1. Chapter 26 The Second World War, 1933-1945

2. Social Changes Amid World War II
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Like the First World War, the Second World War for America was a total war. No sooner did war break out in 1941 then Congress passed the war powers act giving the president and Congress extraordinary powers to regulate the economy on behalf of the war effort. At the same time some 16 million men were drafted into the military service.
The social changes generated by the war were profound. Not only did millions of American women suddenly go into the workforce or into the military, at the same time minority groups such as African Americans, Latinos and Native Americans played important roles in the war effort. African American units fought courageously throughout the war as did Native Americans who served a key role as code talkers--talking in their Native American languages so that the enemy could not decipher what was being said.
Latinos benefited in the sense that they were readily encouraged to move from Mexico into the southwestern American states in order to work in military related plants and farms. All of this served to transform the nature of American society at the same time that Franklin Roosevelt was leading the nation to victory in the Second World War.

3. Foreign Crises Italy and Germany The Expanding Axis
In 1922, Benito Mussolini became the leader of Italy and suppressed all political opposition. Germany named Adolf Hitler chancellor in 1933 and began to rearm, in defiance of the Versailles Treaty. Germany also left the League of Nations.
The Expanding Axis
In 1934, Hitler began taking back for Germany what the Treaty of Versailles had taken away after becoming Chancellor in Jan Rhineland in France, being the neighbor of the Rhineland, refused to respond. Italy attempted to establish a colony by force in Ethiopia in 1935 and in 1937, and Italian and German troops saw action in the Spanish Civil War.
In 1922, Benito Mussolini became the leader of Italy and suppressed all political opposition. Germany named Adolf Hitler chancellor in 1933 and began to rearm, in defiance of the Versailles Treaty. Germany also left the League of Nations.
In 1934, Hitler began taking back for Germany what the Treaty of Versailles had taken away. The Saar Basin was returned in 1934 and the Rhineland in France, being the neighbor of the Rhineland, refused to respond. Italy attempted to establish a colony by force in Ethiopia in 1935 and in 1937, and Italian and German troops saw action in the Spanish Civil War. Also in 1937, Japan’s aggression in China erupted, two years before it would in Europe. The next year saw the union of Austria and Germany by threat of force, and through an agreement with France and Britain at Munich, Hitler retook the Sudetenland. Finally, after completing a nonaggression pact with the USSR, Hitler invaded Poland, on September 1, 1939.

4. I. Peacetime Dilemmas C. The Price of Noninvolvement
1. Fascism in Europe, militarism in Japan
Hitler plotted to avenge defeat in World War I by recapturing territories with German inhabitants, all while accusing Jews of polluting the master race; in Japan, a stridently militaristic government planned to follow the invasion of Manchuria in 1931 with conquests extending throughout Southeast Asia.
3. Cash and carry policy
Roosevelt and Congress worried that would hurt the economy; the Neutrality Act of 1937 established the “cash-and-carry” policy, which sought to allow trade but prevent foreign entanglements by requiring warring nations to pay cash for nonmilitary goods and transport them in their own ships.
I. Peacetime Dilemmas
C. The Price of Noninvolvement
1. Fascism in Europe, Militarism in Japan—Fascist governments in Italy and Germany threatened military aggression; Hitler plotted to avenge defeat in World War I by recapturing territories with German inhabitants, all while accusing Jews of polluting the master race; in Japan, a stridently militaristic government planned to follow the invasion of Manchuria in 1931 with conquests extending throughout Southeast Asia.
2. American Neutrality—In the United States, hostilities in Asia and Europe only further reinforced isolationist sentiments; these hostilities and the Nye committee report, which concluded that greedy “merchants of death” had dragged the United States into World War I, prompted Congress to pass a series of neutrality acts between 1935 and 1937.
3. Cash-and-Carry Policy—Some Americans wanted a total embargo on trade with all warring countries, but Roosevelt and Congress worried that would hurt the economy; the Neutrality Act of 1937 established the “cash-and-carry” policy, which sought to allow trade but prevent foreign entanglements by requiring warring nations to pay cash for nonmilitary goods and transport them in their own ships.
4. Undermining Peace—Cash and carry helped the economy, but also undermined peace; this desire for peace in France, Britain, and the United States led Germany, Italy, and Japan to launch offensives on the assumption that the Western democracies lacked the will to oppose them; Hitler marched on the Rhineland; Italy conquered Ethiopia; Japan instigated the deadly Rape of Nanking.
5. The Spanish Civil War—In Spain, a bitter civil war broke out in 1936 when fascist rebels led by General Francisco Franco and supported by Germany and Italy attacked the democratically elected Republican government; with no opposition from the West, fascism triumphed.
6. Moderating Isolationism—Hostilities in Europe and Asia alarmed Roosevelt and other Americans; Roosevelt sought to persuade Americans to moderate their isolationism and tried to find a way to support the victims of fascist aggression; proposed that the United States “quarantine” aggressor nations; ignited a storm of protests from isolationists; strength of isolationist sentiment convinced Roosevelt that he needed to maneuver carefully if the United States were to help prevent fascist aggressors from conquering Europe and Asia and leaving America an isolated and imperiled island of democracy.

