The United States Enters WW II

• What has recently happened in US history?

• Why might Americans be afraid of another world war?
• Who is president in 1930s?
• Define isolation and intervention

U.S. Neutrality
Rise of Totalitarianism
• Two days after Britain and France declared
Italy: Mussolini war against Germany, President Roosevelt
Soviet Union: Stalin declared the United States neutral.
Germany: Hitler & Nazi party
Japan: militaristic government under Hideki Tojo

What do they all have in common?

 Neutrality Acts
FDR’s Foreign Policy • Neutrality Act of 1935
forbade sale of arms to
militarily aggressive nations
Formally recognizes Soviet Union and warned Americans
- might help the US against Japan against traveling on ships of
countries at war
- worried about growing power of Germany • Neutrality Act of 1936
- interested in possible trade with Soviets (help extended Neutrality Act of
1935 and disallowed loans to
GD economy) countries at war
Good Neighbor Policy: make peace with Latin • Neutrality Act of 1937 applied
no sale of arms to countries
America involved in civil wars, and
--> important to have united western prohibited Americans from
traveling on ships of countries
hemisphere in lieu of foreign aggressions involved in a war

The U.S. Supports England

• September 1, 1939 Hitler

invades Poland --> GB
What does "Arsenal of
and France declare war on Democracy" mean?
Germany
• FDR persuades Congress What do you think will happen
to allow US to aid European
democracies in limited way
to US economy?
• Neutrality Act of 1939-
Weapons can now be
sold, but on “cash and
carry “ basis only
Isolationist Debate Election of 1940
• Fight for Freedom • President Roosevelt
Committee- The U.S. Should ran for an
Fight Germany Now unprecedented
(Interventionist position) third term as
• Committee to Defend president in the
America by Aiding the Allies- election of 1940
Help Britain (and Russia) • Both Roosevelt and
fight so we don’t have to the Republican
by sending more supplies candidate, Wendell
• America First Committee- Willkie, said they
(led by Charles Lindberg) would keep the
America should mind our United States neutral
but assist the Allied
own business and stay out
forces.
of the war (Isolationist
Position) • Roosevelt won by a
large margin

Lend Lease Act The Hemispheric Defense Zone

• President Roosevelt
• President Roosevelt
proposed the Lend-Lease Act developed the hemispheric
(HB 1776), which stated that defense zone, which
the United States could lend declared the entire western
or lease arms to any half of the Atlantic as part
country considered “vital to of the Western
the defense of the United Hemisphere and therefore
States.” neutral.
• In June 1941, in violation of • This allowed Roosevelt to
the Nazi-Soviet Pact, Hitler
order the U.S. Navy to
began a massive invasion of
the Soviet Union. patrol the western Atlantic
Ocean and reveal the
• Great Britain, Russia, & China
received the bulk of lend location of German
lease aid submarines to the
British.
 The Atlantic Charter Stopping Japanese Ambitions

• In August 1941, President • In Asia, the U.S. tried to

Roosevelt and Prime discourage the Japanese
Minister Winston Churchill from threatening the
met onboard a ship near colonies of countries
Canada and agreed to the
fighting the Germans
Atlantic Charter.
(such as Britain &
• This agreement committed
Holland)
the two leaders to a
postwar world of • The U.S. also wants to
democracy, stop Japan’s invasion of
nonaggression, free trade, China (a U.S. Ally) and
economic advancement, get them to leave
collective security, and
freedom of the seas.

U.S. Embargoes Japan U.S. Embargoes Japan

• Japan was a country with • Roosevelt immediately blocked the sale of
few natural resources
such as iron & oil and airplane fuel and scrap iron to Japan.
imported most of these
materials from the U.S..
• The Japanese signed an alliance with
• In July 1940, Congress Germany and Italy and became a
passed the Export member of the Axis powers
Control Act, giving
Roosevelt the power to • By July 1941, Japan moved into French
restrict the sale of Indo-China (Vietnam) and Japanese
strategic materials–
materials important for aircraft posed a direct threat to the British
fighting a war–to other Empire bases of Singapore & Hong Kong.
countries
U.S. reacts to Japanese Aggression
• Roosevelt responded to
the threat by freezing all
Japanese money in US
banks and reducing the
amount of oil shipped to
Japan.
• He also sent General
MacArthur to the
Philippines to build up
American defenses there
as well as moved the U.S.
Pacific fleet from its
bases in California to
Hawaii.
Japan Attacks the U.S.
• Japan attacked Pearl
Harbor on December 7,
1941, sinking or damaging
21 ships of the U.S. Pacific
Fleet, killing 2,403
Americans, and injuring
hundreds more.
• The next day, Dec 8, 1941
President Roosevelt asked
Congress to declare war
on Japan
Japan’s Choice
• Japan was faced with the
choice of continuing its
war w/ China and having
its oil cut off or giving in to
U.S. demands that would
make them look weak
• The Japanese decided to
attack resource-rich
(especially oil) British
and Dutch colonies in
Southeast Asia, seize
the Philippines, and attack
Pearl Harbor so the U.S.
Pacific fleet would be
crippled and unable to
stop them.
Germany & Italy Declares War
• On December 11,
1941, Japan’s 

allies– Germany and
Italy– declared war on
the United States