World War Ii

Front 1

Huey Long & "Share the Wealth"

Back 1

Huey Long-criticized the New Deal, from political left, he thought there was more the Roosevelt could do. He had a plan for the redistribution of wealth, called “Share the Wealth”. This plan was to reform America’s tax structure, and revise the tax codes.
1. Impose a tax that would limit families fortune to 5 million
2. Tax limit to a yearly income of 1 million
3. From these taxes, Huey Long would give every family 5 thousand dollars, and would provide every family a yearly income of two thousand and believed he could provide college costs.
Lots of problems with “Share the Wealth”. Never formally presented it to congress. Main problem- not every family’s income is in cash. (i.e. stocks, real estate, etc.)
Roosevelt identified Long as one of the dangerous men in America.
Huey Long assassinated in 1935.

Front 2

WWII

Back 2

Reform is the legacy of the New Deal.
1931-Series of Acts of aggression of treaty of Versailles in Europe and Asia. No response from the western countries.
1. People believed confronting would lead to war. Trying to avoid war with all costs.
2. League of Nations was weak, did not adequately respond to crisis
3. most of western democrats try to solve economics within the country
US found the Soviet Union more of a threat.
1937- war starts in Europe

Front 3

Neutrality Acts

Back 3

Roosevelt declares neutrality. America initially would be neutral. Congress passes series of neutrality acts to make certain that America is not going to get involved. (They could pass legislation that would keep them out, or pass legislation and have president discretion to help one side over the other).

Neutrality Acts did not give Roosevelt disgretion
1. 1935-Arms embargo against all belligerents (Country at war)
2. 1936-Loans to belligerents was forbidden
3. 1937-Trade with belligerents was to be done on a cash and carry basis
4. 1939-arms embargo to belligerents ended (this was a victory for president Roosevelt)

** Roosevelt could not veto these acts because it was an election year and it could hurt him in the election.

Front 4

Lend-Lease Act (1941)

Back 4

Fall 1940- England no longer would be able to use “cash and carry”. England could not pay for goods they already ordered. Roosevelt wanted to get the goods to them.

Lend Lease (1940)
“Trying to eliminate the dollar sign”
Fireside Chat- he wanted them to become the great arsenal of democracy..

March 1941-Congress passed lend-lease, and Roosevelt signed it. He can now send anything to anyone. This repeals cash and carry act of neutrality act.

US spent 50 billion on Lend-lease, most of it was to England. Lend lease changes Americas status in the war. They went from being a neutral to a nonbelligerent, which means you are in the war, but you aren’t fighting.

Front 5

Selective Service Act of 1940

Back 5

Fall 1940- England no longer would be able to use “cash and carry”. England could not pay for goods they already ordered. Roosevelt wanted to get the goods to them.

Lend Lease (1940)
“Trying to eliminate the dollar sign”
Fireside Chat- he wanted them to become the great arsenal of democracy..

March 1941-Congress passed lend-lease, and Roosevelt signed it. He can now send anything to anyone. This repeals cash and carry act of neutrality act.

US spent 50 billion on Lend-lease, most of it was to England. Lend lease changes Americas status in the war. They went from being a neutral to a nonbelligerent, which means you are in the war, but you aren’t fighting.

Front 6

Italian Campaign

Back 6

Willing to go into Italy, but Roosevelt wanted a date of when they were going to invade France. July 24.

Italian Campaign-plan (joint America-British) 3 landing cites (heel, toe, shin of Italy) Believed it would be fairly easy. September 9 1943

The day before, Italy gets out of the war. Italians got out of war, but the Germans began coming into Italy. Put up a stiff resistance. Lasts a lot longer than expected. Capture of Rome- June 4, 1944. Continued to march up peninsula. Did not end till last week in April 1945. Not much was accomplished.

Front 7

Normandy Invasion

Back 7

Normandy Invasion (D-Day)
1. Choose a commander (Eisenhower)
2. Choose a landing site. Logical place was Calalis, but the actual place was Normandy. Wanted germans to believe it was at calalis. Deception plan-created a fictious army. Put it at calalis. Massive build up in England of Military supplies. Americans were not well received by the British.
US Landed: Utah, Omaha
British landed: Gold, Juno, Sword.

Invasion June 5 1944
Storm delayed it a day.
June 6 1944 (D Day) – invasion

Germans created obstacles on Normandy’s beaches. Wanted to make it as difficult as possible.

Not much resistance of Utah Beach. More Causalities at Omaha then the other 4 combined. Successfully landed. Landed in Normandy, goes south, and then east, germans get caught between 2 allied forces.

Front 8

V-E Day

Back 8

Paris liberated August 25th 1944.
Ultimate goal: capture Berlin
Soviet Army captured Berlin.
May 8 1945: Germany surrenders
Known as V-E Day (Victory in Europe)

Front 9

Douglas Mac Arthur, Bataan, and the Bataan Death March

Back 9

Pacific- war started when Pearl Harbor was attacked
Philippines-mainly American forces
Commander: Douglas Mac Arthur in Philippines

Dec. 8- Japanese attacked the Philippines, destroyed Mac Arthur’s Air force
Japanese land troops in Philippines, US plan of withdrawal: move from Philippines to the Bataan Peninsula. Mac Arthur did not move food. 80% Philippine troops, 20% American. Getting weaker because of malnourishment.

March 1942- Roosevelt orders Mac Arthur to move to Australia
April 1942- Americans in Philippines surrender

Bataan death March: American and Philippines troops march Japanese prisoners to POW camps. Approx. 60,000

Front 10

Doolittle Raid

Back 10

April 18 1942- Doolittle Raid: American raid on Japan. Colonel Doolittle planned a raid of 16 American bombers. Bomb cities in Japan. Bombers not designed to take off of an aircraft carrier. They were stripped of unnecessary things so they could be light enough to take off. Damage was miniscule and insignificant. Important for morale reasons. Hurts japans morale.

Front 11

Chester Nimitz

Back 11

US needs definite plan:
1. Mac Arthur start in Australia to New Guinea, to Philipines.
2. Navy and Marine, commanded by Chester Nimitz, taking outside paths. Both will meet for a united invasion of Japan.
Japanese want to Capture Australia
May 1942-Important Naval battle at Coral Sea. 1st naval battle where surface vessles never see the opponent’s vessles. Fought battle from air.
US had 2 carriers: USS Lexington, USS Yorktown
Japanese begins to build airstrips

Front 12

MidWay

Back 12

Focus: capture Midway (important naval battle) June 1942. Japan had superior number of vessels.

US able to decode Japanese messages. Midway was US victory, Japanses defeat. Turning Point.