The Aftermath of WWIIAvoiding the Mistakes of WWI and the Treaty of Versailles

Agenda 05/14/2012

1. Work on Essay

2. The Aftermath of WWII

3. Ch. 37 Notes

• WWII Quiz Wednesday 5/16

• Essay and Notebooks Due Friday 5/18

How did the actions of the US government at the end of WWII compare to actions taken at the end of WWI?

• At the end of WWI, the US Government declined to join the League of Nations even though it was president Wilson’s creation.

• The end of WWII would signify a shift away from isolationism towards internationalism.

• World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), The United Nations (UN)

• Underlying these new organizations were FDR’s 4 freedoms: freedom of speech and expression, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear (1941)

• At the end of WWI, the Treaty of Versailles was used to punish the losing nations.

• At the end of WWII the international community would seek to rebuild belligerent countries.

• War Crimes Tribunals in Germany and Japan

• 22,000 tons of food to Japan in the years after the war.

• Prescribed political reforms (British model)

• Japanese sovereignty in 1951 • Germany split into four zones

• Shift from private to public• The GI Bill (1944) approved a

comprehensive set of benefits for returning soldiers, all funded by the government.

• Unemployment compensation• Loans for homes (4.3 million by

1955)• Aid for education and vocational

training (2.3 million went to college and 7 million got job training)

• Cheap business and farm loans• Expansion of the middle class

and suburbanization.• African Americans sought to

take advantage of new opportunities, but faced discrimination.

Chapter 37 Section 1

Read section 37.1 and then consider the following: as WWII draws to a close after V-J Day, what are the likely concerns of the following groups of Americans (think back to the postwar tensions of WWI)

returning American GI

woman who worked in U.S. defense industry

U.S. president

U.S. military leader

Chapter 37 Section 2-3Actions Taken by the US

Description of the Action

Did the US Learn From Past Mistakes at the End of WWII?

Read each section and note 4 actions taken by the US at the end of WWII for section 37.2 and 4 actions for section 37.3.

Describe the action in detail. Who was involved? What was done? Why was the action taken? Etc.

Explain whether or not you believe that this action was an example of the US learning from past mistakes (e.g. in comparison to the end of WWIChapter 37 Section 4

1. Read section 37.4 and describe the GI Bill of Rights and the ways that it affected the lives of WWII veterans.

2. Note at least two important actions taken by African Americans and two by women in the years after World War II.

3. Evaluate each action based on the question, After World War II, were these Americans treated differently than in the past? Explain your answer.

Remember:

• WWII Quiz Next Class (5/16)

• Notebooks and Essays Due Friday (5/18)