Ch. 22 Fighting for the Four Freedoms: WWII

"Patriotic Assimilation"

"Patriotic Assimilation" was when many people moved from their ethnic neighborhoods to areas with many people of different backgrounds. After WWII and the horrifying Nazi idea that there was an inborn racial difference, scientists began abandoning the belief in differences among cultures. Racism was seen as a travesty and was seen as a psychological disorder.

What factors after 1939 led to US involvement in WWII?

After 1939, Germany became a much more powerful force, especially when they occupied Paris. By 1940, Germany dominated much of Europe and North Africa. Britain was fighting alone, basically. So, the US began to provide aid militarily to England, China, and even the Soviet Union to aid in the war effort as Nazi Germany began to expand more and more. The ultimate factor that led to involvement in the war was the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor that killed thousands of US servicemen. Roosevelt called upon Congress for a declaration of war, and Congress voted in favor, so the US joined the war effort.

GI Bill of Rights

After WWI, many soldiers returning faced unemployment and economic difficulties. To prevent this after WWI, the GI Bill of Rights was made to reward soldiers for their service. This widely shaped postwar society as veterans attending college and have their home mortgages paid for.

D-Day

D-Day was the day where American troops really began their major involvement in Europe. On D-Day, or June 6, 1944, thousands of America, British, and Canadian soldiers landed in Normandy. This operation led to the liberation of France from Germany.

Did either FDR or Churchill succeed in attaining their goals at the Atlantic Conference?

FDR wanted his people to join the war because he hated the Nazi's. This was unsuccessful because there was a lack of agreement by the American public. FDR did want to prevent the fall of Britain and cause the fall of Nazi Germany. Churchill hoped to attain supplies for the War and have President Roosevelt and his military stand strong in Japan. He also wanted America to enter the War. That does not happen.

What visions of America's postwar role began to emerge during the war?

From the Great Depression to WWI to WWII, new ideas of freedom came out in response to the situation. WWII led to the idea in a pluralistic American society. Seeing Nazi tyranny and the idea of a master race that completely diminished racial and ethnic equality, America hoped to see more freedom. The government insisted that the ideals of the Four Freedoms must be upheld, but it must also be extended to all Americans of al races, ethnicities, religions, and origins. American pluralism was about respecting and tolerating the diversity. There was a big difference between what America considered equal freedom and how people that were not white were actually treated, and it became a point to make a change.

Four Freedoms

In his State of the Union Address, President Roosevelt presented the Four Freedoms he believed were essential human freedoms. These Four Freedoms were freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. He said they embodied the rights of all men, no matter what race they were, and no matter where they live.

What steps led to American participation in WWII?

Initially, the US stayed isolated from the issues dominating Europe all due to Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany. President Roosevelt felt it was necessary to go along with England and France and "appease" Hitler even though he was becoming aggressive. The US remained isolated in hopes of avoiding foreign affairs and staying neutral. Once Germany invaded Poland and the England and France were threatened, Roosevelt opted to authorize military support to Britain, China, and even the Soviet Union. The eventual downfall that led to participating in WWII was when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, killing thousands of American servicemen. Soon after, Roosevelt declared war with Japan and entered WWII.

Isolationism

Isolationism was the Americans' desire to avoid foreign affairs. Lawmakers passed Neutrality Acts to ban travel on ships and the sale of arms to counties at war. Congress hoped this would allow the US to avoid conflicts over freedom of the seas that contributed to involvement in WWI.

How did the US mobilize economic resources and promote popular support for the war effort?

Once the US joined the war in Europe, everything changed back home in the US. Roosevelt created federal agencies to regulate the labor, establish manufacturing, and fix wages, prices, and rents. During this time, the unemployment rate decreased drastically as the call for federal workers was increased. The government built houses for war workers and forced many industries to change their labor for war production. War bonds were sold and taxes were increased to bring in money to the national government. Manufacturing increased and thousands of aircrafts, armored vehicles, and trucks were created on the assembly line. Scientific research was at its peak as perfecting technology for war was very important. It was really a national effort to stabilize US forces for the war.

United Nations (UN)

The United Nations was an organization designed to maintain world peace. The United Nations was a successor to the League of Nations. They also hoped to outlaw threat of force as means of dealing with international affairs.

How did the end of the war begin to shape the postwar world?

