World War II

1 The Road to World War II “Two days after Hitler invaded Poland, President Roosevelt spoke reassuringly to Americans about the outbreak of war in Europe. Although Roosevelt knew that Americans were still deeply committed to staying out of war, he also believed that there could be no peace in a world controlled by dictators. As German tanks thundered across Poland, Roosevelt revised the Neutrality Act of 1935. At the same time, he began to prepare the nation for the struggle he feared lay just ahead. In September of 1939, Roosevelt persuaded Congress to pass a ‘cash-and-carry’ provision that allowed warring nations to buy U.S. arms as long as they paid cash and transported them in their own ships. Providing the arms, Roosevelt argued, would help France and Britain defeat Hitler and keep the United States out of the war. Isolationists attacked Roosevelt for his actions. However, after six weeks of heated debate, Congress passed the Neutrality Act of 1939, and a cash-and-carry policy went into effect. The United States cash-and-carry policy began to look like too little too late. By summer 1940, France had fallen and Britain was under siege. Roosevelt scrambled to provide the British with ‘all aid short of war.’ By June he had sent Britain 500,000 rifles and 80,000 machine guns, and in early September the United States traded 50 old destroyers for leases on British military bases in the Caribbean and Newfoundland. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill would later recall this move with affection as ‘a decidedly unneutral act.’ On September 27 Americans were jolted by the news that Germany, Italy, and Japan had signed a mutual defense treaty, the Tripartite Pact. The three nations became known as the Axis Powers. The Tripartite Pact was aimed at keeping the United States out of the war. Under the treaty, each Axis nation agreed to come to the defense of the others in case of attack. This meant that if the United States were to declare war on any one of the Axis powers, it would face its worst military nightmare – a two-ocean war, with fighting in both the Atlantic and the Pacific. By late 1940, however, Britain had no more cash to spend in the arsenal of democracy. Roosevelt tried to help by suggesting a new plan that he called a lend-lease policy. Under this plan, the president would lend or lease arms and other supplies to ‘any country whose defense was vital to the United States.’ Roosevelt compared his plan to lending a garden hose to a neighbor whose house was on fire. He asserted that this was the only sensible thing to do to prevent the fire from spreading to your own property. Isolationists argued bitterly against the plan, but most Americans favored it, and Congress passed the Lend- Lease Act in March 1941.” ~ The Americans Fascist Aggression: ● Nazi aggression was the underlying cause behind the outbreak of WWII The Failure of the League of Nations: ● The idea of collective security – that peaceful nations would ban together to stop aggressors – failed when major countries [U.S.A. and the U.S.S.R.] failed to join Appeasement: ● In 1938, Hitler annexed Austria and then demanded the Sudetenland, a part of Czechoslovakia

2 ● At the Munich Conference, British and French leaders agreed to give Hitler a part of Czechoslovakia in order to avoid war ● This policy of giving in to the demands of an aggressor is known as appeasement Germany Invades Poland: ● In 1939, Hitler invaded Poland ● Hitler signed a treaty with the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, in which the two agreed to divide Poland; Britain and France declared war. The Neutrality Acts: ● As tensions rose in Europe, Congress passed a series of acts to keep U.S. out of war The Lend-Lease Act, 1941: ● By the end of 1940, Britain stood alone against Nazi aggression. ● Roosevelt proposed the Lend-Lease Act to sell, lease, or lend war materials to “any country whose defense the President deems vital to the defense of the United States” The Atlantic Charter: ● In 1941, Roosevelt told Americans he hoped to establish a world based on “Four Freedoms”: freedom of speech, religion, from want and from fear. ● Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill aboard a warship in the Atlantic discussed their common objectives for a postwar world. ● They signed the Atlantic Charter, laying the foundation for the United Nations. ~ Adapted from The Key to Understanding U.S. History and Government 1- What was the most significant cause of World War II? the 1939 Nazi invasion of Poland. 2- What was the League of Nations? The League of Nations was an international organization the was used to maintain world peace. 3- Define collective security. the cooperation of several countries in an alliance to strengthen the security of each. 4- Why did the League of Nations fail to prevent World War II? it was too weak to enforce disarmament, collective security and negotiation. 5- Identify acts of Nazi aggression before the start of World War II. Hitler annexed 6- Austria and then demanded the Sudetenland, a part of Czechoslovakia 7- Define appeasement. giving people what they want to prevent them from harming you or being angry with you. 8- What happened at the Munich Conference? Britain and France declared war starting WWII in Europe. 9- What event triggered the start of World War II in Europe? Joseph Stalin is a Soviet dictator and he helped Hitler divide Poland in half. 10- Who was Joseph Stalin and how did he initially help Adolf Hitler? Joseph Stalin is a Soviet dictator and he helped Hitler divide Poland in half. 11- What were the Neutrality Acts? Multiple acts to keep U.S out of war 12- Explain the Lend-Lease Act. The Lend-Lease Act is to sell, lease, or lend war materials to "any country whose defense the President deems vital to the defense of the United States. 13- What was the Atlantic Charter? The Atlantic Charter discussed their common 14- objectives for a postwar world. 15- Who was Winston Churchill? British Prime Minister