5. 1937, Japan’s aggression in China erupted, 2 years before it would in Europe saw the union of Austria and Germany by threat of force, and through an agreement with France and Britain at Munich, Hitler retook the Sudetenland. Finally, after completing a nonaggression pact with the USSR, Hitler invaded Poland, on September 1, 1939.

6. II. The Onset of War
2. Appeasement
prime minister Neville Chamberlain went to Munich in September 1938 and offered Hitler terms of appeasement, giving the Sudetenland to Germany if Hitler agreed to leave the rest of Czechoslovakia alone; Hitler agreed, but he never intended to honor his promise; in March 1939, he marched the German army into Czechoslovakia and conquered it without firing a shot.
3. The Nazi-Soviet alliance
April 1939, Hitler demanded that Poland return the German territory it had been awarded after World War I; Britain and France assured Poland they would go to war with Germany if Hitler invaded the country; but Hitler negotiated with his enemy, the Soviet premier Joseph Stalin, offering concessions in exchange for Stalin’s promise that he would refrain from joining Britain and France in opposing Germany’s invasion of Poland.
II. The Onset of War
A. Nazi Aggression and War in Europe
1. Austrian Anschluss—Under the spell of isolationism, Americans passively watched Hitler’s relentless campaign to dominate Europe; in 1838, he bullied Austria into accepting incorporation with the Nazi Third Reich.
2. Appeasement—British prime minister Neville Chamberlain went to Munich in September 1938 and offered Hitler terms of appeasement, giving the Sudetenland to Germany if Hitler agreed to leave the rest of Czechoslovakia alone; Hitler agreed, but he never intended to honor his promise; in March 1939, he marched the German army into Czechoslovakia and conquered it without firing a shot.
3. The Nazi-Soviet Alliance—In April 1939, Hitler demanded that Poland return the German territory it had been awarded after World War I; Britain and France assured Poland they would go to war with Germany if Hitler invaded the country; but Hitler negotiated with his enemy, the Soviet premier Joseph Stalin, offering concessions in exchange for Stalin’s promise that he would refrain from joining Britain and France in opposing Germany’s invasion of Poland.
4. Blitzkrieg—At dawn on September 1, 1939, Hitler unleashed the blitzkrieg on Poland; after the Nazis overran Poland, Hitler paused for a few months before launching a westward blitzkrieg that smashed through Denmark, Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and France.
5. French Surrender—By mid-June 1940, France had surrendered the largest army in the world, signed an armistice that gave Germany control of the entire French coastline and nearly two-thirds of the countryside, and installed a collaborationist government at Vichy in southern France headed by Philippe Pétain.
6. The Battle of Britain—The new British prime minister, Winston Churchill, vowed that Britain, unlike France, would never surrender to Hitler; held off Germany at the Battle of Britain; but Churchill knew he needed American help.

8. Adolf Hitler
Hitler performs the Nazi salute at a rally.

9. Aggression in Europe, 1935–1939
Keeping in mind the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, explain why Hitler began his campaign of expansion by invading the Rhineland and the Sudetenland. Why would Hitler have wanted to retake the Polish Corridor? Why did the attack on Poland begin World War II, whereas Hitler’s previous invasions of his European neighbors did not?

