NANO-ck

Mise-à-jour le 25 March 2024, 6 minutes de lecture

USA and WWII Reading

• A. How did the US enter WWII?
• B. Describe American involvement in the pacific and Europe.
• C. How did the US mobilize for WWII on the homefront?
• D. How was US industry transformed during WWII?
• E. What were the Freedoms and what role did they play in US involvement in the war?
• F. How did the US government make the war a “people’s war”?

A. How did the US enter WWII?

The US always wanted to remain neutral as long as it was possible. One way of doing this was to send non military objects to countries. However, the US was not able to remain neutral for long. Indeed, the US was attacked by Japan on December 7th 1941. The US declared war to Japan, and Germany declared war to the US. The US then entered the war in multiple manners :

• The US entered the war in the Pacific, and fought against Japan, using a method called Island Hopping. Island Hopping consisted in attacking the least well defended island on the way to Japan, and to go from Island to Island.
• The US entered the war in Europe, and fought against Germany. The US helped the UK and the USSR by sending them weapons through the Lend-Lease Act. US’ economy was fully turned upon war, and the unemployment rate dropped between 1940 and 1944. The US was able to mobilize for the war on the homefront, and the government made the war a “people’s war”.

The US were neutral at the beggining, but as the time flew, they were less and less neutral. They entered the war because Japan was Germany’s allies, so by declaring war to Japan, they delcared war to Germany.

B. Describe American involvement in the pacific and Europe.

The US entered the war in the Pacific by attacking Japan. The US used the Island Hopping method, which consisted in attacking the least well defended island on the way to Japan, and to go from Island to Island. The US was able to defeat Japan, and to take control of the Pacific. WWII has been calleed a “gross national product war”, which means that the combatant who could outproduce the other would inevitably win. As a result, it seems obvious that the entry of the United States in the war, with its huge industrial capacity, was a turning point in the war.

In Europe, the US’ major involvement in troops did not begin until June 6, 1944. Also known as the D-Day, on that day, about 200 000 American, British, and Canadian soldiers landed in Normandy, followed by more than a million troops in the next few weeks. This was the most massive sea-land operation in history, which allowed the Allies to force German armies to retreat, and to liberate France. The US also helped the UK by sending them weapons through the Lend-Lease Act. Most massive sea-land operation in history.

C. How did the US mobilize for WWII on the homefront?

In the US, WWI transformed the role of the government. FDR created federal agencies like the War Production Board (WPB), the War Manpower Commission, and the Office of Price Administration. These agencies were created to mobilize the US for the war. The WPB was created to manage the production and allocation of materials and fuel, the War Manpower Commission to manage the labor force and the Office of Price Administration to control prices and rents after the war. The US’ economy was fully turned upon war, and the unemployment rate dropped between 1940 and 1944. The US was able to mobilize for the war on the homefront, and the government made the war a “people’s war”.

The government built housing for war workers, and forced civillian industries to retool for war production, which resulted by 1944, in factories production a ship every day, and a plane every five minutes. The gross national product rose from $91 billion in 1939 to $214 billion in 1945.

• Propaganda
  • Unify the population
  • Fight for the four freedoms
• Women
• Include segregated communities
• Fund the war with taxes and war bonds

D. How was US industry transformed during WWII?

The US’ economy was fully turned upon war, and the unemployment rate dropped between 1940 and 1944. The US was able to mobilize for the war on the homefront, and the government made the war a “people’s war”. The war wasn’t only physical but also economic : Roosevelt offered incentives to spur production : low-interest loans, tax concessions, and contracts with guaranteed profits. By the end of the war, the 200 biggest industrial companies accounted for almost half of all corporate assets in the United States. The war allowed the government to take control of the economy, and to regulate it in a manner that would not have been possible without a war : The government could deploy large budgets for scientific researches and assembly lines. The whole industry was creatin gwar weapons and transforming industries.

E. What were the Freedoms and what role did they play in US involvement in the war?

The Four Freedoms were a speech given by Roosevelt in 1941. In this speech, Roosevelt said that the US should fight for four freedoms : freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. These freedoms were used to justify the US’ involvement in the war. The Axis powers were a threat to these freedoms, and the US had to fight to protect them.

F. How did the US government make the war a “people’s war”?

The main way used to make the war a “people’s war” was the Office of War Information (OWI). The Office of War Information made sure the Americans had a clear understanding of the war’s purposes, and would at least not interfere with it. The OWI used propaganda such as posters, radio, film, press, and other medias. It would give the conflict an ideological meaning, while seeking to avoid the nationalist hysteria of WWII.