CHAPTER 33 FRANKLIN D ROOSEVELT AND THE SHADOW

CHAPTER 33 FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT AND THE SHADOW OF WAR 1933 -1941

THE LONDON CONFERENCE • Summer of 1933, 66 nations sent delegates to the London Economic Conference • Delegates hoped to coordinated an international response - global depression • Stabilize currencies and rates which they could be exchanged • FDR opposed conference b/c didn’t want any interference with his own plans to fix US economy • W/out support from US conference fell apart • Collapse strengthened global trend towards nationalism • Made international cooperation difficult

FREEDOM FOR (FROM? ) THE FILIPINOS AND RECOGNITION FOR THE RUSSIANS • Continuing nation's isolationist policies – FDR withdrew from Asia • Congress passed Tydings-Mc. Duffie Act, 1934, provided independence to the Philippines by 1946 – didn’t want to have to support the Philippines if Japan attacked • 1933, FDR formally recognized the Soviet Union • Opened up trade and fostered friendship to counter-balance threat of German power in Europe and Japanese power in Asia

BECOMING A GOOD NEIGHBOR • FDR - Good Neighbor policy • America would not intervene or interfere with Latin American countries. • All marines left Haiti, 1934 • Released some control over Cuba and Panama • When Mexican gov’t seized American oil properties in 1938, FDR held to his policy and a settlement was worked out (1941)

SECRETARY HULL'S RECIPROCAL TRADE AGREEMENTS • Congress passed Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act, 1934 • Designed to lower tariffs • Allowed Pres. to lower tariffs with a country if that country also lowered theirs • Negotiated pacts with 21 countries by 1939 • Trade agreements dramatically increased U. S. foreign trade • Paved way for American-led free-trade international economic system after WWII

STORM-CELLAR ISOLATIONISM • Following Gt. Dep. totalitarianism spread throughout Europe • Joseph Stalin took control of Communist USSR killed hundreds of thousands of political opponents • Benito Mussolini took control of Italy in 1922 • Adolf Hitler took control of Germany in 1933 - Most dangerous b/c of tremendous power and impulsive • 1936, Nazi Hitler and Fascist Mussolini became allies - Rome-Berlin Axis • 1934, Japan terminated Washington Naval Treaty and accelerated their construction of large battleships • Mussolini attacked Ethiopia in 1935 • Americans maintained isolationist attitude - thought oceans that surrounded country would protect them. • 1934, Congress passed the Johnson Debt Default Act, preventing debt-dodging nations from borrowing further from the US

CONGRESS LEGISLATES NEUTRALITY • Congress sought to keep US out of war by passing the Neutrality Acts of 1935, 1936, and 1937 • Acts stated that when the president proclaimed the existence of a foreign war, certain restrictions would automatically go into effect. • Countries involved in a war (victim or aggressor), no American could legally sail on one of their ships, sell or transport munitions to them, or give them loans • Because America did not help its democratic friends, America actually helped provoke the aggressors

AMERICA DOOMS LOYALIST SPAIN • Spanish Civil War, 1936 -1939 • Started when Spanish rebels, led by Franco, rose against the left-wing republican government in Madrid • Aided by Mussolini and Hitler • Overthrew Loyalist regime, supported by USSR • War was "dress rehearsal" for WWII - involved many of the same countries • Small group of American volunteers fought for Loyalists • US wanted to stay out of war Congress amended neutrality legislation to apply an arms embargo to both Loyalists and rebels

APPEASING JAPAN AND GERMANY • 1937, Japan invaded China. • FDR refused to call invasion a "war", so the neutrality legislation did not take effect. • If he had called it a war, he would have cut off munition sales to the Chinese consequence Japan could still buy war supplies from US • FDR gave Quarantine Speech, 1937 • Proposed economic embargos against the aggressive dictators • Public opposed - FDR did not follow through with his plan • 1937, Japan’s planes sunk US ship - Tokyo apologized and US accepted • 1935, Hitler violated Treaty of Versailles - introduced mandatory military service & 1936 took over demilitarized Rhineland. • March 1938, Hitler invaded Austria. (Note: Austria actually voted for the occupation, fully aware that if it resisted, Germany would forcefully take over Austria. ) • Germany, Sept. 1938, Western European democracies allowed Germany to keep Sudetenland (part of Czechoslovakia) - hoped this would stop Hitler from taking over other countries. • In March 1939, Hitler took over all of Czechoslovakia

HITLER'S BELLIGERENCY AND U. S. NEUTRALITY • August 23, 1939, USSR signed nonaggression treaty with Hitler • Hitler-Stalin pact meant Germany could make war on Poland & Western democracies without fear of retaliation from USSR • Hitler invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. • Britain and France, honoring commitments to Poland, declared war on Germany – start of WWII • US strongly anti-Nazi but wanted to stay out of war • Britain and France needed materials from US, so Congress passed Neutrality Act of 1939 • European democracies buy US materials if they transported goods on own ships & paid cash – “Cash and Carry” policy • US to avoid loans, war debts, and the sinking of American ships. • Demand for war goods helped end the recession of 1937 -1938, and it solved decadelong unemployment crisis