10. War Clouds The Conquest of Poland
Arguing that Germany required Lebensraum, or living space, Hitler invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, with an army of 1.5 million soldiers and thousands of vehicles.
The Polish army fell before the full brunt of the German assault. Sixteen days after Poland was invaded by the Germans from the west, the Soviet Union attacked them from the east. These two nations divided Poland among themselves.
U.S. Neutrality--FDR immediately declared the United States to be neutral in regard to the war in Europe. He did request that Congress revise the Neutrality Acts to allow the Allies access to U.S. ports.
Arguing that Germany required Lebensraum, or living space, Hitler invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, with an army of 1.5 million soldiers and thousands of vehicles. The Polish army fell before the full brunt of the German assault. Sixteen days after Poland was invaded by the Germans from the west, the Soviet Union attacked them from the east. These two nations divided Poland among themselves.
FDR immediately declared the United States to be neutral in regard to the war in Europe. He did request that Congress revise the Neutrality Acts to allow the Allies access to U.S. ports.

11. Japanese Troops in Beijing
July 1937
Japanese troops enter Beijing after the clash at the Marco Polo Bridge.

12. Foreign Crises, continued
Degrees of Neutrality
Isolationist feelings in the United States grew more profound after the Nye Committee in the Senate reported their findings that U.S. involvement in the Great War had come about through the role of bankers and munitions makers.
Congress passed the Neutrality Acts, which prevented the shipping of key materials to aggressor nations.
After Hitler invaded Czechoslovakia in 1939, FDR began to understand the magnitude of Hitler’s ambitions.
He persuaded Congress to modify the Neutrality Acts to allow sales of war material to nations that paid in cash and shipped their goods back home on their own vessels.
Isolationist feelings in the United States grew more profound after the Nye Committee in the Senate reported their findings that U.S. involvement in the Great War had come about through the role of bankers and munitions makers. Congress passed the Neutrality Acts, which prevented the shipping of key materials to aggressor nations. After Hitler invaded Czechoslovakia in 1939, FDR began to understand the magnitude of Hitler’s ambitions. He persuaded Congress to modify the Neutrality Acts to allow sales of war material to nations that paid in cash and shipped their goods back home on their own vessels.

13. The Debate over America’s Role
The Storm in Europe
Blitzkrieg
Following the invasion of Poland, the Axis remained quiet until the next spring. Then, on April 9, 1940, Germany launched a “Lightening Strike” against Demark and Norway. By May 21, they had reached the English Channel and British forces still on the continent were forced to escape at Dunkirk. By June 14, France had fallen.
The Debate over America’s Role
Of the Allies in the Great War, only England remained. FDR began sending supplies to Great Britain to keep them in the fight. In a “ports-for-ships” deal, Great Britain received fifty destroyers in return for leases on bases in the Caribbean. The first peacetime draft was initiated in September 1940.
Following the invasion of Poland, the Axis remained quiet until the next spring. Then, on April 9, 1940, Germany launched a “Lightening Strike” against Demark and Norway. By May 21, they had reached the English Channel and British forces still on the continent were forced to escape at Dunkirk. By June 14, France had fallen.
Of the Allies in the Great War, only England remained. FDR began sending supplies to Great Britain to keep them in the fight. In a “ports-for-ships” deal, Great Britain received fifty destroyers in return for leases on bases in the Caribbean. The first peacetime draft was initiated in September 1940.

14. French surrender
mid-June 1940, France had surrendered the largest army in the world, signed an armistice that gave Germany control of the entire French coastline and nearly two-thirds of the countryside, and installed a collaborationist government at Vichy in southern France headed by Philippe Pétain.
6. The Battle of Britain
prime minister, Winston Churchill, vowed that Britain, unlike France, would never surrender to Hitler; held off Germany at the Battle of Britain; but Churchill knew he needed American help.

15. The London “Blitz”
An aerial photograph of London set aflame by a German bombing raid in Winston Churchill’s response: “We shall never surrender.”

