After WWI, the U.S. assumed a selective isolationist foreign policy Americans wanted to maintain the economic boom of the 1920s & desperate for an answer to the depression in the 1930s
But, the U.S. did play an active role in attempts at international disarmament & economic stability
In the 1920s, the most divisive international issue was war debts: European nations owed the U.S. $10 billion; Attempts to reclaim these debts led to anti-American sentiment in Europe
When Germany could not repay $33 billion in reparations, the U.S. negotiated the Dawes Plan
The U.S. Foreign Debt Commission canceled a large portion of these debts, but insisted that some of the money be repaid
In 1924, Hoover negotiated a reduction in German debt, an extended time period to
repay debts, & U.S. loans to help Germany make payments to France & England
The Dawes Plan helped stabilize the German economy, allowed Germany to repay the
Allies, and helped France & England repay their debts to the United States
The USA never joined the League of Nations, but did play a role in attempts to avoid future wars: At the Washington Washington Disarmament ConferenceDisarmament Conference in 1921, world leaders agreed to disarmament, free trade, & collective security
In 1928, almost every nation, including the USA, signed the Kellogg-Briand PactKellogg-Briand Pact, renouncing war as a tool of foreign policy
The USA, England, Japan, Italy, & France signed the Five-Power Treaty & agreed to limit
construction of battleships & aircraft carriers
The Nine-Power Treaty reaffirmed the Chinese Open-Door Policy
England, USA, Japan, France signed the Four-Power Treaty agreeing to collective security
But, neither the Nine- or Four-Power Acts had provisions to enforce these agreements
These agreements did not last: Japan needed raw materials to
continue its industrial expansion Japan began to create an Asian
empire by attacking Manchuria in 1931 & China in 1937
In both occasions, the League of Nations reprimanded Japan but chose no punitive measures
“Peace in our time”
In the 1930s, FDR & Congress were preoccupied with the Great Depression to adequately plan for new world conflicts involving totalitarian dictators
The rising threat of war in Europe & Asia strengthened Americans’ desire to avoid involvement in another world war
The “merchants of death” charges were led by North Dakota Senator Gerald Nye from 1934 to 1936: Reaction to the Nye CommitteeNye Committee report
led to popular support to avoid making the same mistakes that led America to enter WW1
Congress passed 3 neutrality acts to avoid future wars
The Neutrality Act of 1935 banned arms sales to nations at war & warned citizens not to sail on belligerent ships
The Neutrality Act of 1936 banned loans to any warring nation
The Neutrality Act of 1937 made the 1935 & 1936 acts permanent & required all trade to be on a cash & carrycash & carry basis
As Europe headed toward war, FDR openly expressed his favor for intervention & took steps to ready the U.S. for war In 1937, FDR unsuccessfully tried to
convince world leaders to “quarantine the aggressors”
Everything changed in 1939 with the Nazi-Soviet Pact & the German invasion of Poland
But…FDR was able to get $1 billion from Congress to expand the U.S. navy
When WW2 began in 1939, Congress imposed a cash & carry policycash & carry policy to aid the Allies: The U.S. would trade with the Allies but
would not offer loans The U.S. would not deliver American
products to Europe In addition, FDR traded 50 old
destroyers with England for 8 naval bases in Western Europe
“The destroyer-for-bases deal is the most important action in the reinforcement of our national defense that has been taken
since the Louisiana Purchase” —FDR
FDR responded with all-out aid to the Allies but did not call for warBased upon the Neutrality Acts
of 1935-1937
Isolationists Were appalled by
this departure from neutrality & FDR’s involvement of the U.S. in foreign war
Their “fortress of America” idea argued that Germany was not a threat to the U.S.
Interventionists Groups like the
Committee to Committee to Defend America Defend America by Aiding the by Aiding the AlliesAllies called for unlimited aid to England
They argued that the events in Europe did impact the security of U.S.
