World War II

Franklin D. Roosevelt U.S. President President for most of WWII U.S. representative at the Yalta Conference

Adolf Hitler Germany Chancellor Dictator of Germany Known for his attempt to exterminate Jews from Europe

Emperor Hirohito Japan Emperor Japan’s god-like leader More of a figurehead

Tojo Hideki Japan President Ran the show for Japan

Benito Mussolini Italy Dictator Established fascism in Italy

Winston Churchill England Prime Minister U.S.’s biggest ally Met with FDR in Canada for the Atlantic Charter Also at Yalta & Potsdam Conferences

Joseph Stalin Soviet Union Prime Minister Leader of the Soviet Union during WWII & beginning of the Cold War Took part in Yalta & Potsdam Conferences

Harry Truman U.S. President President for the end of WWII Decided to drop atomic bomb on Japan Represented U.S. at Potsdam Conference

Dwight D. Eisenhower U.S. Supreme Allied General Supreme Allied Commander of Europe In charge of D-Day operation

Douglas MacArthur U.S. Pacific General U.S. commander in the Pacific

Charles de Gualle France Exiled leader Ran “French” gov’t from exile in England

Chiang Kai-Shek China President U.S. backed leader of the Nationalist Party

Francisco Franco Spain Dictator Set up a totalitarian state in Spain

Fascism A political philosophy that advocates a strong, centralized, nationalistic gov’t headed by a powerful dictator

Nazism Political philosophy based on extreme nationalism, racism, and militaristic expansionism

Appeasement Giving in to aggressor demands to keep peace

America Prepares for War

Neutrality Acts of 1935 & 1937 U.S. would stay totally neutral in European conflicts Whose advice? _____________________ George Washington

Lend – Lease Program U.S. would lend money and weapons to British & Soviets; who would return them or replace them after the war. “You break it, you buy it!”

Atlantic Charter FDR meets with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in Canada to discuss plans if the U.S. enters the war

Draft First peacetime draft in U.S. for men 21 – 45 years old

WWII Pearl Harbor The following is a list of how many people were killed on Dec. 7, 1941 as a result of the Japanese attack upon Pearl Harbor. ▫US Navy  2,008 KIA ▫USMC  109 KIA ▫US Army  218 KIA ▫Civilians  68 Total 2,403

110 minutes ~ 7:55am -9:45am Close to 2/3 of those who died occurred in the first 15 minutes of the battle when the Oklahoma, Utah and the Arizona were bombed. Japanese Casualties: ▫64 dead ▫1178 wounded

Military Strength GI – Government Issue 3 months

Women in WWII 20 – 49 years old 2 years of high school Non-combative units 2 million replaced men in factories Got 60% less pay

Blacks in WWII One million entered; 500,000 served overseas Were segregated Over a million blacks, Indians, & Mexican – Americans entered the workforce Even more blacks moved north to cities

Japanese Americans in WWII Called the Nesei (ne – say) Also were segregated Received more decorations than other minority combat units

Victory in Europe D-Day Allied invasion of Europe Allies land on beaches of Normandy, France Dwight D. Eisenhower was the supreme Allied Commander VE-Day Victory in Europe Day (May 8, 1945)

Victory in Pacific Island – hopping U.S. military tactic of liberating one island at a time in the Pacific Gen. Douglas MacArthur Commander of U.S. fleet in the Pacific Liberated the Philippines

ATOMIC BOMB Ends war quickly Saves an estimated 1 million U.S. military casualties Japanese civilian casualties Don’t know long- term side effects of weapon

WWII Injustices Korematsu v. United States Because Japanese – Americans were seen as a threat to the war and national security, their constitutional rights could be taken away. They were rounded up from the west coast and sent inland to be guarded by the military in internment camps

Nuremberg Trials Convicted Nazi war criminals (Holocaust) Officials (head honchos) could be held accountable for you actions

Yalta Conference (Feb. 1945) Participants (FDR, Churchill & Stalin)

1.Germany would be divided into 4 parts a. (U.S., England, France, USSR would control a zone)

2. Free election in Poland (not kept)

3. Plans for a United Nations International peace-keeping organization set up after World War II

4. USSR pledges to declare war on Japan

5. USSR would recognize Chiang Kai- Shek’s democratic Chinese government (not kept)

6. Soviet Union would have influence in Eastern Europe

Potsdam Conference (July 1945) Participants Truman, Churchill, and Stalin

Terms of Conference German’s war reparations based on how much they could afford Soviet – U.S. spheres of influence around the world Discussion over the atomic bomb