Diplomacy & Foreign Policy Towards WWII

The United States issued the Stimson Doctrine, named for Sec. of State Henry Stimson

-this doctrine stated that the US would refuse to recognize any government that was establish through force

• Hoover pursued friendly relations with our Latin American neighbors

• Hoover ended the interventionist policies of Wilson and Taft

• Weaknesses of the League of Nations exposed as they were unable to prevent Japan’s aggression into Manchuria and maintain peace

Roosevelt pursued the “Good Neighbor Policy” with Latin America, a continuance of the policy of Hoover

The rise of militarist dictators in Europe (Hitler, Stalin) led the Latin American nations to seek out American aid & intervention

Roosevelt consented to Latin American requests in multiple ways Pan-American Conferences-US pledges non-

intervention Cuba- US nullifies Platt Amendment (US troops still in

Cuba after Spanish-American War) Mexico- Roosevelt refused to intervene when Mexico

seized corporate property, he urged negotiation

The London Economic Conference This was meant to stabilize world currencies

(Germany), but failed to reach any significant progress due to lack of US support

Recognition of the Soviet Union Roosevelt thought this would improve trade and

open new markets, ideology often takes a back seat to economics

The Philippines The US passed a bill to grant the Filipinos

independence by 1946 Reciprocal Trade Agreements

The US would lower tariff rates for any country that also lowered theirs.

Military dictatorships arise in Italy, Japan and Germany

All pursued expansionist policies to get more land or natural resources

America responded with neutrality acts Sen. Gerald Nye led a commission to

investigate why we entered WWI They found that it was largely based on the

interest of manufacturers and bankers The America First Committee was

developed to sway public opinion toward islationism

• Neutrality Acts of 1935• If countries went to war, the US would not

trade arms or weapons with them for 6 months

• Any nonmilitary goods sold to nations at war would have to be paid for up front and would have to be transported in non-American ships (aka. “cash and carry”)

• 1939: FDR asks Congress to pass this to allow the cash and carry sale of arms to countries at war, (Britain, France)

the policy of giving in to the demands of a potentially hostile nation in the hope of maintaining peace

Did this work?

Ethiopia (1935) Mussolini invaded the African nation and

conquered it as a show of fascist might Rhineland (1936)

A DMZ according to the Versailles Treaty, Hitler marched troops in open defiance

China (1936) Japan invades China, Japan sunk a US

vessel, we quickly accepted an apology Sudetenland (1938)

Hitler asserts Germany’s right to take over this strip of Czechoslovakia because of its German speaking population

An agreement in Munich, Germany permitting the Nazi German annexation of Czecholslovakia’s Sudetenland among the major powers of Europe without the presence of Czechoslovakia.

The Sudetenland were areas along Czech borders, mainly inhabited by ethnic Germans.

Today, it is widely regarded as a failed act of appeasement toward Nazi Germany.

Roosevelt was limited in his responsive capabilities by American isolationist sentiment

Like Wilson in 1916, Roosevelt argued and got a build-up of military budgets and material

In March of 1939 Hitler violates the Munich Treaty (Sudetenland) and occupies all of Czechoslovakia

In August of 1939 Germany signed a non-aggression pact with Soviet Union (agreed not to attack each other)

In September of 1939, Germany invades Poland with their blitzkrieg tactic (a swift intensive military attack, especially using tanks supported by aircraft, designed to defeat the opposition quickly) starting WWII

Britain & France declare war on Germany & the Axis powers Axis: Germany, Italy, Japan Allies: British, French, US (later), USSR

The war resumed full scale in 1940 as the Germans overwhelm the French in a week

Most Americans were stunned and alarmed at the quick success of the German military

Britain remained the only Allied nation free from German troops

Roosevelt felt that keeping Britain free was vital to Allied success

He arranged a less restrictive neutrality act that said that belligerents could pay cash and buy American weapons if they would pick them up

This policy greatly favored Britain In 1940 Congress enacted the

Selective Service Act for compulsory military service

Roosevelt breaks with tradition and runs for a 3rd term

His opponent is Wendall Wilkie, whose main opposition to Roosevelt stemmed from the 2 term limit

Roosevelt won with 54% of the popular vote

He was aided by a recovery based on defense spending, validating Keynesian Economics and a fear of war which led voters to the more experienced Roosevelt

Results of the Presidential Election 1940

The Four Freedoms Speech, Religion, Want, Fear

Lend-Lease Act Permitted Britain to obtain all

resources on credit, signed in 1941 Atlantic Charter

Agreed to free trade, self-determination and no territorial expansion

There’s a need for another world organization to replace League of Nations—one to “secure” the world

