Road to World War II


WORLD WAR II

#1

Discuss by comparing United States foreign policy in Europe during the period 1776-1823, with United States policy in Europe during ONE of the following periods: 1914-1932 or 1933-1950."

#2 - 1988


I. THE FORMATION OF DICTATORSHIPS (1919 - 1932)


I. ITALY

A. COMMUNISM rejected

B. FASCISM

 

OCT. 1922 MUSSOLINI USES FORCE TO TAKE OVER ITALY

1928 MUSSOLINI CONSOLIDATES CONTROL


II. GERMANY
1919 TREATY OF VERSAILLES

A. David Lloyd George and Georges Clemenceau vs. Woodrow Wilson

B. Eng. and Fr. sought revenge and profit.

C. Terms:

JAN. 1923 Occupation of the RUHR - Germany tried to pay debt with inflated money after this
 

NOV. 1923 BAVARIAN PUTSCH

APRIL 1925 HINDENBURG ELECTED
 

1929 GREAT DEPRESSION - Unemployment 40% in Germany

 

1930 Hitler's Nazis Party created / Saar evacuated

JAN. 1933 Hitler becomes Chancellor
FEB. 1933 Reichstag burned
MARCH 1933 Jewish Concentration Camps created
 

MAY 1933 Hitler withdrew from the League of Nations


III. ASIA - CHINA AND JAPAN

A. CHINA

B. JAPAN

1920'S World Depression and high tariffs made it difficult for Japan to obtain raw materials
1930 Japanese military took control of the Parliament with the support of the peasants who blamed
democracy for the bad economic conditions.
JAN 1930 London Naval Conference - ignored by Japan after 1935
 

1931 Japanese control of the puppet state of Manchuria was threatened by Chiang

 

SEPT 1931 JAPANESE ATTACKED MANCHURIA

1933 Japan withdrew from League of Nations
 

1933 Japan renounced naval limitations


US REACTION BETWEEN THE WARS
1920-1921 U.S. Rejects League of Nations - ISOLATION is our new foreign policy
 

NOV. 1921 WASHINGTON NAVAL CONFERENCE

CHARLES EVANS HUGHES - SECRETARY OF STATE (1921-1925)
1922 FORDNEY-MCCUMBER TARIFF - raised tariffs making it difficult for Europe to sell goods to us
  • a. G.B. + France owed U.S. $10 billion
    • $7 billion during war / $3 billion to rebuild
  • b. repayment based on German reparation payments
  • c. Germany couldn't sell to U.S.
  • therefore their economy fell apart allowing Hitler to rise to power.
 

1924 DAWES PLAN - reparations and debt repayment was rescheduled and new loans were made.

AUG 1928 KELLOGG-BRIAND PACT
1929 YOUNG PLAN (J.P. MORGAN)
JAN. 1930 London Naval Conference
1931 HOOVER MORATORIUM ON WAR DEBT
JAN 1932 HOOVER-STIMSON DOCTRINE

FDR AND THE WORLD BEFORE WWII

A. Latin American Policy

1933-1939 GOOD NEIGHBOR POLICY
1933 U.S. RECOGNITION OF THE U.S.S.R.
1934 TYDINGS-MCDUFFIE ACT
1934 WEIMAR GOVT. DISMANTLED - GREAT PURGE - DER FUHRER
1934 JOHNSON DEBT DEFAULT ACT
1934 RECIPROCITY TRADE AGREEMENTS
1934-1936 "MERCHANTS OF DEATH" - GERALD P. NYE
1935 GERMAN REARMAMENT - Required military service
1935 NUREMBERG LAWS - JEWS
AUG. 1935 1ST U.S. NEUTRALITY LAW
OCT. 1935 ETHIOPIA conquered by Italy - The League voted sanctions
 

1935 2nd London Naval Conference ignored by Italy and Japan

1936 RHINELAND
JULY 1936 SPANISH CIVIL WAR - FRANCISCO FRANCO
Oct. 1936 ROME-BERLIN AXIS
MAY 1937 3rd Neutrality Act
JULY 1937 JAPAN INVADED MAINLAND CHINA - their greatest fear was the USSR
OCT 1937 QUARANTINE SPEECH
DEC 1937 PANAY INCIDENT
1938 Mexico Nationalized oil
MARCH 1938 AUSTRIA - ANSCHLUSS
SEPT 1938 SUDETENLAND - MUNICH AGREEMENT - NEVILLE CHAMBERLAIN
DEC 1938 Prince Konoye announces the Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere
MARCH 1939 CZECHOSLOVAKIA invaded
APRIL.,1939 Mussolini takes Albania
AUG 1939 NAZIS-SOVIET NONAGGRESSION PACT - HITLER - STALIN
SEPT.1,1939 POLAND INVADED
SEPT.3,1939 FRANCE AND GREAT BRITAIN DECLARE WAR ON GERMANY WWII BEGINS


