World War II: U.S. Isolation and Entry

What Do You Remember about World War II? Hitler rose to power in Germany and they began conquering most of Europe. Italy and Japan sided with Germany. Britain and France stood against Germany. America was staying out of the conflict for now.

America’s Isolation Isolation means to be alone or left out. America did not want to be tangled up in ANOTHER European war. The United States got involved in World War I and thought it was enough.

Slow Progress America already had its own problems at the time. The Great Depression was still widespread in the country. We learned about President FDR’s New Deal which helped put Americans back to work. However, many people were still unemployed. Was this New Deal enough? America needed jobs to end the Depression.

Dilemma President FDR knew if he joined the war effort it would help produce jobs because America could produce war supplies. Most of the population was against the war effort and FDR did not want to put America’s young men into battle. However, the United States still needed a way to cash in on the war waging over in Europe.

Neutrality Acts America wanted to sell war materials to countries involved in World War II without directly getting involved. The United States passed the Neutrality Acts which allows the U.S. to sell war materials to both the Allied and the Axis powers. These Neutrality Acts lasted from 1935 – 1941. The country was split on these Acts because people feared supporting the Nazis while the other half desired to simply stay neutral.

Germany Invades France On May 10, 1940, Germany invaded France and overran it by June 22, 1940. This deeply worried the United States since the U.S. had a close relationship with France. The United States wanted to help only France and Britain but the isolationist public wanted to stay neutral and let Europe sort out their problems.

Hitler in Paris, France. Next to the Eifel Tower

Lend-Lease Policy FDR signs the Lend-Lease Act The United States decided to only help France and Britain after the invasion of France. The U.S. signed the Lend-Lease Policy on March 11, 1941 which meant that the U.S. was only going to support nations fighting against the Axis Powers of Germany, Italy and Japan. This was a violation of neutrality as many saw the United States only aiding certain countries such as Britain. The Axis Powers would see this as a threat and saw America as a potential enemy. FDR signs the Lend-Lease Act

Atlantic Charter This was an agreement between the United States and Britain that declared goals once the war was over. These goals promoted certain freedoms over the seas and land as well as helping countries get back on their feet again once the war was over. This Charter showed the world that America was choosing a side by supporting Britain. It was a further step towards war.

Relations with the Japanese After all of these acts and policies had come into place, the United States stopped supporting Japan. Japan needed supplies from the U.S. and was very angry when the United States stopped. It also appeared very evident that the United States was siding with the Allied powers of Britain, France and Russia (they recently joined the war)not the Axis powers of Germany, Italy and Japan.

Pearl Harbor On December 7, 1941, the United States was attacked by the Japanese The United States had a naval base in Hawaii which was not a U.S. state yet. The result left many battle ships and aircraft lost as well as over 2,000 Americans dead. Check out this recap of the attack on Pearl Harbor: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBdIR7_B3JA Check out these first hand accounts of Pearl Harbor survivors: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BfKfDGRzbg&feature=youtu.be

Pearl Harbor from a Japanese Plane

Pearl Harbor Memorial Today: Placed over the sunken USS Arizona

Declaration of War The United States declared war on Japan one day after the Pearl Harbor attack. Germany and Italy declared war on the United States a few days later. The United States was officially involved in World War II against the Germans and Italians in Europe and the Japanese in the Pacific.

Legacy The United States involvement into World War II officially ended the Great Depression because of the demand for jobs to produce war materials. We will also see that the United States played key parts in the war to help secure victory.