St. Louis Dispatch headline: “Dictator Roosevelt
Commits Act of War”
“The future of western civilization is being decided
upon the battlefield of Europe” —CDAAA chair, William
Allen White
By 1940, “interventionists” had the majority of American public sentiment on their side: in 1940, Congress appropriated $10
billion for preparedness FDR called for America’s first ever
peacetime draft In the election of 1940, FDR was
overwhelmingly elected for an unprecedented 3rd term
By 1940, England remained the only active opposition to Hitler but was running out of money
FDR called for a Lend-Lease ActLend-Lease Act: U.S. can sell or lend war supplies to
Allied nations Congress put $7 billion to allow England
full access to U.S. arms
U.S. Cash and Carry Program
England desperately needed help escorting U.S.-made supplies through the u-boat infested Atlantic FDR allowed for U.S. patrols in the
western half of the Atlantic German attacks on U.S. ships in 1941 led
to an undeclared naval war between USA & Germany
U.S. Cash and Carry Program
In 1941, FDR & Churchill met to secretly draft the Atlantic CharterAtlantic Charter: The U.S. & Britain discussed a military
strategy if the USA were to enter the war They discussed post-war goals of free
trade & disarmament In 1941, Germany broke the Nazi-
Soviet Pact & invaded Russia
FDR brought U.S. to the brink of war & opened himself to criticism: In Sept 1941, polls showed 80% of
Americans supported remaining neutral in WW2
FDR had to wait for the Axis to make a decisive move…which Japan delivered on Dec 7, 1941
Japan took full advantage of the European war to expand in Asia: Attacked coastal China Seized French & Dutch colonies in East
Indies & Indochina Signed the Tripartite PactTripartite Pact with Germany
& Italy in 1940 FDR retaliated against Japan with
fuel, iron, & oil sanctions
The U.S. now faced a possible 2-ocean war…
…but Germany was still seen as the primary danger
In 1941, the U.S. & Japan were unable to diplomatically resolve their differences, so the USA: Froze all Japanese assets in USA Banned all oil sales to Japan
Hideki Tojo sent an envoy to negotiate for a resolution…but secretly ordered an attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor
U.S. wanted the Japanese removed
from China
Japan wanted an end to sanctions & a free
hand to China
This was really a stall tactic intended to hide Japanese military preparations
for an attack on Pearl Harbor
On Dec 7, 1941, the U.S. naval fleet in the Pacific was crippled by the attack; 8 battleships
were sunk & 2,400 Americans were killed
After Pearl Harbor: Congress declared war against Japan on
Dec 8, 1941 Italy & Germany declared war on the
U.S. on Dec 11, 1941 American public opinion was now
fully behind the war effort to defeat the fascist threat in Europe & to seek revenge against Japan
WW2 impacted all aspects of American life: FDR hoped the U.S. would be the great
“arsenal of democracy” The boost of wartime industry ended the
Great Depression The war altered the lives of women,
African-Americans, Japanese-Americans, & Mexican-Americans
■ To win wars in Asia & Europe & meet civilian demands, the U.S. gov’t grew to its largest size ever:– The War Powers ActWar Powers Act gave the president
unprecedented power– New bureaucracies were formed to direct
the economy, create propaganda, sell war bonds, & prevent enemy subversion
The power to create new gov’t agencies
to censor the press
to limit civil liberties & seize personal property
The Office of War Mobilization coordinated
the draft, consumer prices, & the labor force
The Office of War Information
directed press, print, radio, &
film propaganda
The Office of Strategic Services gathered enemy intelligence & conducted espionage
This is 2x as much as all previous gov’t spending combined
The U.S. gov’t spent $250 million per day from 1941 to 1945
War bonds helped raise $187 billion to support
the war effort
Buy, Buy, Buy, Buy a Bond:Buy, Buy, Buy, Buy a Bond:It Will Lead to VICTORY!It Will Lead to VICTORY!
Buy, Buy, Buy, Buy a Bond:Buy, Buy, Buy, Buy a Bond:It Will Lead to VICTORY!It Will Lead to VICTORY!
■ The most decisive factor for Allied victory was America’s ability to outproduce both Germany & Japan– Heavy industry was converted to war &
was directed by the War Production War Production Board (WPB)Board (WPB)
– 15 million U.S. soldiers fought but 60 million workers & farmers supplied them with supplies
U.S. made 2x more goods than Germany & 5x more than Japan
Ford made one B-24 bomber every hour
The war presented new economic opportunities for women: Dramatic rise in employment (14 million
to 19 million by 1945) Most new female workers were married,
many middle-aged Entered “exclusively male” fields Temporarily redefined “woman’s sphere”
from “just at home”
““Rosie, the Riveter”Rosie, the Riveter”““Rosie, the Riveter”Rosie, the Riveter”
S..t..r..e..t..c..h That Food!S..t..r..e..t..c..h That Food!S..t..r..e..t..c..h That Food!S..t..r..e..t..c..h That Food!
Women’s Army Air Women’s Army Air Corps PilotsCorps Pilots
Women’s Army Air Women’s Army Air Corps PilotsCorps Pilots
Join the Women’s Join the Women’s Army Corps Army Corps
(WACs)(WACs)
Join the Women’s Join the Women’s Army Corps Army Corps
(WACs)(WACs)
Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES)
■ 1 million blacks served in U.S. military but few saw combat
■ Discrimination in the workforce led A. Philip Randolph to pressure FDR to create a Fair Employment Practices Fair Employment Practices CommitteeCommittee
■ Continued black migration into the North & West made race relations a national issue
Banned discrimination in defense industries & gov’t
Segregated units…againSegregated units…againSegregated units…againSegregated units…again
Tuskegee Airmen
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
■ Mexican-Americans:Mexican-Americans:– Served in quasi-segregated military
units, often in the most hazardous branches
– Mexican-American workers found jobs in SW agriculture & west coast industry
– Faced discrimination, especially during the Zoot Suit Riots
Due to Pearl Harbor, many in the U.S. feared Japanese-Americans were helping prepare for a Japanese invasion in the West
Civil liberties were restricted: Issei had their assets frozen Used racial stereotypes (“Japs”) In 1942, FDR ordered 112,000 Japanese-
Americans moved to internment camps
Japanese who were not American citizens living in the U.S.
Families were given one week to close their businesses & homes
In 1944, FDR used the war to strengthen his leadership: “Mr. New Deal” had shifted to “Mr. Win
the War” Opponent Thomas Dewey made
communism & FDR’s health the focus of the election
FDR switched VPs from liberal Henry Wallace to moderate Harry Truman to gain appeal