16. Roosevelt’s Third Term
The “Arsenal of Democracy”
FDR was the first president to seek, and win, a third term as president. The Republicans ran Wendell Willkie, who was very similar to FDR’s own views. FDR won by 5 million votes, and an electoral landslide.
Avoiding complications with laws forbidding loans to nations who had defaulted, FDR would initiate the lend-lease program, whereas he was given the right to give away any war material he believed necessary to the defense of the United States.
By June 1941, Hitler controlled most of Europe, and then he attacked the USSR.
FDR was the first president to seek, and win, a third term as president. The Republicans ran Wendell Willkie, who was very similar to FDR’s own views. FDR won by 5 million votes, and an electoral landslide.
Avoiding complications with laws forbidding loans to nations who had defaulted, FDR would initiate the lend-lease program, whereas he was given the right to give away any war material he believed necessary to the defense of the United States. By June 1941, Hitler controlled most of Europe, and then he attacked the USSR.

17. Hitler’s Wehrmacht raced across the Russian plains and Nazi U-boats tried to choke off supplies to Britain and the Soviet Union, Roosevelt met with Churchill and signed the Atlantic Charter, which called for, among other things, freedom of the seas and the right of national self-determination.

19. The Storm in the Pacific
Japanese Aggression
FDR would further limit the exporting of American goods to that nation, eventually cutting off oil, scrap, and iron shipments. Japanese leaders realized that in order for their attacks on the Pacific Islands to be successful, the U.S. Pacific Naval Fleet had to be eliminated.
The Attack on Pearl Harbor
December 7, 1941, Japanese planes bombed eight U.S. battleships, destroying three and damaging the others. In total, nineteen ships were sunk or disabled. More than 2,400 people were killed and over 1,700 were wounded.
By this point, Japan’s invasion of China had bogged down, and it was forced to look elsewhere for the natural resources to fuel its war machine. These items were readily available in the Pacific islands. As Japan became more aggressive, FDR would further limit the exporting of American goods to that nation, eventually cutting off oil, scrap, and iron shipments. Japanese leaders realized that in order for their attacks on the Pacific Islands to be successful, the U.S. Pacific Naval Fleet had to be eliminated.
After diplomatic meetings to negotiate an end to Japanese involvement in China broke down, the Japanese government approved plans to bomb the U.S. Navy at anchor in Pearl Harbor. On December 7, 1941, Japanese planes bombed eight U.S. battleships, destroying three and damaging the others. In total, nineteen ships were sunk or disabled. More than 2,400 people were killed and over 1,700 were wounded. At the same time the Japanese were bombing Pearl Harbor, other fleets were seizing key American holdings in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The next day, FDR asked for a declaration of war and received it. On December 11, Italy and Germany declared war on the United States.

20. Pearl Harbor
December 7, 1941, Japanese planes attacked the American fleet at Pearl Harbor on the Hawaiian island of Oahu and sank or disabled eighteen ships, killing more than 2,400 Americans
the Japanese scored a stunning tactical success at Pearl Harbor, but in the long run, the attack proved a colossal blunder
apanese overconfident; united Americans in their desire to fight and avenge the attack.

21. Explosion of the USS Shaw
The Explosion of the USS Shaw
The destroyer exploded after being hit by Japanese warplanes at Peal Harbor. The Shaw was repaired shortly thereafter and went on to earn eleven battle stars in the Pacific campaign.

27. Japanese Expansion Before the Attack on Pearl Harbor
Why did the Japanese want to control French Indochina and the Dutch East Indies? Why did Japan sign the Tripartite Pact with Germany and Italy?

28. A Nation at War-16 million in military
Mobilization at Home
A Nation at War-16 million in military
Economic Conversion- created War Production Board to centralize control from industrial to war production.
Financing the War- sell bonds
Economic Controls
Congress authorized the Office of Price Administration in 1942 to set limits on prices to prevent inflation and price gouging. Businesses and workers did not like these limits, but whenever a group went out on strike, the government took control of their companies and sent them back to work.
Domestic Conservatism-the 1942 election pushed Congress toward control by the Republicans. Now Congress would abolish most of the New Deal programs.
The bombing of Pearl Harbor ended any debate over intervention. By the time the war ended, 16 million men and women were in the military.
Due to FDR’s foresight, the economy had already begun to gear up for war production through the lend-lease plan. The creation of the War Production Board allowed for a centralized control of the nation’s conversion from industrial to war production.
Instead of raising taxes to finance the war, Congress forced FDR to sell bonds to raise funds. By this point, the economy had gone from one in which people could not find jobs to one in which there were not enough workers to meet demand.
Congress authorized the Office of Price Administration in 1942 to set limits on prices to prevent inflation and price gouging. Businesses and workers did not like these limits, but whenever a group went out on strike, the government took control of their companies and sent them back to work.
Although FDR had won by a landslide in 1940, the 1942 election pushed Congress toward control by the Republicans. Now Congress would abolish most of the New Deal programs.

