Regents Review: World War II



Regents Review: World War I and World War II

World War I (1914-1918)

Causes: M.A.I.N.

• M = militarism: European powers built up large armies and challenged each other.

• A = alliances: countries were forced to enter into war when their allies were attacked

• I = imperialism: European countries competed for colonies around the world

• N = nationalism: countries were so proud of their countries and wanted to display their power

America remained neutral for the first years of the war, but entered after German submarines sank the Lusitania, a boat carrying many Americans. The Germans had warned Americans not to travel on the boat, which also carried weapons for England, but British propaganda convinced America that the incident was evidence of Germany’s barbarism and the U.S. should join with England in the war.

In America during the war, the government passed the Espionage and Sedition Act, in an effort to prevent people from speaking out against the war effort. In Schenck v. United States, the court ruled against a man who had protested the war; this shows that during times of crisis, America sometimes limits the rights (in this case, Schenck’s freedom of speech) of its citizens.

At the end of the war, President Wilson tried to ensure peace in the future by putting forward his Fourteen Points, the goal of which was not to place any blame for the war, but rather to have all nations cooperate peacefully. Part of this plan was the League of Nations, which is similar to the United Nations today.

Wilson’s plan was rejected both by European nations, who punished Germany heavily in their Treaty of Versailles, and the U.S. Congress, which rejected the League of Nations, because they thought it would drag them into a future war in Europe. America entered a period of isolation.

Start of World War II:

• Rise of fascism in Italy and Germany (where the Fascists were called Nazis)

• European countries tried to prevent war by giving in to the demands of Adolf Hitler, the Nazi leader in Germany. This policy of giving in is called appeasement.

• Hitler took advantage of his opponents’ policy of appeasement and took over Czechoslovakia and Austria and Hungary. When he invaded Poland, appeasement ended and WWII began.

• The two sides of the war were the Allies (England, France, the Soviet Union and, later, the U.S.) and the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy and Japan).

U.S. Role in World War II:

• When the war started in 1939, America tried to maintain its policy of neutrality that it had been keeping since the end of WWI. This policy ended with the Lend-Lease Act of 1941, in which America agreed to send weapons to the Allied powers and accepting payment at a later date.

• America joined the war when the Japanese attacked the U.S. Naval base at Pearl Harbor in 1941.

• America helped win the war, leading such important invasions as D-Day in Europe, and by dropping the atomic bomb on Japan. It was Harry Truman’s decision to drop the bomb, because the other choice was to invade Japan, which would have led to many more American deaths.

America at home during the war

• Women joined the workforce in large numbers, replacing the white men who were fighting. The war is often called a “total war” because the whole country joined in the war effort (by working in factories, buying war bonds, planting victory gardens, etc.).

• African-Americans began moving north in large numbers, looking for factory jobs. They still faced discrimination in the north, and in the army, where they fought in segregated units.

• Japanese-Americans were removed from their homes along the West Coast and placed in internment camps, because the country was afraid of them spying for Japan. In the Supreme Court Case Korematsu v. United States, the court found that this was acceptable treatment in a time of war.

End of the War

• When the men came back, women left the workforce and returned to their role as mothers and housewives.

• Long separated, newly married couples quickly moved to the suburbs and had children; the numbers of babies increased during this time, known as the Baby Boom. These Baby Boomers are now reaching retirement age, which means our Social Security system is going to be paying benefits for larger numbers of retirees than ever before.

• During the 1950’s white America was marked by conformity. People dressed the same and acted the same. The purpose was to fit in, not to stand out. During this time, many moved to the suburbs, bought automobiles and tried to escape the problems that still plagued America (namely, the Cold War, racism and poverty in the inner cities)

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