The United States in the 1930s and 1940s

17

1. The United States in the 1930s and 1940s

Most Americans of the 1930s were afraid if the United States involved in the European conflict. Therefore, most Americans were pleased with the policy of the United States isolationism. In Politics and American Culture During World War II, John Morton says that most citizens especially those who remembered World War I, thought that it was not a good decision to be involved in a war because it would spend a lot of money. Most of them believed that America’s recourses were better used to rebuild the country because of the aftermath World War I. The United States government said that no state had the right to intervene in the affairs of another. Therefore, in 1935 and 1936, the Congress made a group of neutrality acts to keep the United States out of Europe’s troubles, for example, by prohibiting selling and loaning arms to nations at war However, the conflicts were worse and spread abroad. The United States government recognized that sooner or later America would become involved. Therefore, most Americans were doubtful with the neutral position. In September 1939 Roosevelt called the Congress into special session to revise the neutrality acts. The decision of the Congress broke the neutral agreement by allowing Britain and France to buy American arms. Meanwhile, the war was very terrified in Europe for the Allies. In June 1940 the United States started supplying Britain with all aids of war to help the British defend themselves against Germany Langsam 32. In 1941 Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill announced the Atlantic Charter, which set the Allied goals for World War II. The two nations pledged to respect “the right of all peoples to choose the form of PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI 18 government under which they will live” and promised a free world without war “after the final destruction of Nazi tyranny” Dupuy 4. In 1941 the conflict worsened. On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked the United States naval base at Pearl Harbour in Hawaii. The next day, Japan attacked the main American naval base in the Philippines. In response, the United States declared war against Japan, not Germany. However, Hitler acted first and declared war against the United States. Finally, the United States decided to fight the Axis powers and became an ally of Britain and France Microsoft Encarta Inc. 2003. Even before the Pearl Harbour attack, the United States government had begun to mobilize American for war. According to Richard Polenberg’s War and Society: The United States, 1941-1945, the United States government already began a propaganda campaign to convince the American public that the war was necessary. Efforts were made to convince the public about the aftermaths if the Axis powers could defeat them. After the attack, the United States focused its attention on the war effort because the public now clearly understood the enemy threat. The propaganda caused an increasing production for the equipments of war. Then, the United States government established The War Production board and the War Manpower Commission which were responsible for the war materials matters. The War Production Board distributed manufacturing contracts and as a bridge between manufacturing of civilian and government goods, and the War Manpower Commission supervised war industrial, agriculture, and the military Microsoft Encarta Inc. 2003. Industrial quickly shifted to war needs, automakers 19 began to produce tanks and planes, and the United States became the world’s largest weapons manufacturer. Most Americans were urged to help to produce the war materials such as gasoline and to donate aids in increasing production power. According to Richard Polenberg’s War and Society: The United States, 1941- 1945, for all Americans, war changed the quality of life. World War II inspired hard work, cooperation, and patriotism. Here, propaganda played an important during World War II. Propaganda helped to increase the tension of the war faster. It also played a crucial role in increasing production nationally and helping the war effort. Seven million leaflets were dropped by United States planes every week during World War II. Chris Rudiger’s World War II and Propaganda states the United States government had their own reason for dropping leaflets. Some leaflets were dropped on the enemy troops in order to attempt to weaken the moral of the troops; some leaflets were used to warn the enemy that there was a powerful country against them; others were dropped over the enemy territories to report news of Allies battle victories in order to insert fear into the enemy. The United States wanted to end the war with an unconditional surrender of Japan. These factors encouraged the United States to use the atomic bomb. In late 1941, the United States established a secret program, which became popular as the Manhattan Project. It was a project of developing an atomic bomb, a powerful explosive nuclear weapon Microsoft Encarta Inc. 2003. On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. In minutes, half of the city vanished. The United States government estimates 60,000 to 70,000 people were killed or missed as a result of the bomb. 20 Deadly radiation reached over 100,000 people. On August 8, the USSR declared war against Japan. On August 9, the United States dropped an even more powerful bomb on Nagasaki. The United States government estimates 40,000 people were killed or never found as a result of the second bomb. On September 2, the Japanese government, which had seemed ready to fight to the death, surrendered unconditionally Langsam 147.

2. Europe in the 1930’s and 1940’s