29. War Production Board
This 1942 poster features caricatures of Benito Mussolini, Adolf Hitler, and Hideki Tojo.

30. Social Effects of the War
Mobilization in the West and South
expansion of the defense industry after 1940 opened up new incentives for workers to move west. Populations of the newer states to the Union would skyrocket during this era.
Changing Roles for Women
With millions of men enlisting in the military, women found themselves open to opportunities that previously had been closed. Women became toolmakers, lumberjacks, blacksmiths, and so on.
The expansion of the defense industry after 1940 opened up new incentives for workers to move west. Populations of the newer states to the Union would skyrocket during this era.
With millions of men enlisting in the military, women found themselves open to opportunities that previously had been closed. Women became toolmakers, lumberjacks, blacksmiths, and so on.

31. Civil Rights and World War II
African Americans in World War II
African Americans in Uniform
Although they were enlisted, black soldiers were kept in segregated facilities from their white counterparts. Separate accommodations were kept for training them as well, such as the flight school at Tuskegee, Alabama. Although racial violence did erupt during this time, it did not reach the extent of the incidents that occurred during World War I.
African American leaders during this time fought for civil rights and were emboldened by the job opportunities the war created in the North. During the war, millions of African Americans left the South for these jobs.
Although they were enlisted, black soldiers were kept in segregated facilities from their white counterparts. Separate accommodations were kept for training them as well, such as the flight school at Tuskegee, Alabama. Although racial violence did erupt during this time, it did not reach the extent of the incidents that occurred during World War I.

32. Tuskegee Airmen, 1942
One of the last segregated military training schools, the flight school at Tuskegee trained African American men for air combat during the Second World War.

33. Civil Rights and World War II, continued
The Double V Campaign-attempt by civil rights leaders to promote democracy at home as well as abroad.
Mexicans and Mexican Americans-The growth of Mexican-Americans in Los Angeles promoted a week-long riot known as the zoot-suit riot, after the popular suits of the time.
Native Americans-Almost one-third of all eligible Native Americans served in the armed forces. Due to their distinct native languages, they were integrated from the start into every military branch to serve as code talkers, as no enemy was able to decipher their native languages.
The Double V campaign was an attempt by civil rights leaders to promote democracy at home as well as abroad.
In order to meet the wartime demands for their crops, southern farmers begin to recruit Hispanic workers from Mexico at harvest time. The growth of Mexican-Americans in Los Angeles promoted a week-long riot known as the zoot-suit riot, after the popular suits of the time.
Native Americans supported the war effort more than any other ethnic group in the United States. Almost one-third of all eligible Native Americans served in the armed forces. Due to their distinct native languages, they were integrated from the start into every military branch to serve as code talkers, as no enemy was able to decipher their native languages.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, opposition to the war was almost nonexistent, and as a result, civil liberty abuses were fewer in number. As opposed to the last war, German Americans and Italian Americans did not face the stigma they had previously. The same could not be said for Japanese Americans. Over 100,000 of them were forced from their homes and businesses to relocate to camps. This was done to prevent spies from gaining information and also to protect them from the anti-Japanese hysteria that ran rampant after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

34. Discrimination against Japanese Americans
Over 100,000 of them were forced from their homes and businesses to relocate to camps. This was done to prevent spies from gaining information and also to protect them from the anti-Japanese hysteria that ran rampant after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

35. Navajo “Code Talkers”
The Japanese were never able to break the Native Americans’ codes used by signalmen, such as those shown here during the Battle of Bougainville in 1943.

