 1945
When did China “fall”? When did the Soviets get the Atomic Bomb?
?
Who was Hirohito?
• Then a rise in reaction: Hirohito and the imperial way
o Modernized everything and become a world power
o Seize land, take on Russia, China, etc.
o Japan felt that it wasn’t taken seriously though
o Tokyo hand an earthquake and they instilled “Marshal Law” to regain order
What was the Imperial Way?
• Imperial way looked like fascism
o That which builds state = serves emperor
What happened at Nanking?
o Rape of Nanking, etc.
• Conquest and occupation Japanese Imperial Army lost control of their troops and they went on murder and raping sprees
• Diplomatic documented it
What caused Americans to change their opinions about Isolationism?
?
What was the Mukden Incident?
• The Mukden Incident (1931)
o From Manchuria to Manchuko – railroad
• Planted a body of dead Chinese soldier near an explosion to be able to march into China
What was the China Incident?
• The China Incident (1937) Japanese invade China
o Chinese Nationalists and Communists form a truce… sort of
o Japanese responsible for the deaths of 25 million Chinese
Who was Francisco Franco?
• General Francisco Franco – Neutrallity, doesn’t join WWII
o A fascist Spain (With a little help from his friends)
• “Spanish” Civil War
o July 1936 – April 1937
Who won the Spanish Civil War and who helped them?
was an armed conflict between the Republicans and Nationalists led by General Francisco Franco.
Who was Winston Churchill?
?
Who was Chiang Kai-shek?
• Rise of Chiang Kai Shek – New leader of China
o Trouble with communists
Who was Mao Zedong?
• Mao Zedong
o Responsible for the death of tens of thousands
o Communist leader
o Civil War
What does the word “Blitzkrieg” mean?
Blitzkrieg – Lightening
What as Isolationism? Why were Americans sympathetic to it in the period after WWI?
?
What was the purpose of the Washington Conference?
• Washington Conference on Naval Weaponry 1921, to prevent war
o US and Britain get 5 ships while Japan get 3
The Kellogg- Briand Pact?
• Kellogg –Briand Pact 1928 – Treaty signed by Germany, France, and the US
o Outlaws War = war is illegal
o No way to enforce it without war
What was the Nye Commission and what did it conclude?
• Gerald Nye Commission 1934 – why did the war happen and how did the US get involved
What were the Neutrality Acts?
• Neutrality Acts, 1935-1937 – Keep USA out of war
o Because of giving weapons and money we had invested in a war, we would have to see it through.
o Can sell raw materials
o Pay Cash
o We wont sell ship
What was the Ludlow Amendment?
• Ludlow Amendment – Have a national vote to go to war 1937 takes time, and can’t take time during a war.
What was the purpose of the America First Committee? Who was its most prominent member?
• America First Committee – We need to stay out of war – Europe’s war is not our war
Gerald Nye
What was Lend-Lease?
1949 - Lend or lease British surplus military weapons – they will return or replace after
What factors contributed to the Japanese decision to attack Pearl Harbor? When did the attack take place? When did the Japanese attack the Philippines?
• Pearl Harbor – December 7, 1941 o Japanese attack over petroleum • The Philippines – December 8, 1941 o Douglas McArther – evacuate –Said he would stop them on the beaches – doesn’t • Too many troops not enough supplies
What was the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere?
Co-Prosperity Sphere (AKA Japanese empire)
o Replace European Domination with Japan’s own
Which nations were the “Allies”? The Axis?
o US, o Great Britain, o Canada, Egypt, o Soviet Union (German’s went against them so we allied) o China (Fighting with Japanese so we allied) • Axes (The pact of steel) o Rome → Berlin Axes o German’s allied with Japan and Italy
What was the purpose of the Doolittle Raid?
• Doolittle Raid – April 18, 1942
o No plane strong enough to make the distance to drop bombs and make it back to a safe territory to land.
o Longer range planes, require a mile or so landing strip to take off
• B25 – take off in 1,000 feet – stripped off armor, put bombs on and tried to make it work.
o Loaded up 17 planes on the Hornet to drop bombs on Tokyo and landed in China where it was safe.
o On the way there they encountered a Japanese fishing boat, sunk them, but didn’t know if they had a radio.
o It wasn’t a secret/surprise anymore so they launched early
o Take off, land on Japan
o One plane was shot down, one lands in the Soviet, pilots got arrested
o By coincidence authorities in Tokyo were practicing an air raid so people thought it was all a part of their practice.
What was Island Hopping?
A Strategy: Island Hopping • Hop and bomb strategic islands • Guadalcanal August 1942 • Saipan June 1944 – D Day • Iwo Jima – February 19 – March 16, 1945 • Okinawa April 1 – June 21, 1945
What happened at the Battle of the Coral Sea?
• Coral Sea
o Waters East of New Guinea
o Japanese were turned back from their conquest
o All fought entirely by airplanes and naval power
o Lost the Lexington plane
o The York Town is heavily damaged
• Goes to pearl harbor
• Said it will take 3-6 weeks and 48 hours to fix it.
Why was the Battle of Midway so important?
The Battle of Midway, June 1942
• Volcano erupted to make this Island
• Japan thinks US plane came from there instead of a plane flying from a plane – Doolittle raid
• Reason we won is “Japanese out screwed us up”
o US screwed up, but Japanese screwed up more
• Set a trap
o Sent out a coded message
• Midway sends message, un-coded, open air
o Japanese close in starting to bomb island in preparation for amphibious landing
o US fleet discovers where Japanese flights are
o Everyone of US planes got shot down
o Japanese surveillance plane sees US ships
• But no aircraft carriers
• “American ships are turning into the wind”
o Japanese ships tried to torpedo the US ships
o But US ships find Japanese ships first and they weren’t prepared
• All four Japanese ships were sunk
• Japanese had to make 6 more ships later
• The US made 40+ more ships
o Japan was trying to make it costly so US couldn’t afford to fight
What did the Allies think they learned at Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa?
