■ american reaction to the outbreak of wwii ■ thursday 10/18/12 thursday 10/18/12
TRANSCRIPT
■American Reaction to the
outbreak of WWII
■ Thursday 10/18/12
■ Essential Question:–What was the U.S. response to
the outbreak of World War II?
■ Warm-Up Question:–Germany, Italy, Britain, & USA all
experienced an economic depression in the 1930s
–Germany & Italy turned to dictators, while the USA & Britain used democracy to elect leaders
–How were the totalitarian leaders different from democratic ones?
America’s Response to World War II: Read Situation #1 (1930—1938)
Answer: DAnswer: D
America’s Response in the 1930s■ America’s response to the rise of
totalitarianism was isolationism:–Congress passed the Neutrality
Acts (1935-1937) that outlawed weapons sales to nations at war & required trade during wartime to be done on foreign ships
–Americans protested when FDR tried to convince world leaders to
“quarantine” aggressor nations
America’s Response to World War II: Read Situation #2 (1939)
Answer: CAnswer: C
America’s Response in 1939
■ To help Britain & France defeat Germany, Congress passed the “cash-and-carry” provision:
–Amended the Neutrality Acts to allow arms sales to the Allies
–But Allied nations had to agree to pay in cash & transport supplies on their own ships
America’s Response to World War II: Read Situation #3 (1940)
Answer: DAnswer: D
America’s Response in 1940-1941
■ By 1940, Britain needed U.S. aid to hold off the German assault:–The Lend-Lease Act allowing the
U.S. to send war supplies to Allied nations & transport goods to Europe on armed U.S. ships
–FDR began preparing America for a possible war by calling for the 1st ever peacetime draft
Lend-Lease Act of 1941
The United States will become the “Arsenal of Democracy”
America’s Response to World War II: Read Situation #4 (1941)
Answer: DAnswer: D
America’s Response in 1941■ The success of the Axis Powers in
Europe brought the USA closer to an undeclared war on Germany
–FDR gave the navy & merchant ships authority to fire on u-boats
–FDR secretly drafted the Atlantic Charter with Churchill: planned a war strategy if the USA entered WWII & a post-war United Nations
America’s Response in 1941■ The USA attempted to stop
Japanese aggression in Asia:
–FDR wanted to protect U.S. territories & allies in the Pacific
–The USA created an embargo & stopped selling iron & oil to Japan
–Hideki Tojo sent an envoy to negotiate a resolution, but secretly plotted to attack the U.S.
America’s Response to World War II: Read Situation #5 (1941)
Answer: CAnswer: C
America’s Response in 1941■ The Japanese attack on Pearl
Harbor on Dec 7, 1941 brought the USA into World War II–On Dec 8, Congress declared
war on Japan–On Dec 11, Germany & Italy
declared war on the U.S.■ The USA had to fight a two-front
war in Europe & Asia; Despite the attack by Japan, FDR viewed Germany as the immediate threat