36. A Farewell to Civil Rights
American troops escorted Japanese Americans by gunpoint to remote internment camps.

37. The Allied Drive toward Berlin
War Aims and Strategy
top priority was given to attacking Hitler and aiding the Allies in Europe. Once done, the Allies turned their full attention to Japan. The signing of the Atlantic Charter in 1942 established a joint war effort that would only end with a joint peace with the Axis Powers. No separate peace treaties were allowed.
The North Africa Campaign-
first American forces battled the Axis in North Africa, where over 200,000 Germans and Italians surrendered in May At a meeting at Casablanca, Winston Churchill and FDR agreed that only the unconditional surrender of the Axis Powers would end the war.
When the United States entered World War II, top priority was given to attacking Hitler and aiding the Allies in Europe. Once done, the Allies turned their full attention to Japan. The signing of the Atlantic Charter in 1942 established a joint war effort that would only end with a joint peace with the Axis Powers. No separate peace treaties were allowed.
The first American forces battled the Axis in North Africa, where over 200,000 Germans and Italians surrendered in May At a meeting at Casablanca, Winston Churchill and FDR agreed that only the unconditional surrender of the Axis Powers would end the war.

38. World War II in Europe and African, 1942–1945
What was the Allies’ strategy in North Africa, and why was it important for the invasion of Italy? Why did Eisenhower’s plan on D-day succeed? What was the Battle of the Bulge? What was the role of strategic bombing in the war? Was it effective?

39. The Allied Drive toward Berlin
The Battle of the Atlantic- radar and breaking of the enigma code of Germany allowed Allies to transport goods without fear of uboats.
Sicily and Italy
Allies next advanced to the island of Sicily and then invaded Italy. Mussolini would be removed from power and Rome was captured on June 4, 1944.
Thanks to radar and the breaking of Germany’s submarine communication code, none of the troopships crossing the Atlantic were lost.
From Africa, the Allies next advanced to the island of Sicily and then invaded Italy. Mussolini would be removed from power and Rome was captured on June 4, 1944.

40. Major General George S. Patton
Patton commanded the U.S. invasion of Sicily, the largest amphibious action in the war up to that point. He believed that war “brings out all that is best in men.”

41. The Allied Drive toward Berlin, continued
The Tehran Meeting-FDR, Churchill, and Stalin agree to fight until Japan defeated
The Strategic Bombing of Europe-
Americans bombed during the day when the missions had greater accuracy but were more dangerous. The British bombed at night when it was safer
D-Day and After
It was up to the Allied forces under Dwight D. Eisenhower to defeat this “Atlantic Wall” in order to invade France. On June 6, 1944, D-Day began. Over 5,300 vessels carried 370,000 soldiers across the English Channel. After two weeks, 1 million troops had landed in France, and on August 25, Paris was liberated.
At a meeting in Tehran, Iran, FDR, Churchill, and Joseph Stalin agreed that all three would continue to fight until Japan was defeated.
Bombing of Germany was a constant event. Americans bombed during the day when the missions had greater accuracy but were more dangerous. The British bombed at night when it was safer. This was not thought of as the British failing to pull their own weight, but as a right earned since they had been involved from the start.
Hitler had concentrated his forces on the areas most likely to be used for an invasion attempt from England. It was up to the Allied forces under Dwight D. Eisenhower to defeat this “Atlantic Wall” in order to invade France. On June 6, 1944, D-Day began. Over 5,300 vessels carried 370,000 soldiers across the English Channel. After two weeks, 1 million troops had landed in France, and on August 25, Paris was liberated.
The advances in Europe by Allied forces resulted in a shortage of gasoline. Eisenhower chose to slow down the advance and wait until supply had caught up with demand before beginning another push toward Germany.

42. General Dwight D. Eisenhower
Eisenhower instructing paratroopers before they boarded their airplanes to launch the D-day assault.

43. The Landing at Normandy
D-day, June 6, 1944
Before they could huddle under a seawall and begin to root out the region’s Nazi defenders, soldiers on Omaha Beach had to cross a fifty-yard stretch that exposed them to bullets fired from machine guns housed in concrete bunkers.