THE FALL OF FRANCE • Months after the fall of Poland - known as the "phony war“ • France and U. K. were not really militarily involved in the war • USSR took over Finland despite Congress loaning $30 million to Finland • Phoney war ended - April-May 1940 when Hitler took over Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, and Belgium • France fell in June 1940 • When France surrendered, Americans realized that England was all that stood in the way of Hitler controlling all of Europe. • FDR and Congress quickly set out to build large air fleets and a two-ocean navy • Sept. 6, 1940, Congress passed conscription law – US first peacetime draft • At Havana Conference of 1940, US agreed to protect Latin America from German aggression

REFUGEES FROM THE HOLOCAUST • Nov. 9, 1938, mobs of Germans attacked German Jews • Kristallnact, "night of broken glass“ • Following these attacks, thousands of Jews sent to concentration camps • FDR created War Refugee Board after learning of Nazi genocide • Created to help victims of Nazis and other Axis powers • By the war's end, over 6 millions Jews had been murdered in the Holocaust

BOLSTERING BRITAIN • After France fell to Germany, Hitler launched air attacks against Britain in August 1940 (Battle of Britain) • During Battle of Britain, radio broadcasts brought the drama from London air raids directly into US homes. • Sympathy for Britain grew, but not enough to push the US into war • Most powerful group of those who supported aid for Britain was the Committee to Defend America by Aiding the Allies • Isolationists organized the America First Committee - America should concentrate what strength it had to defend itself • Sept. 2, 1940 – FDR transferred 50 destroyers left over from WWI to Britain. • In return, Britain US 8 valuable defensive base sites in the Western Hemisphere. • This was a violation of America's neutrality obligations

SHATTERING THE TWO-TERM TRADITION • 1940 Election - Republicans chose Willkie • Condemned FDR's alleged dictatorship & opposed New Deal • FDR decided to run for 3 rd term, • Argued that in time of war, country needed his experience • FDR won election

A LANDMARK LEND-LEASE LAW • Fearing collapse of Britain - Congress passed the Lend-Lease Bill in 1941 • Under pretense of defending America • Allowed US to lease arms to democracies that needed them. • Guns & tanks returned after war • Opponents of bill said arms would be destroyed and unable to be returned after the war. • Bill marked abandonment of any pretense of neutrality • Hitler saw the Lend-Lease Bill as an unofficial declaration of war • Until then, Germany had avoided attacking U. S. ships • May 21, 1941 - unarmed US merchant ship destroyed by German submarine outside the war zone

CHARTING A NEW WORLD • Before attack on Pearl Harbor, 2 events marked the course of WWII: • Fall of France - June 1940 • Hitler's invasion of USSR - June 1941 • Hitler decided to invade USSR – June 22, 1941 • Hoped to take oil and other resources of USSR & then concentrate on Britain • FDR sent military supplies to the USSR. • August 1941 – FDR & Churchill met and came up with the eight-point Atlantic Charter at the Atlantic Conference • Discussed goals of the war • Promised there would be no territorial changes contrary to the wishes of the inhabitants • Affirmed right of a people to choose their own form of government • Declared for disarmament of the aggressors

U. S. DESTROYERS AND HITLER'S U -BOATS CLASH • B/c Germany kept sinking arms shipments, FDR decided to have US warships escort supplies to Britain (July 1941) • After series of US boats were sunk by German U-boats, Congress voted in November 1941 to repeal the Neutrality Act of 1939 • Enabled merchant ships to be legally armed and enter combat zones with munitions for Britain

SURPRISE ASSAULT ON PEARL HARBOR • Since September 1940, Japan had been allied with Germany • Japan's war effort was dependent on trade with US • Late 1940 - US imposed the first of its trade embargoes on Japan • Offered to lift the embargo if Japan ended its war with China did not agree to US's terms • "Black Sunday" Dec. 7, 1941, Japanese bombers attacked Pearl Harbor, killing 2, 348 people. • Most of US's battleships were significantly damaged • 3 Pacific-fleet aircraft carriers were spared because they were out of the harbor. • Dec. 8, the U. S. declared war on Japan • Dec. 11, 1941, Germany and Italy declared war on US • US followed suit by declaring war on them.

AMERICA'S TRANSFORMATION FROM BYSTANDER TO BELLIGERENT • Pearl Harbor united Americans in their desire to go to war • Prior to attack, most Americans only supported policies that might lead to war • Did not want Britain to fall to Germany • Wanted to stop Japan from expanding