1. Unit 7.4 – World War II
#6 Impact of WWII

2. Essential Question:
What was the impact of World War II on the United States and the world?
Warm-Up Question:
Why was Truman’s decision to use atomic bombs so important?

3. Total War on the Battlefront

4. World War II

5. Total War – What was its impact?
As with WWI, World War II used total war tactics:
On the battlefront, blitzkrieg tactics were used, cities were firebombed, kamikaze attacks & atomic bombs were used
On the homefront, gov’ts used propaganda, conscription, rationing, & raised money to win the war

6. Hitler used a new “lightning war” tactic called blitzkrieg that relied on using strong attacks by air raids & tanks to take over new territories
Unlike WWI, WWII was not a war of attrition in Europe; these battle lines moved

7. In August 1945, the USA dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima & Nagasaki
The Allies used napalm to firebomb Dresden, Germany & Tokyo, Japan
Germany bombed London in the & Japan attacked Pearl Harbor
, the Allies used napalm to bomb Dresden in Germany & Tokyo in Japan

8. Total War on the Homefront

9. The U.S. Government
To win wars in Asia & Europe & meet civilian demands, the U.S. gov’t grew to its largest size ever:
The War Powers Act gave the president power to expand the gov’t & limit liberties (censorship)
The gov’t imposed rations, sold war bonds, drafted soldiers
War Production Board directed factories to produce war supplies so that the Allies could out produce the Axis Powers
The U.S. gov’t spent $250 million per day from 1941 to 1945
This is 2x as much as all previous gov’t spending combined

10. Mobilizing Soldiers: The Draft

11. Buy, Buy, Buy, Buy a Bond: It Will Lead to VICTORY!
War bonds helped raise $187 billion to support the war effort
Buy, Buy, Buy, Buy a Bond: It Will Lead to VICTORY!

12. Paying for the War

13. Paying for the War

14. Paying for the War

15. WWII propaganda: was directed by the Office of War Information

16. The War Mobilization Board oversaw production of war equipment
Henry Ford’s factories made one B-24 bomber every hour

17. The War Mobilization Board oversaw production of war equipment
Pre-fabrication allowed shipbuilders to make a battleship in 14 days (rather than 355 days)

18. American Home Front in WWII Consumers

19. Consumers Business & farm profits doubled
War production stimulated the economy & created new jobs:
Business & farm profits doubled
Wages rose & people wanted to buy, but wartime production led to shortages of consumer goods
Office of Price Administration fixed prices & distributed ration books to save gas, meat, butter
Americans recycled & planted victory gardens for the war effort

20. Wartime Ration Books

22. Victory Gardens

23. Wartime production led to shortages on consumer goods

24. American Home Front in WWII GIs

25. GIs
When the USA declared war, the military needed soldiers to fight a two-front war in Europe & Asia:
6 million men volunteered
10 million more were drafted
Everything soldiers were given was “government issue” so WWII became known as “GIs”
Homesickness among soldiers was common

26. Preparing for a jump into Nazi-occupied France

27. Marines at Iwo Jima

28. GIs missed the freedoms of “home”
GIs with movie star Marlene Dietrich

29. American Home Front in WWII African Americans

30. African Americans
During WWII, African Americans fought in the military & at home:
The war led to factory jobs & increased the Great Migration of blacks in the North & west coast
African Americans faced racial discrimination; civil rights leader A Philip Randolph forced FDR to offer equal pay for black workers by creating the Fair Employment Practices Commission

31. African Americans
During WWII, African Americans fought in the military & at home:
More than 1 million black soldiers served in segregated units under the command of white officers
Unlike WWI, black soldiers were allowed to fight; the “Tuskegee airmen” in the U.S. military were recognized for heroism & bravery

32. Artist: Jacob Lawrence

33. Randolph led the “Double V” campaign: victory at home & abroad
A. Philip Randolph threatened a “March on Washington” to protest war time discrimination
Other groups, like the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), staged sit-ins in restaurants in major cities to protest discrimination

34. African Americans fought in segregated units
Tuskegee Airmen

35. American Home Front in WWII Women

36. Women
World War II led to opportunities for women in the workforce & military:
6 million women entered the workforce, many did clerical work but others did “men’s work”
200,000 women joined special, noncombat military units
Led to an increase in daycare centers & child delinquency
After the war, women were forced out of high-paying factory jobs