44. Roosevelt’s Fourth Term
A New Age Is Born
Roosevelt’s Fourth Term
The Republicans nominated Thomas Dewey. FDR easily won his party’s nomination. He also won the presidency again.
Converging Military Fronts
At the Battle of the Bulge, December 16, 1944, German forces counterattacked in a last-chance strike to drive the Allies into the sea. Once defeated, the Germans had little but token resistance to offer the Allies as they poured into Germany.
The Republicans nominated Thomas Dewey. FDR easily won his party’s nomination. He also won the presidency again.
At the Battle of the Bulge, December 16, 1944, German forces counterattacked in a last-chance strike to drive the Allies into the sea. Once defeated, the Germans had little but token resistance to offer the Allies as they poured into Germany.

45. A New Age Is Born, continued
Yalta and the Postwar World
the Yalta Conference in 1945, the Big Three (FDR, Churchill, and Joseph Stalin) met again to discuss the shape of the postwar world. Also, they would address the need for the creation of a new world security organization, which would become the United Nations, to replace the defunct League of Nations.
Yalta’s Legacy
Although many blame the Yalta Conference for recognizing Soviet domination of Eastern Europe, at the time Soviet forces already controlled those areas and only another war would have driven them out.
At the Yalta Conference in 1945, the Big Three (FDR, Churchill, and Joseph Stalin) met again to discuss the shape of the postwar world. Also, they would address the need for the creation of a new world security organization, which would become the United Nations, to replace the defunct League of Nations.
Although many blame the Yalta Conference for recognizing Soviet domination of Eastern Europe, at the time Soviet forces already controlled those areas and only another war would have driven them out.

46. The Yalta Conference
Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin confer on the shape of the postwar world in February 1945.

47. The Collapse of Nazi Germany
The War’s End
The Collapse of Nazi Germany
FDR did not live to see the end of World War II. He would die on April 12, 1945.
Hitler’s Germany would collapse less than a month later. Allied forces from the east would meet with Soviet forces from the west on April 25, and Mussolini would be killed on April 28.
Hitler would commit suicide on April 31. On May 2, Berlin fell, and on May 7, the German army surrendered.
FDR did not live to see the end of World War II. He would die on April 12, Hitler’s Germany would collapse less than a month later. Allied forces from the east would meet with Soviet forces from the west on April 25, and Mussolini would be killed on April 28. Hitler would commit suicide on April 31. On May 2, Berlin fell, and on May 7, the German army surrendered.

48. May 8, 1945
The celebration in New York City’s Times Square on V-E day.

49. Setbacks in the Pacific
A World War
Setbacks in the Pacific
Allied possessions in Guam, Wake Island, Hong Kong, and elsewhere fell to Japanese forces. The vital supply line from India to China, the Burma Road, was cut off by the Japanese, and Manila in the Philippines fell, leaving thousands of American soldiers prisoners of war, to be beaten and killed on the infamous Bataan Death March.
However, a group of B-52s would attack Tokyo in 1942 from the carrier Hornet, showing the Japanese that the United States was not out of the fight.
The early part of 1942 was not good for the Allies. Allied possessions in Guam, Wake Island, Hong Kong, and elsewhere fell to Japanese forces. The vital supply line from India to China, the Burma Road, was cut off by the Japanese, and Manila in the Philippines fell, leaving thousands of American soldiers prisoners of war, to be beaten and killed on the infamous Bataan Death March. However, a group of B-52s would attack Tokyo in 1942 from the carrier Hornet, showing the Japanese that the United States was not out of the fight.
At the Battle of the Coral Sea, American vessels actually took more damage than their enemy, but they were able to repulse the Japanese threat to Australia. The next major engagement came at the Battle of Midway, where the Japanese lost four carriers and the Americans lost only one, plus a destroyer. From this point on, the Japanese navy would be on the defense for the rest of the war.

50. Coral Sea and Midway
At the Battle of the Coral Sea, American vessels actually took more damage than their enemy, but they were able to repulse the Japanese threat to Australia.
The next major engagement came at the Battle of Midway, where the Japanese lost four carriers and the Americans lost only one, plus a destroyer. From this point on, the Japanese navy would be on the defense for the rest of the war.