Shoot on Sight American ships should sink German

ships/U-Boats on sight

The US cut off Japan from key raw materials after they joined the Axis powers

Negotiations regarding the embargo proved fruitless

Japan felt that a quick strike against unprepared and limited American forces in the Pacific would be the best tactic

American military officials felt the attack would come in the Philippines and Hawaii was caught off guard

Japanese planes sunk and disabled the entire American fleet in the Pacific

http://www.history.com/topics/pearl-harbor/videos#attack-pearl-harbor

Men drafted into the armed forces after the bombing of Pearl Harbor called them selves “GI’s” Referred to the Government Issued stamp on

their uniforms, tools, weapons, etc. America is forced to fight the war in Europe

& the Pacific Battle of the Atlantic: over 500 US ships were

sunk by German submarines between January & August 1942 as they brought food and supplies to Great Britain

Americans infantry’s 1st battles were in N. Africa

June 1944, Rome surrenders to Americans

D-Day invasion (Saving Private Ryan) on June 6, 1944 Germany had moved in France Dwight D. Eisenhower, Commander of the

Allied Forces planned to invade France by sea This was the beginning of the end of Nazi

Germany By the end of July, over 2 million allied forces

moved into France and were liberating French cities & towns, moving east

Paris was liberated in August

o The last German offensiveAlmost 85,000 American soldiers killed,

wounded or capturedGen. George S. Patton led reinforcements

out from Belgium, forcing Germans to retreat

Germans knew defeat was near

Germany’s “Final Solution” to the Jewish “problem”1941-1945, over 6 million Jews were killedWhen Allied forces found camps, they

usually shot Nazi soldiers on the spotDuring the 1930s, the US State Department

made it difficult for European Jews to immigrate to the US, due to Great Depression

FDR knew camps existed in 1943, but chose not to bomb them, even though Jews wanted them bombed

Americans & British did not want oil reserves to fall to Germans

Fears that Germany & Japan would unite & block British access to India

US est. diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia Americans convinced Turks to stay neutral, allowing

continued allied access to the Mediterranean American troops land in N. Africa in 1942 to plan an

invasion of Italy Americans est. ports in Iran to help Soviets: Iranians were

thankful for the jobs, but complained about disregard for local customs

FDR, Stalin & Churchill met after FDR was elected to a 4th term in 1944 Discussed how to structure post-war Europe

Germany would be split into 4 zones governed by US, France, Britain & Soviet Union, Berlin (located in Soviet zone) would also be divided

Stalin agreed to allow free elections in countries once controlled by Germay

Soviets joined war against Japan, once Germany surrenderedFailure of Soviet Union to adhere to these decisions

leads to the Cold WarFDR gave concessions on Korea, Manchuria &

outer Mongolia to Soviets in exchange for Soviet help in fighting against Japanese

FDR knew about atomic bomb at this time

By April 1942, Japan took Hong Kong & Singapore from Britain

Gen. Douglas MacArthur controlled a large American & Filipino force in the Philippines Japanese forces land in Philippines & MacArthur

forced to abandoned troops & went to AustrailiaBataan Death March: 75,000 American &

Filippino troops forced to march 60 miles in Bataan Peninsula Over 10,000 were executed or died from weakness

Battle of the Coral Sea: America’s 1st victory in Pacific, American planes launched from aircraft carriers to defeat Japanese troops planning to attack AustrailiaBattle of Midway: June 1942, Japan lost 4 aircraft carriers & over 200 planes, turning point in the war in the Pacific Battle of Guadalcanal: August 1942

Strategy of Island-hopping: allied ships & planes would attack by sea & air, while marines went in on footJapan used kamikaze pilots1944 Battle of Iwo Jima: America lost 25,000 soldiers1944 Battle of Okinawa: 50,000 American soldiers died

Allied troops crossed the Rhine River & met Russians to move into Berlin

April 25, Russians take Berlin Hitler committed suicide on May 1 in his

bunker in Berlin, & Germany surrendered 1 week later

V-E Day (Victory in Europe Day) celebrations in London & Paris

After FDR died in 1945, President Truman was informed about the atomic bombManhattan Project: secret project to build an

atomic bomb that began in Los Alamos, NM (Aug. 1942)

1st successful drop in NM desert in July 1945Aug. 6, 1945 the plane Enola Gay dropped the

1st atomic bomb on Hiroshima Over 75,000 were killed 3 days later, another a-bomb dropped on Nagasaki Japan surrenders next day & America celebrates V-J

Day