World War II

As America struggled under the burden of depression and cautiously stood behind FDR, the nations of Europe had chosen their lot. Benito Mussolini in Italy and Adolf Hitler in Germany both ruled through repression, demonstrating the power, and effectiveness in times of crisis, of tyranny. Particularly Hitler, who led an impoverished Germany back to Europe's main stage, preached a message of recovery and bitterness that Germans welcomed with open arms, electing him Chancellor in 1933. By '37 he was ready to seek revenge for the failures of his predecessors, but he wanted to wait until the time was right. Twenty years after the Treaty of Versailles humiliated Germany, the blitzkrieg tore into Poland. Six months later, France's Maginot Line failed miserably in the face of German mechanization. With mainland Europe under his thumb, Hitler aimed for England. He failed to take the island, signaling the beginning of the end of his dream of a Third Reich. After the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, the Arsenal of Democracy hit full stride. With unprecedented commitment at home and abroad, the American war machine rocketed the nation from underneath the decade-long depression. Skilled leadership, coupled with key blunders by Hitler, led the Allied nations to VE-Day, Victory in Europe. In the Pacific, after months of brutal fighting with never-say-die Japanese, America unleashed a weapon that would define the next 50 years - the Atomic Bomb. In August of 1945, the war was over. Democracy had defeated tyranny in a conflict whose size and scope had never been seen before. And may never be seen again.


Elected Chancellor in 1933, Adolf Hitler spearheaded Germany's recovery from depression with messages of unity (Ein Folk = One People) and authority (Ein Reich = One Reich, or reign; Ein Fuhrer = One Leader). In speeches laced with memories of bitterness and hopes of greatness, Hilter became an idol to the German people. Even his feelings about Jews were consistent with how many other Germans already felt. On September 1, 1939 his quest for empire began .	Consistent with our isolationist recent past, America wanted nothing to do with another European war. Anti-war sentiment was high, demonstrated by this poster front the America First Committee urging the nation to Keep Our Boys at Home.	As Hitler stormed through Europe and Japan through eastern Asia, America remained militarily (though not politically or economically) neutral. But on December 7, 1941, the will of nation changed forever. A surprise attack by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor triggered declarations of war and calls for revenge against the Japanese. In addition, England's prayers of American entry into the war with Germany would be answered.

Less than a year after being elected to his third term, Roosevelt signed the declaration, beginning the second great crisis of his administration. In his speech on Dec 8, 1941 to Congress he promised, "with the unbounding determination of our people - we will gain the inevitable triumph."	With men enlisting by the millions, the campaign on the home front began. Charged with giving men the materials they needed to win the war, civilians, particularly women, headed to the factories. Rosie the Riveter, above, became a symbol of the power and influence that women held regarding the outcome of the war.	One of the places that produced the implements of war was California, a state that became a haven for Okies and Arkies who fled the dust-ridden Midwestern plains. Above, women welders at a California plane factory. Women took over many jobs traditionally held by men.

Even if citizens did not hold a factory job, they were encouraged, more so by friends and neighbors than by Uncle Sam, to do their part. Above, a woman showcases the scrap metal that was needed by American industry. Slap Scrap on the Jap became a popular scrap campaign phrase.	The degree of social control and conformity during the war was immense. Liberty became smothered by necessity. Even freedoms that defined American life, like freedom of speech took a back seat to Victory. Most Americans willingly made sacrifices because propaganda convinced them their actions played a significant role in the outcome of the war.	One of the military turning points of the war was the Battle of Midway, an all-air, all-carrier battle in the middle of the Pacific. The photograph above is of a Japanese plane shot down by an American battleship. Following the battle, the Japanese cancelled their planned invasion of the Midway Islands, thus halting the Japanese advance. For the remainder of the war, the Allies, led by Gen. Douglas MacArthur, would pursue the Japanese.

In Europe, the drive to get Hitler began with an invasion of the "soft underbelly" of Italy. But sooner or later, getting Hitler meant breaking through Fortress Europe, the defensive wall Hitler had constructed on the French Atlantic coast. On June 6, 1944, under the supreme command of Gen. Dwight Eisenhower, the Allies disembarked at Normandy, beginning the most important invasion in history. Simply put, at no time has the cause been greater, and at no time neither the courage.	As the Army secured the beaches of France, the Marines continued their island-hopping campaign in the Pacific. Preferring death over surrender, the Japanese struck heavy blows at American fighting men as they pushed toward Japan. The photograph above of Marines raising the flag on Iwo Jima is rumored to have been staged. Irregardless, the image became one that symbolized American strength and victory.	As plans were being made to invade Japan, an operation that was estimated to have 1 million American casualties, tests in New Mexico signaled the beginning of the atomic and nuclear age. The scorched watch above is stopped at 7:15, the time of the second atomic bomb drop at Nagasaki.

Anti-Semitism has deep roots in Europe. With passionate speeches aimed at a willing audience, Hitler blamed Jews for Germany's economic hardships, making them easy scapegoats. Beginning in early '35, Jews were required to wear yellow stars identifying themselves.	The first concentration camps were built in 1935 after passage of the Nuremberg Laws, a series of legislation aimed at defining Jews by distinct As allied soldiers marched across the Rhine, the atrocities of the Nazi regime became evident.	At first believed to be Allied propaganda, the discovery of the death camps brought to light the degree of tyranny and repression Hitler held over Europe. physical characteristics. By 1943, Hitler's Final Solution was underway and most concentration camps became death camps.

Chapter 24
Section One	Section Two
How Treaty of Versailles paved the way for dictatorship	Aggression and Appeasement - know the chain of events
Stalin, Mussolini, Hitler, Tojo and Franco	Blitzkrieg then "Sitzkrieg" (phony war)
Why does American neutrality fail?	Fall of France, Dunkirk and the Battle for Britain
Section Three - to be read AFTER Chapter 25	Section Four
Impact of the Nuremberg Laws and Kristallnacht	Preparations for war begin...how?
"The Final Solution" and the "Master Race"	Arsenal of Democracy = Lend-Lease (1940)
Concentration Camp to Death Camp	Sunken destroyers in the Atlantic...then Pearl Harbor
Chapter 25
Section One	Section Two - European Front
What role did minorities play at the outbreak of war?	How do the Allies prioritize their enemies?
In what ways does the Gov't take-over the economy?	The Atlantic, Stalingrad, North Africa, Italy....then 6 June 1944
Japanese Internment - Why? And what legacy does it leave?	Victory at the Bulge, then Unconditional Surrender
Section Three - Pacific Front	Section Four
MacArthur, Midway and the policy of island hopping	Economic - Why did the war end depression?
Leyte Gulf and the kamikaze	Social - What gains (losses) did minorities experience?
Okinawa, the Manhattan Project and the dropping of the bomb	Political - GI Bill of Rights