One thing WWII really changed was the distribution of power in the world. Prior to the war, Germany and Japan were the two dominant military powers in Europe and Asia. After the war, though, the US and the Soviet Union gained significant influence beyond national borders. With new dominant world powers came new threats to the world. The Soviet Union occupied Eastern Europe, which led to the Cold War. The invention of the atomic bomb led to a felling of fear among many, especially when the Soviets began to test their own. And there was an issue in the US regarding the Four Freedoms. WWII laid a foundation for the postwar about human rights that should be extended to everyone. After the war, there were disputes over freedom by the non-whites in the US. The freedom fought for in WWII must be extended to everyone.

How did government, business, and labor work together to promote wartime production? How did the war affect each group?

President Roosevelt established federal agencies to regulate labor, the shipping industry, manufacturing, and wages. Unemployment rates when down as the government hoped to promote wartime production. The government marketed from selling war bonds and built houses for war workers in support of the war. Wartime manufacturing by businesses was a big achievement. Thousands of aircrafts, armored vehicles, and trucks were manufactured. Federal funding helped establish big manufacturing areas and industrial centers. Jobs increased and output increased. During wartime, businesses were forced to recognize the labor unions. So laborers joined the unions, which strikingly increased the number of unions in the US. Labor work, businesses, and the government had to intermingle because the government had to help out the businesses, which increased to labor, in order to increase production for the war effort.

Manhattan Project

President Roosevelt issued the Manhattan Project, a top-secret program in which America scientists developed an atomic bomb during WWI. This was after physicists realized they could harness the energy form elements to create an atomic reaction. This energy could be used as a form of controlled power.

Rosie the Riveter

Rosie the Riveter was a female industrial laborer depicted as muscular and self-reliant. This was printed in magazines that the war engage "womanpower" to fill jobs vacated by men. Films glorified the independent woman.

"Double-V"

The "Double-V" was the phrase that symbolized black attitudes during the war. Victory over Germany and Japan meant that there should be a victory over segregation in America.

"Zoot Suit" Riots

The "Zoot Suit" Riots were many sailors and policemen attacking Mexican-American children wearing flamboyant clothing in California. It illustrated the limit of wartime tolerance. Even with the war, discrimination continued.

What was the Atlantic Conference?

The Atlantic Conference took place in what is Newfoundland and on many warships. This conference included President Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. It was more than a meeting for them, though; it was a meeting for the military forces and diplomats of the US and Britain. It was a meeting of a lot of secrecy because President Roosevelt was going into a warzone, so it was concerning.

What was the impact of the GI Bill of Rights on American society, including minorities?

The Bretton Woods Conference was a meeting of representatives from 45 nations. During this conference, the British pound was replaced with the dollar as the main currency for international transactions. This created two American-dominating financial institutions. The World Bank provided money to developing countries and to help rebuild Europe. The International Monetary Fund prevented devaluing the currencies. American leaders believed that these institutions would encourage free trade and growth of the world economy. This remains central to American foreign policy to this day.

Bretton Woods Conference

The Bretton Woods Conference was representatives from many countries meeting to make the British pounds as the main currency in international transactions. This was meant to restrict America from dominating economic order and ensure that countries did not devalue their currency.

Executive Order 9066

The Executive Order 9066 ordered for the relocation of Japanese from the West Coast. They were moved to camps far from their homes. The economy went downhill without their labor. This was one example of how, even with the war, there was still discrimination and violations of civil liberties.

Good Neighbor Policy

The Good Neighbor Policy by President Roosevelt sought to improve relations between the US and Latin America. America was being a "good neighbor" as it would mark the end of interventions by the US and encourage economic opportunities internationally.

Holocaust

The Holocaust was Adolf Hitler's idea of "the final solution," or the mass extermination of the "undesirable" - Slavs, gypsies, homosexuals, and mostly Jews. This was under the belief that Germans were the "master race" destined to rule the world.

Second Great Migration

The Second Great Migration was the movement of many blacks from the South to the North. The left on what they called "liberty trains" seeking jobs in the industrial north. Blacks often encountered violence and faced white residents wanting to evict the blacks, especially in Detroit.

Lend-Lease Act

The US become more allied with those fighting Germany and Japan, so Congress passed the Lend-Lease Act, which authorized military aid to countries in the war effort. The US funneled a lot of arms to Britain and China, dramatically increasing the US involvement in the war.