51. MacArthur in New Guinea
Leapfrogging in Tokyo
MacArthur in New Guinea
commander of Allied forces in the Pacific, charged with retaking the islands for the assault on Japan. At the Battle of the Bismarck Sea, eight Japanese troopships and ten warships were sunk. From this point, Japan chose not to reinforce any island being attacked. This allowed the Allies to attack an island, allow the Japanese forces to stop sending supplies, and then move to the next one. The first island would be allowed to wither and die, while the Allies “leaped” to another one.
Battles in the Central Pacific
Admiral Chester Nimitz took the vital island of Saipan in the Marianas Island chain. Saipan was close enough to Japan that B-29 bombers would be able to reach it without risking fuel shortages.
The next stop was to retake the Philippines. The army landed on October 20, Japan, realizing the importance of the raw materials there to its war effort, launched a three-pronged naval assault on the U.S. forces there.
At the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the largest naval engagement in history, the Japanese lost most of their remaining naval forces and began to use kamikaze attacks
General Douglas MacArthur was the commander of Allied forces in the Pacific, charged with retaking the islands for the assault on Japan. At the Battle of the Bismarck Sea, eight Japanese troopships and ten warships were sunk. From this point, Japan chose not to reinforce any island being attacked. This allowed the Allies to attack an island, allow the Japanese forces to stop sending supplies, and then move to the next one. The first island would be allowed to wither and die, while the Allies “leaped” to another one.
Admiral Chester Nimitz took the vital island of Saipan in the Marianas Island chain. Saipan was close enough to Japan that B-29 bombers would be able to reach it without risking fuel shortages. The next stop was to retake the Philippines. The army landed on October 20, Japan, realizing the importance of the raw materials there to its war effort, launched a three-pronged naval assault on the U.S. forces there. At the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the largest naval engagement in history, the Japanese lost most of their remaining naval forces and began to use kamikaze attacks.

52. World War II in the Pacific, 1942–1945
What was “leapfrogging”? Why were the battles in the Marianas a major turning point in the war? What was the significance of the Battle of Leyte Gulf? How did the battle at Okinawa affect the way both sides proceeded in the war? Why did President Truman decide to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

53. General Douglas MacArthur
MacArthur (center) theatrically coming ashore at the island of Leyte in the Philippines, October 1944.

54. A Grinding War against Japan
A New Age of War
A Grinding War against Japan
On February 19, 1945, Marines invaded Iwo Jima, whose only use was that of an emergency landing strip for crippled planes. After 20,000 casualties and 7,000 deaths, the island fell to the Americans. The horrific loss of life in these battles led the government to look for ways other than manpower to end the war.
The Atomic Bomb
From the start of the war, Hitler had been working on an atomic bomb. FDR had realized this and insisted that the United States had to have it first.
By August 1945, the bomb was ready, and Truman ordered it to be used on Japan if it did not surrender before August 3. On August 6, the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, obliterating 80,000 lives in an instant. Two days later, the Soviets finally declared war on Japan. The next day, August 9, the second atomic bomb was dropped on the port city of Nagasaki, killing 36,000. Finally, Japan surrendered and the war was over.
With the war in Europe over, the battles in Japan took center stage. On February 19, 1945, Marines invaded Iwo Jima, whose only use was that of an emergency landing strip for crippled planes. After 20,000 casualties and 7,000 deaths, the island fell to the Americans. The horrific loss of life in these battles led the government to look for ways other than manpower to end the war.
From the start of the war, Hitler had been working on an atomic bomb. FDR had realized this and insisted that the United States had to have it first. By August 1945, the bomb was ready, and Truman ordered it to be used on Japan if it did not surrender before August 3. On August 6, the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, obliterating 80,000 lives in an instant. Two days later, the Soviets finally declared war on Japan. The next day, August 9, the second atomic bomb was dropped on the port city of Nagasaki, killing 36,000. Finally, Japan surrendered and the war was over.

55. The Aftermath of Little Boy
This image shows the wasteland that remained after the atomic bomb Little Boy decimated Hiroshima in 1945.
The most horrific war in human history had come to an end. Over 70 million fought in the war, of which 25 million died. Civilian deaths numbered greater than 24 million. When the war ended, the American people realized that the isolationist ways they had returned to after World War I could not be countenanced again.

56. Please visit the Student Site for more resources:
This concludes the Lecture PowerPoint presentation for Chapter 26 The Second World War,
Please visit the Student Site for more resources: