U.S. Involvement Good Neighbor Policy – 1933: Idea of nonintervention among nations, especially in Latin America

Nonneutral Neutrality Neutrality Acts (1936): prohibited sale of weapons to nations at war 2/3 of Americans thought participation in WWI was a mistake Roosevelt asked for $1.3 billion for military in 1939

Nazi Aggression Breaks Treaty of Versailles Takes Rhineland Annexes Austria Munich Conference – gets Sudetenland, then invades rest of Czechoslovakia

Appeasement Policy of avoiding conflict by giving in on issues League of Nations: refused to take stand on Hitler or Japan U.S. in midst of Depression; Europe wants to avoid another conflict

Hitler in Europe Blitzkrieg – Starts WWII with attack on Poland French surrender – Maginot Line Miracle of Dunkirk – 338,000 escape Vichy France – allows Germany to conserve troops Battle of Britain – Churchill urges them to fight on despite bombings

Japan Rise of military leaders Need to expand because of industrialization Invades Manchuria in 1931, and then invades mainland China in 1937

Fascism Strict class system; nationalism; strong dictatorship/totalitarianism; private ownership Don’t confuse with communism, which believes in equality Examples: Hitler & Mussolini

Mussolini Seized power in the 1920s because king feared uprising by the people Mussolini allied himself with Hitler; made small reforms that helped the Italian people, which kept him popular (big promises)

Attack on Russia Hitler breaks promise and attacks Russia when he sees that he can’t invade Great Britain Hitler makes mistake in slowing down attack and winter hits, which helps Russia withstand attack Battle of Stalingrad turns tide in war

Pearl Harbor Japan feels like they need to do something because U.S. cuts off oil supplies in Nov Japan wants to cripple Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor – Dec. 7, 1941 attack

D-Day Allied invasion into Europe

Turning Points of WWII El Alamein – N. Africa: British start to push Nazis out of N. Africa Midway – U.S. starts to push Japan into retreat Stalingrad – Soviets counterattack and Germany loses generals and starts to retreat

End of War in Europe March, 1945 – Allies push into Germany April, 1945 – Soviets surround Berlin Hitler marries then commits suicide May 7, 1945 – Eisenhower accepts unconditional surrender of Nazis FDR had died, so Truman was President

End of War in Asia Island-Hopping Guadalcanal Philippines Iwo Jima Okinawa

Decision to drop A-Bomb Aug. 6, 1945: U.S. drops bomb on Hiroshima… Why? Aug. 9, 1945: U.S. drops another on Nagasaki Hirohito quits on Aug. 15; Japan surrenders to MacArthur on Sept. 2, 1945 to end WWII