Brown/APUSH
American History
Chapter 26 p. 738-765
America in a World War
Chapter Summary
The United States entered World War II ideologically unified but militarily ill-prepared. A corporate-government partnership solved most of the production and manpower problems, and the massive wartime output brought an end to the Great Depression. Labor troubles, racial friction, and social tensions were not absent, but they were kept to a minimum. Roosevelt and the American generals made the decision that Germany must be defeated first, since it presented a more serious threat than Japan. Gradually, American production and American military might turned the tide in the Pacific and on the western front in Europe. The key to victory in Europe was the invasion of France, which coincided with the Russian offensive on the eastern front. Less than a year after D-Day, the war in Europe was over. In the Pacific, American forceswith some aid from the British and Australiansfirst stopped the Japanese advance and then went on the offensive. The strategy for victory involved long leaps from island to island that bypassed and isolated large enemy concentrations and drew progressively closer to the Japanese homeland. Conventional bombing raids pulverized Japanese cities, and American forces were readied for an invasion that the atomic bomb made unnecessary.
Chapter Twenty-six Main Themes
The initial American strategies for fighting the European and Pacific fronts, and the military engagements that characterized the first half of the war.
The profound effect of World War II on the American economy, and the attempts by the Roosevelt administration to stabilize the wartime economic boom.
The impact of the war experience on organized labor and minorities at home.
The development of advanced technologies during the war and their impact on the course of the conflict.
The events leading to Allied victory in Germany and Japan, culminating in the fall of Berlin and President Truman's decision to use the Atomic Bomb.
Analytical Journal
A. Philip RandolphBattle of the BulgeBraceros
Colossus II “Rosie the Riveter” D-Day
Dwight D. EisenhowerEnola GayEnrico Fermi
GuadalcanalHarry S. TrumanHiroshima
HolocaustKorematsu v. U.S.Luftwaffe
Manhattan ProjectMidwayVichy
Office of Price Administration (OPA) OkinawaZoot suits
“Relocation centers”
Congress of Racial Equality (CORE)
Defining the chapter terms in your journals will help you better understand:
- The efforts of the federal government to mobilize the nation's economy for war production.
- The effects of American participation in the war on the Depression and on New Deal reform.
- The changes that the wartime involvement brought for women and racial and ethnic minorities.
- The contributions of the United States military to victory in North Africa and Europe.
- The contributions of the United States military to victory in the Pacific.
Each of the terms above contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the America’s involvement in World War II and the way in which the war affected those on the home front. As you define these terms, demonstrate why each person, event, concept, or issue is important to a thorough understanding of this chapter.
Long Essay Questions
1. Compare and contrast the impact of the war on the many ethnic, gender, and racial groups in America.
Possible thesis statement: During the four years of the war, American society and Americans underwent many changes. Specifically, African Americans, Native Americans, Japanese Americans, Mexican Americans, and women experienced many changes in their daily lives.
Discuss
- African Americans
- Native Americans
- Mexican Americans
- Japanese Americans.
- Women
Possible conclusion: Clearly, the lives of some groups of Americans were radically changed by the war years especially those of the Japanese Americans and women. The lives of the interned Japanese were forever scarred by the experience of being imprisoned in their own nation and losing all of their possessions. The lives of many women were forever changed as some entered new areas of American society and others enjoyed their jobs in the workplace jobs that they reluctantly gave up after the war. Other groups especially African Americans, Native Americans, and Mexican Americans experienced some positive economic changes during the war in terms of jobs. However, the ramifications of their movement into new areas of society were often negative. Further, at the war’s end, many lost their jobs.
2. Assess the various historical debates that have surrounding the decision to drop the atomic bomb. Given what you know about the facts and these debates, do you think Truman made the right choice? Why or why not?
Possible thesis statement: Ever since the bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, controversy has raged over Truman’s decision and the motives behind his choice. The debates surrounding Truman’s decision generally fall into two camps: those who feel the attack was unnecessary as the Japanese would have surrendered within a very short time, and therefore, Truman had other motives for dropping the bomb; and those who argue the attack was a necessary, simple military decision as it was the only way to stop Japan’s leaders.
Discuss
- Attack was unnecessary
- Attack was a necessary, simple military decision
- Right choice? (This answer will vary from student to student.)
Possible conclusion: While most of the debate falls within the two camps above the necessary versus necessary arguments a few others have argued that regardless of Japanese intentions, using the terrible new weapon was not a moral or rational choice. A more controversial and as yet unsubstantiated interpretation is that the racialized image of Japan as a subhuman species may have contributed to America’s willingness to bomb Japanese cities.
Long Essay Exam Tips
A central theme from this period is the connection between World War II and the later Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. Keep in mind the degree to which war-time actions of Roosevelt and Stalin influenced the postwar relationship between the two nations.