World War II

Notes

1. The Beginning of World War II was the event most closely associated with the end of the Great Depression

2. Disarmament: reducing the amount of weapons, soldiers, munitions in one’s army

3. Kellogg-Briand Pact- Outlawed war except in cases of self-defense

4. Passage of the Neutrality Acts of 1935 and 1937 indicated that the United States desired to isolate itself from conflicts in Europe and Asia

5. Dawes Plan- A plan to save the European economy and enrich the United States by adjusting the payment of Germany’s war reparations from World War I by Allowing American Banks to make loans to Germany-

6. Munich Conference- Appeasement- The British and French policy of conceding to Adolf Hitler’s territorial demands prior to the outbreak of World War II- enabled Hitler to systematically take over the territories of several neighboring countries

7. Characteristics of totalitarian dictatorships- Governmentcontrol every aspect of a person’s life--One party controls the government. -- The state is supreme, Individuals have few, if any, rights--Political opposition is forbidden

8. Nazi-Soviet Non-aggression Pact- agreed to divide Poland and prevented Germany from fighting two-front war

9. Cash-and-Carry law--allowed United States to sell arms to the Allies

10. Lend-Lease Act in 1941- Allowed the President to sell, exchange, lend, or lease war materials to any country whose security he considered vital to the defense of the U.S.

11. U.S. placed an embargo on Japan because of Japan’s takeover of China

12. December 7, 1941, at 7:55 a.m. Japan attacked the U.S. fleet stationed at Pearl Harbor, HI- Brought the United States into World War II

13. Office of War Mobilization (OWM): oversaw all areas of production for military

14. War Production Board: Americans made the shift from peacetime to wartime production

Helped Americans exceed tough production demands

15. Office of Price Administration (OPA): controlled inflation by creating item price ceilings---included rents, gasoline, tires, coffee, canned food, meat, etc.

16. War Manpower Commission (WMC): decided which industries needed workers most

17. National War Labor Board: helped to settle labor disputes to prevent production from being interrupted---encouraged workers to join unions

18. Liberals and reformers gave priority to military spending over social and economic reform.

Congress rolled back reform legislation during wartime. Many factories instigated a longer working day to boost industrial output

19. Battle of Midway, 1942-Turning point in the Pacific- Put United States on Offensive and Japan on Defensive

20. The Economy recovers- U.S. economy fully recovered during WWII- Unemployment dropped sharply

21. “Rosie the Riveter” became a national symbol--Women gained confidence they could have both a family & a job or career

22. Fair Employment Practices Committee: created to ensure equal treatment for minorities in war industries

23.Although that nation's farm population declined 17% between 1940 and 1945, better weather, improved fertilizers, the adoption of modern farm machinery, and the consolidation of small farms into large agri-businesses actually increased agricultural production in the United States.

24. Americans used ration coupons- to purchase goods such as flour and sugar to ensure the supply did not decrease to low levels

25. "Corporate State”- World War II also helped to solidify the strength of organized labor and to cement the intimate relationship between big business and big government so that all three groups exercised power to shore up the corporate state

26. Military Industrial Complex- the "military-industrial complex" had its roots in World War II. A systematic relationship arose between big business and the military's expenditures on defense. During the war, the average daily expenditure on military contracts was $250 million

27. Operation Overlord- D-Day Invasion on Western Front- the most famous & largest amphibious landing in history began- Allies Go on Offensive from the West

28. Battle of the Bulge- - This was the largest and bloodiest battle for the Americans in World War II

29. “Final Solution”-The Nazi’s indirect term for their plan to exterminate the Jews of Germany and other German-controlled territories

30. Concentration Camps- Jewish Prisoners, political prisoners, criminals, homosexuals, gypsies, the mentally ill and others were incarcerated, Abused, Malnourished and Many Died or were Murdered

31. Internment Camps- relocation and internment by the United States government in 1942 of approximately 110,000 Japanese Americans and Japanese

32. Leapfrogging is a strategy of island hopping used by Douglas MacArthur of the Allies in the Pacific Theater of World War II in which many of the enemy's strong points are neutralized at minimum cost by being bypassed.

33. Manhattan Project- The code name for the U.S. government’s secret program to develop an atomic bomb

34. Aftermath of World War II-

  • Empires of France, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Japan, & Britain were in ruins
  • U.S. & the Soviet Union emerged as superpowers
  • Potential of science was revealed--Could either advance or destroy civilization
  • Atomic/nuclear age was born

35. Yalta Conference (1945)

  • Mostly discussed Germany
  • Agreed it would be divided into 4 occupation zones
  • Discussed plans for the United Nations
  • Committed to allowing free elections in countries the Axis had controlled during the war