CAUSES OF WORLD WAR II

I. TOTALITARIANISM

II. MILITARISM

III. NATIONALISM

IV. IMPERIALISM

V. FAILURE OF APPEASEMENT

VI. LACK OF COLLECTIVE SECURITY

VII. AMERICAN NEUTRALITY


SEPT.1939 US modified Neutrality Acts to allow Cash and Carry to England
1939 DECLARATION OF PANAMA - barred warring nations from the Western Hemisphere
SEPT 1939 Crisis in Europe gave Japan opportunity to attack British and French holdings
Winter 1939 Phony War
NOV 1939 SOVIETS INVADE FINLAND
 

1940 ACT OF HAVANA

APRIL 1940 Germany invades (Parachutes) Norway and Denmark
MAY 1940 Germany invaded Belgium and Holland and entered France - more civilians than soldiers killed
MAY 1940 WINSTON CHURCHILL Replaces Neville Chamberlain
JUNE 1940 FALL OF FRANCE Hitler bypassed the Maginot Line and captured Paris in 6 weeks
 
JULY 1940 BATTLE OF BRITAIN
JULY 1940 Quota on oil and steel established
MID 1940 AMERICA FIRST COMMITTEE FORMED
SEPT 1940 50 DESTROYERS FOR BASES
SEPT 1940 BURKE-WADSWORTH ACT
SEPT 1940 N. Indochina invaded by the Japanese
NOV. 1940 FDR 3rd term
JAN. 1941 Four Freedoms Speech
MAR. 1941 LEND-LEASE TO GREAT BRITAIN
JUNE 1941 HITLER ATTACKS SOVIET UNION - TWO FRONT WAR - 3RD MISTAKE
JULY 1941 Japan invades S. Indochina after Russia was attacked
JULY 1941 US freezes Japanese assets in the US
AUG. 1941 ATLANTIC CHARTER - USS Augusta
AUG 1941 US begins Lend-Lease in China (Chiang)
SEPT 1941 Konoye opens last ditch negotiations
OCT 1941 TOJO REPLACES KONOYE prepares for war on Asia and US
NOV 25, 1941 Japanese fleet leaves for Pearl Harbor from the Kuriles
NOV 29, 1941 Hull rejects last Japanese offer
OCT. 1941 LEND- LEASE TO USSR
OCT. 1941 USS REUBEN JAMES attacked by Germany
NOV 26,1941 Japanese fleet set sail for Hawaii
DEC.7,1941 JAPANESE INVASION OF PEARL HARBOR - Yamamoto
DEC. 1941 GERMANY DECLARED WAR on US then we declared war on them

 

A. When World War I ended, most Americans expected peace and the spread of democracy, instead the Treaty of Versailles caused more problems than it solved, especially in creating political and economic instability, led to some extreme solutions to problems

B. Rise of Dictators (due to eco. conditions caused by WWI and then the Great Depression)


III. Aggression Leads to World War II

A. Could the League keep peace? Would K-B Pact work?

B. Aggression in Europe

C. US Response to Early Aggression

D. Continued Aggression

V. US Reaction to Europe's War (again)

A. Proclamation of Neutrality (Sept. 5, 1939)

B. FDR sent letter to Hitler and Mussolini

C. Additional Responses

D. Blitzkrieg!

E. Debate at Home - What if Great Britain lost?

F. 1940 Election

G. Following reelection

H. Closer to War

VI. The US Goes to War

A. War did come in the fall, but not from events in the Atlantic!

B. Events in the Pacific

C. US Reaction ("economic warfare")

D. War Comes


MOBILIZATION


I. MOBILIZATION OF INDUSTRY

A. Early Attempts at Mobilization Coordination

B. Mobilization after Pearl Harbor - our biggest contribution to victory


II. FINANCING THE WAR - ECONOMIC

A. RECONSTRUCTION FINANCE CORPORATION

B. Economic results of the war


III. MANPOWER MOBILIZATION - SOCIAL

A. LABOR - WAR LABOR BOARD

B. ARMED FORCES

C. WOMEN

B. BLACKS

C. NISEI - 2/42


I. Mobilization - Why would it be easier this time?


II. Impact of Mobilization


The U.S. in World War II

I. The Military Front

II. The European Theater

III. The Pacific Theater


IV. Results of World War II (on U.S. and the world)

 


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