• Guadalcanal August 1942 – January 1943 – six months
o The Japanese would fight until the very end
o 900 come out of the jungle 800 mowed down
o 100 ran into jungle
o Japanese would kill medics with grenades who would try to save the injured Japanese soldiers
o Japanese violated/mutated prisoners
o So there were not a lot of Japanese prisoners
• Tarawa November 1943
o 4000 Japanese defenders – less than a dozen taken as prisoners
• Saipan June 1944 – D Day
o Japanese lost
o High rates of suicide – civilian and military
o Thought Americans were horrible
o Japanese were sending a message that you better not attack the main Island because it will be a blood bath and there will be no survivors to be enslaved
o Wanted to reform, not enslave
What was different about the way the Japanese chose to defend Okinawa–as well as during the previous battle at Iwo Jima?
That Japanese would fight to the death before they surrender
Where did the war in the “European Theater” start for the United States? Whose idea was it to attack Axis forces there?
• April 1945 – FDR was elected for his 4th term – died of a stroke
• Death of Mussolini April 28, 1945
o Italians found him and his family – strung him up and stoned/beat him to death
• Death of Hitler April 30 – 1945
o Him and his mistress got married
o Committed suicide
• She took poison he shot himself
o Soviets dissolve his bones in acid and dump the rest in the river
• Surrender May 7, 1945
o V – E Day May 8, 1945
When was the Normandy Invasion and why was it important?
• Battle of Normandy D Day – June 6, 1944
o Omaha Beach
o 5 Beaches
• Utah Beach
• ?
• Omaha Beach
• Juno Beach
• Canada Beach
o Set up fake diversion force
• 100 tents, no one in them
• Inflatable tanks and trucks making noise
• Hitler bought into it
• Fake Troopers dropped by planes – hit the ground and fire crackers go off
o The Germans were stretched thin
o Hitler was a control freak and nothing went until he made the call
• He woke up at 2pm and they were already invaded
o Over 2,000 dead first day
o 5,000 over the beaches
o The goal was to get through German lines
o Huge movement of personal tanks, ships, etc.
o Germans realized they had lost
What was the Battle of the Bulge?
• Battle of the Bulge o Men from 14-60 became soldiers o Goal is to overwhelm US lines o Take US supplies o Create tension that Great Britain would break alliance with US – didn’t work o “Nuts” meant “Go to hell” o Dropped food and medical by air
When was V-E Day?
V – E Day May 8, 1945
What was Strategic Bombing? What were its goals? What were its successes and failures?
• Undermined a places ability to wage war by taking out industrial manufacturing and weapon making
• Started to fly at night (British) can hide their planes but also can hide their targets
• Area bombing – destructive and deadly
• Nordin Bomb Site – Correct for wind etc.
o Can drop a bomb in a pickle barrel from 5,000 ft.
o But it was a larger area and from 25,000ft. – 150 yard of the target
o Planes flew in cluster
Why did the Allies decide to bomb Germany? How effective were their efforts?
Britain
Not as successful as they thought, but important
Bomb spread terror and tactfully – not strategic
What happened at the Yalta Conference?
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When did Roosevelt die?
April 1945
Who was Harry S. Truman?
Wrote the Truman Doctrine March 1947 - US will stop expansion of communism
What happened at the Potsdam Conference? The Potsdam Declaration?
• Potsdam Declaration – July 26, 1945
o Says to Japan –Surrender immediately and unconditionally or be annihilated – No response
• Hiroshima – August 6, 1945
• First atomic bomb
• Nagasaki – August 9 1945
Conference - they missed it and didn’t get to vote
What factors when into the decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japanese cities?
• Saved 100,000 lives • Saved Millions of Japanese lives • Japanese were ready for an invasion – estimated 2-3 million lives lost • What was least bad – atomic bomb • Japan not a victim but an aggressor o 2.4 million Japanese deaths o 30 million German war deaths. • 50 – 60 million died in WWII
What happened at Hiroshima and when did it happen?
- Hiroshima – August 6, 1945
* First atomic bomb
How did Japanese leaders react to the dropping of the first atomic bomb?
They thought that it was the only one the US had but had a meeting about it.
Japanese were having a meeting thinking the US only had one atomic bomb
o The emperor didn’t want to give up his power
• Dropped the second bomb while they were in that meeting
Shocked Japanese into surrendering
What factors explain why the Japanese finally made the decision to surrender?
Russians came in 90 days after the war – lied that emperor would stay in power so he would surrender
• Fire bombed after 2nd atomic bomb
• Japan surrenders
When was V-J Day?
Victory of Japan day – V – J Day August 15, 1945
When did China “fall”? When did the Soviets get the Atomic Bomb?
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What was the purpose of the Marshall Plan?
European Recovery Plan To
Prevent war 17 million was denied to prevent the war, but 12 billion was received to give for loans to Europe
What was the Cold War?
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Who gave the “Iron Curtain” speech?
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What was The Long Telegram and who wrote it?
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What was the Truman Doctrine?
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What and when was the Berlin Blockade?
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What was the Berlin Airlift?
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What does NATO stand for?
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Who was Kim Il-Sung?
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When and why did the Korean War start?
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