I. Introduction
World War II marked a watershed in American history. The immediate challenge of defeating the enemy directly affected thousands of men and women, while the new world the war created had ramifications for millions of people.
II. Winning the Second World War
A. Second?Front Controversy
Americans strongly supported the war, but from the beginning Allied leaders had differences. In particular, difficulties arose over how the Americans and the English would carry the war into Europe.
B. Teheran Conference
This meeting managed to ease the strain and renew relations between the allies.
C. D?Day
The second?front offensive began with the Allied landings at Normandy in June 1944. Less than a year later, Germany surrendered.
D. The War in the Pacific
At first the war in the Pacific, largely the responsibility of the United States, did not go well.
E. Battle of Midway
The Japanese enjoyed early successes, but the Battle of Midway in June 1942 was the turning point in the war.
F. Battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa
Facing intense fighting, American forces “island?hopped” across the Pacific, bypassing a number of strongly held Japanese islands. The Japanese and Americans engaged in especially bloody combat on Iwo Jima and Okinawa.
G. The Atomic Bomb
The Japanese surrendered after the United States dropped two atomic bombs on Japan.
H. The Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb
A variety of military, scientific, and political reasons motivated the U.S.
III. Mobilizing the American Home Front
A. Office of Price Administration
To control inflation, this agency was given the power to fix price ceilings on commodities and control rents in defense areas.
B. War Production Board and War Manpower Commission
The WPB succeeded in turning the civilian manufacturing economy into a powerhouse of military industrial might. The WMC recruited workers for the nation’s factories.
C. Government Incentives to Business
Wartime policy encouraged the growth of big business.
D. University Research and Weapons Development
Universities benefited from government grants to aid the war effort.
E. Unions and Wartime Labor Strikes
Despite a “no?strike” agreement with the government, some workers staged walkouts during the war. Congress responded with a bill designed to place limits on labor.
F. Wartime Change in Agriculture
Agriculture mechanized to replace workers.
G. Growth in the Federal Government
The American economy expanded dramatically during the war. The national government also experienced remarkable growth.
IV. The Military Life
A. The Ordeal of Combat
Americans faced the stress of combat and struggled to cope.
B. Homosexuals on Active Duty
Many men and women in the armed forces who had a same-sex orientation found the freedom to act on their feelings.
C. Postwar Ambitions
The interaction of people from all over the U.S. facilitated an exchange of ideas. Soldiers returned home with new skills, and many took advantage of the GI Bill of Rights.
V. Enemy Aliens, Conscientious Objectors, and Japanese American Internees
A. “An Enemy Race”
Many in the U.S. saw the war against Japan as a struggle against the “Japanese race.” Despite anti-Japanese sentiment, Japanese?Americans fought valiantly for the United States as evidenced by the 442nd Regimental Combat Team.
B. Life in the Internment Camps
The camps were bleak and demoralizing.
VI. Jobs and Racism on the Home Front
A. African Americans in Combat
Almost a million African Americans served in the armed forces and distinguished themselves on the battlefield. However, there were a number of racist incidents during the war.
B. Civil Rights Movement
Blacks, more militant and more willing to protest, waged a “Double V” campaign. CORE, which advocated nonviolent direct action, was founded.
C. African American War Workers
When the government prohibited discrimination in defense jobs, thousands of blacks migrated to the North and West to find work.
D. Race Riots of 1943
Racial tensions began to develop in the North. Racial warfare broke out in Detroit in June 1943.
E. Bracero Program
The United States turned to Mexican laborers during the war. The “zoot-suit riot” in Los Angeles in 1943 involved attacks on young Mexican Americans.
VII. Women and Children in the War Effort
A. Women in War Production
Women participated in war production on an unprecedented scale.
B. Discrimination Against Women
Wartime needs made millions of jobs available, and many women went to work for the first time. They found that discrimination often characterized the workplace.
C. Children in Wartime
The government became involved in childcare as a result of wartime pressures. Children contributed to the war effort by buying war bonds. Many also dropped out of school to go to work.
D. Increase in Marriage, Divorce, and Birth Rates
During the war, the number of marriages, births, and divorces, rose markedly. The new social dynamic had long?term consequences for women.
VIII. The Decline of Liberalism and the Election of 1944
A. Wartime Liberalism
As conservatives worked to limit or dismantle the New Deal, Republicans made gains in the election of 1942. However, in his Economic Bill of Rights Roosevelt pledged to provide jobs, food, shelter, clothing, and financial security to every American.
B. Roosevelt and Truman
The President chose a loyal New Deal trooper to aid him in his reelection.
C. Roosevelt’s Fourth-term Victory
In apparent ill health, Roosevelt defeated Thomas Dewey for a fourth term in 1944. Roosevelt died in April 1945, and Vice President Harry Truman became president.
IX. Planning for Peace
A. Allied Disagreement over Eastern Europe
The Allies shared a commitment to defeating the enemy, but they also had a number of differences. The fate of Eastern Europe posed the greatest problem.
B. Creation of the United Nations
In 1944, diplomats established the framework for the United Nations.
C. Jewish Refugees
Six million Jews died in concentration camps during the war, but the Allies took few steps to stop the killings.
D. The Holocaust
The U.S. did too little, too late, to greatly affect the Holocaust.
E. The Yalta Conference
The Yalta Conference of February 1945 shaped the postwar world. As the meeting convened, each of the Allies had its own agenda. Russia wanted a friendly Poland to serve as a buffer state. The Allies agreed to accept a coalition government in Poland and to resolve disputed borders at a later date.
F. Potsdam Conference
At Potsdam, Truman, who knew the United States had achieved atomic capability, showed less deference to Stalin than had Roosevelt.
