US HISTORY: SPICONARDI WWII: Neutrality to War

Foreign Policy What was America’s foreign policy in the 1920s?  Isolationism Why would this policy continue into the 1930s?  Great Depression; had to focus on the economy and domestic issues

Isolationism? Really? T HE W ASHINGTON N AVAL C ONFERENCE ( ) T HE W ASHINGTON N AVAL C ONFERENCE ( ) – U.S. hosted a naval conference in which it negotiated reductions in the navies of Britain, France, Italy, Japan, & the U.S. itself K ELLOGG -B RIAND P ACT (1928) K ELLOGG -B RIAND P ACT (1928) – an international agreement in which participant states promised not to use war to resolve "disputes or conflicts of whatever nature or of whatever origin they may be, which may arise among them"

Do you recognize the cartoonist? Why did Americans believe they could remain neutral? Dr. Seuss The separate beds meant they were separated by an ocean. Europe’s diseases wouldn’t spread to America

How does this cartoon contradict the beliefs of the American public illustrated in the previous cartoon?

Neutrality Acts Neutrality Act of 1935  The President of the United States was banned from  Selling arms  Providing loans  Giving an form of assistance to nations involved in war  All U.S. citizens traveling on warring ships, did so at their own risk Neutrality Act of 1936  Extended the 1935 act for additional 14 months  However, it exempted civil wars

What is the message of this Dr. Seuss political cartoon?

According to Dr. Seuss, why did some Americans support neutrality?

What is Dr. Seuss’ criticism of the U.S.’s neutrality policy?

Neutrality Acts Neutrality Act of 1937  Forbids sale of arms to countries involved in civil wars  Prohibits U.S. citizens from traveling on belligerent ships  U.S. ships could not transport passengers or articles to belligerent nations  Cash and Carry  U.S. could sell materials to belligerents if They paid cash Arranged for the transportation of those materials

Lend-Lease Act Cash and Carry left the Allies short on cash Lend-Lease (1941)  U.S. could sell or lend war materials to “any country whose defense the President deems vital to the defense of the United States”  FDR vowed to keep the U.S. out of war, but the country would become the “arsenal of democracy” FDR signing the Lend-Lease Act into legislation

Lend-Lease Act If your neighbor’s house is on fire, you don’t sell him a hose. You lend it to him and take it back after the fire is out.

Pearl Harbor Japanese Aggression  After the Nanjing Massacre, the U.S. supported China through the Lend-Lease Act  Embargoes and Sanctions US froze Japan’s assets in America US refused to trade oil, steel and rubber to Japan Japan needed these resources to continue its imperial march in the Pacific

Pearl Harbor Tripartite Pact (1940)  Japan, Germany, and Italy made an agreement that if a country not involved in WWII attacked one of the three, the others would come to that countries aid In November 1941, U.S. intercepted Japanese messages, which revealed an assault in the Pacific was imminent

Pearl Harbor Japan believed attacking Pearl Harbor would cripple the US Pacific Fleet for 18 months, thus allowing them to continue their plans for a Greater East Asia Co- Prosperity Sphere.

Pearl Harbor The Japanese attacked in two waves. The first wave of Japanese planes were detected on radar, but believed to be US bombers coming from California.

Pearl Harbor Stats 2,340 military killed 48 civilian killed 1,143 military wounded 35 civilian wounded

D ECEMBER 7, 1941: A DATE THAT WILL LIVE IN INFAMY The attack on Pearl Harbor prompted FDR to ask Congress for a declaration of war  Congress votes 477 – 1 in favor of war

War Germany & Italy declares war on the U.S. on December 11, 1941