37. “Rosie, the Riveter”

38. Women’s Army Corps (WACs)

39. Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES)

40. Women served as military nurses & photographers

41. American Home Front in WWII Japanese Americans

42. Japanese-Americans
Due to Pearl Harbor, people feared that Japanese-Americans were spying or helping prepare for a Japanese invasion of the USA
In 1942, FDR issued Executive Order 9066 which ordered 112,000 Japanese-Americans to move to internment camps
The Japanese in camps faced bad living conditions & a lack of rights
Faced racial stereotypes (“Japs”)

43. Executive Order 9066 forced Japanese Americans into internment camps

46. The Costs of WWII

47. End of the War in Europe Yalta Conference (Feb 1945)
USA, England, Russia met twice before WWII ended to discuss the reconstruction of Europe after the war:
Yalta Conference (Feb 1945)
Potsdam Conference (July 1945)

49. Yalta Conference
In February 1945 (while the war was still being fought), the “Big Three” Churchill (England), Roosevelt (USA), Stalin (USSR) met in Yalta, USSR to discuss Europe after WWII
This is FDR’s last meeting (died in April 1945)

50. Yalta Conference At Yalta, the Allies discussed:
The Axis Powers must unconditionally surrender
The League of Nations should be replaced by a United Nations to keep the peace after the war
Germany would be divided into occupied zones to help rebuild
Eastern European nations have the right to choose to be democratic or communist

51. Potsdam Conference (Stalin, Truman, Churchill) US President FDR died in April & VP Harry Truman became the new President

52. Potsdam Conference
Stalin broke his promise at Yalta & began pressuring Eastern European countries to become Communist
After Germany surrendered, the USA, England, & USSR met at Potsdam, Germany to discuss the end of the war
Two important things happened

53. At Yalta, Stalin agreed to allow self-determination in Eastern Europe
Potsdam Conference
Potsdam ended any sense of friendship between the USA & USSR & began an era of bitterness & distrust called the Cold War
At Yalta, Stalin agreed to allow self-determination in Eastern Europe
Germany was divided into 4 occupied zones: 3 were democratic & 1 was communist
By Potsdam, Stalin had extended his control over Eastern Europe to create a buffer zone between the USSR & its future enemies
Potsdam presents a major Cold War theme: Because they could not agree on how do govern Europe, Truman & Stalin divided it

54. Potsdam Conference
President Truman was told that the atomic bomb was ready
Truman issued the “Potsdam Declaration” & told Japan to unconditionally surrender OR face "prompt & utter destruction"

55. The Effects of World War II

56. Each member of the Executive Council has veto power over other members
The U.S., U.S.S.R, England, France, & Nationalist China made up the Executive Council
Each member of the Executive Council has veto power over other members
The creation of the United Nations
An army!
All 50 member nations were represented on the General Assembly

57. Cold War
When the World War II finally ended, 2 superpowers remained: US & USSR
USA—capitalist & democratic; USSR— communist
Different beliefs led to a Cold War & a fight for supremacy throughout the world VS

58. Group Challenge Let’s see how much you know about WWI and WWII.
In groups, brainstorm to come up with as many similarities and differences as you can think of between WWI and WWII.
Make sure that they are significant, but be as comprehensive as possible…you are competing against the other groups!

59. Some Key Similarities
Total war: Draft, rationing, war bonds, victory gardens, government direction of the wartime economy (WIB vs WPB), limitations on liberties
Women work doing “men’s jobs” in factories
Segregated units for African American soldiers; Great Migration
League of Nations was in existence

60. Some Key Differences
More African American soldiers fought; Great Migration WEST
Japanese internment camps
Fighting in Europe AND the Pacific
Trench warfare vs. blitzkrieg
Atomic bombs used
6 million women JOINED the workforce
1st peacetime draft
United Nations replaced the L of Nations

61. WWII Discussion
Some historians consider WWII to be a continuation of WWI.
Do you agree with that assessment? Why or why not?
It has been argued that the events of WWII caused the Cold War.

62. After Quiz Read Pages 770-807 Answer ?s on pgs 777, 783, 792 & 807
1-3 a,b, and c.