How did different groups understand or experience the Four Freedoms differently?

The goal of WWII back in America was to sell the idea of freedom and to make the Four Freedoms real and make it real to everyone. Tolerance and freedom, however, hardly extended to everyone of any race, ethnicity, or religion. To women, freedom was about having careers with equal pay, having maternity leave, and having sexual liberation. In a way, they experience some freedom with gaining industrial jobs during the war, but it was seen as temporary by the government, taking their jobs away when men returned. With the war, blacks had varying treatment. Blacks did not really serve in the military (often because of restrictions) and faced discrimination over the GI Bill. However, later, Roosevelt issued the Executive Order of 8802 to ban discrimination, which opened up equality in many fields for blacks, gaining freedoms they did not have. Non-white groups were treated differently based on their country of origin (Japanese-Americans were treated very poorly during WWII) and racial discrimination. The Four Freedoms was about having freedom of individuality, but it was hardly extended to people of color or people with certain ethnicities.

Why did most Americans support isolationism in the 1930s?

The popularity of isolationism had two main reasons. For one, at first, many Americans did not see the threat arising from the Germans and the Japanese. Nazi Germany actually had some American admirers because Americans thought that the German power could overpower the Soviet Union and defeat communism. Second, many Americans disagreed with involvement in WWI. Many Americans were reluctant to enter foreign conflicts. German and Italian-Americans, also, celebrated the expansion of power in their countries of origin.

How did the war alter the lives of women on the home front, and what did different groups think would happen after the war?

The war mobilized the idea of "womanpower." Women often had to fill industrial jobs vacated by men that were overseas fighting in the war. In the media, independent women were glorified and this was the time in which Rosie the Riveter was celebrated. Women took jobs in aircraft manufacturing and shipbuilding. Women forced unions to confront issues like equal pay for equal work and demanded the same wages as men. Women hoped that the nation would change their opinion of women in working positions. However, the government and employers often saw women as a temporary necessity, but after the war, they would no longer be needed.

Explain how conservatives in Congress and business used the war efforts to attack the goals and legacy of the New Deal.

There was a hope that after WWII, that there would be united between New Dealers and conservatives. However, some conservatives held different views. In one conservative essay, it outlined how American imperialism (America as a dominant force) would make America abundant and prosperous. Also, a business leader argued that if American capitalism is acceptable because there could be a redistribution of economic resources and elimination of poverty. The ideas of imperialism and capitalism were not exactly the goals of the New Deal.

Bracero Program

Under the Bracero Program, the American and Mexican government allowed thousands of laborers to cross into America to take up jobs as domestic or agricultural workers. It was initially designed to deal with wartime labor shortage, but lasted for years later.

How did American minorities face threats to their freedom at home and abroad during WWII? & How did a war fought to bring "essential human freedoms" to the world fail to protect the home front liberties of blacks, Indians, Japanese-Americans, and Mexican-Americans?

WWII brought the idea of racial equality, but intolerance did not disappear. During the zoot-suit riots, Mexican-American's were attacked for wearing flamboyant clothing. The rhetoric of wartime tolerance was contrasted with continued discrimination. For Asian Americans, they faced discrimination determined by where they come from in Asia. A quota was established, allowing Chinese immigrants in after years of exclusion (the positive end). The Japanese, however, were treated differently because of their attack on Pearl Harbor. There was prejudice against Japanese Americans, which led to Japanese Internment due to exaggerated fears of Japanese invasion. Many Japanese-Americans were relocated to these internment camps and were subject to military discipline and a loss of basic freedoms. Last, there were only few Black Americans in the military, and most were left to noncombat jobs. They sought benefits through the GI Bill, but were still subjected to discrimination as they had to attend segregated colleges and had to limit their job training to unskilled work.

Explain how WWII promoted an awareness of the links between racism in the US and colonialism around the world.

With Hitler and the Nazi belief that there is a superior race (and the US not believing that), there was a reminder of the lack of freedom that comes with racism and colonialism. WWII promoted the liberation of all people and freedom for all people (no matter the race, ethnicity, gender, or religion) because nobody should be "superior." That ties in with colonialism because there was this realization that if a country is an imperial power, controlling countries or people means that those people are not free. With this idea that freedom is the most important thing, there was an alert to people that racism and colonialism would not achieve freedom for all.