What led up to the event: Following World War I, the United States attempted to return to a state of isolationism. A series of treaties and agreements were entered into, including the famous Washington Disarmament Conference, intended to prevent the horrors of World War I from happening again. Obviously, it did not happen.United States entry into the war was largely the result of Japanese aggression in the Pacific. Japan had hoped to gain German possessions in the Pacific Basin at the Treaty of Versailles, but came away empty handed. This did not settle well with the Japanese government. The U.S. was at first a passive participant in the European war by furnishing ships, etc. to the British; but did not actively engage in combat. When Japan began an aggressive campaign in the Pacific, and President Roosevelt stopped oil shipments and scrap metal shipments to Japan, the Japanese High Command determined that war with the United States was inevitable. The Japanese plan was to take out the Pacific Fleet and allow time for a negotiated peace before the Atlantic Fleet could be re-directed. They failed to understand American resolve when attacked, best expressed by President James K. Polk at the beginning of the Mexican War: "American blood has been shed on American soil."The United States declared War on Japan on Monday after Pearl Harbor was attacked on Sunday. Germany and Italy declared war on the United States on Thursday in keeping with the Tri-Partite Pact with Japan. There was only one event that led the US to enter WWII. That was the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in what was then the Territory of Hawaii. That happened on December 7, 1941. No other event actually caused the US to participate in the war. There were many events that made the US more likely to want to enter the war. Most of those events have to do with German and Japanese expansion. As Germany and Japan attempted to take more territory, the US became more and more worried. Some examples of this include the German invasion of Poland in September of 1939 and the Japanese taking of Vietnam in September of 1940. However, none of these events made the US enter the war.
The event: WW2 is what told us as a nation told that we shouldn't focus on individualism as a world, because when we do, we end up corrupted, selfish, or under the influence of corrupted, selfish nations. It should us then when we stand united, we are strong. When we don't, the world falls apart. War is horrible, that's the truth. WW2 woke us up to that. The war in Europe continued to dominate world affairs but a new threat was growing which would soon involve America as the Japanese caused a threat Asia in the Pacific and preparations for war continued . The British Prime Minister Winston Churchill addressed the joint session of congress asking for help in the form of Arms . The US still continued as normal with 2 great movies produced that year that would stand the test of time "Citizen Kane" and "Dumbo". After many years where parents had decided what teenagers wore a new revolution was happening where teenagers became fashion conscious , also drive in Movies and drive in fast food were growing in popularity. On December 7th 1941 the US was attacked by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii more than 2400 American servicemen were killed that day and America entered the WAR . And with neutrality ended some 950 tanks were sent to Britain together with food, trucks, guns and ammunition.
The Impact: The cost of the War certainly impacted the U.S. there is no official casualty count of World War II, but it was clearly the greatest and deadliest war in human history, with estimates reaching 57 million lives lost. In combat, approximately 7.5 million Russians, 3.5 million Germans, 1.2 million Japanese, and 2.2 million Chinese soldiers lost their lives. Great Britain and France each lost hundreds of thousands. The civilian toll was probably higher – an estimated 22 million Soviet citizens were lost, and 6 million Jews in the Holocaust. For the United States, the losses were smaller, but still alarming - more that 400,000 dead and over 600,000 wounded. Memorials to the War can be found across the globe. Economic improvement - World War ii Iwas a time of opportunity for millions of Americans. Jobs abounded and, despite rationing and shortages, there was money to spend again. Workers complained about long hours, overtime, and night shifts, but they were able to save money for the future. Farmers also prospered during the war, as crop production increased and farm income tripled. Women also enjoyed employment gains during the war, but many left the workforce after the war ended.
The global position of the United States - After World War II, the United States assumed a new position as a global superpower. America emerged from the war with minor casualties compared to the other Allies and to the Axis powers, and was also the only nation possessing the atomic bomb. Clearly, the United States was the leader in world affairs.
The federal deficit - As military costs escalated, so did the deficit. But at the same time, social spending plummeted. Senate liberals, for example, introduced legislation to broaden the coverage of Social Security, and another bill to provide comprehensive national health care. Both were pushed aside in favor of military expenditures.
A political shift to the right (America becomes more conservative) - The end of the New Deal and World War II brought about a political, psychological, and economic shift to the right in the U.S. Three issues troubled Americans during the war years and immediately afterward - that government was becoming too big, the economy was controlled too much by the government, and Communism was infiltrating the United States. New Deal reform measures of the past were canceled or defeated.
The federal government and the presidency - During the war, the number of civilian employees working for the federal government rose from one million to nearly four million. At the same time, Washington's spending grew from nine billion dollars to ninety-eight billion dollars. The war also accelerated the growth of the authority of the President. Now, important decisions concerning both domestic and foreign policy were not made by Congress, but by the President and his advisors.
The "Military-Industrial Complex" - An organized relationship arose between big business and the military's spending on defense. During the war, the average daily expenditure on military contracts was two hundred fifty million dollars, which inflated American industrial capacity. Small companies disappeared as two-thirds of government contracts went to the hundred largest corporations.
Discrimination in the United States - As African Americans moved into crowded industrial cities, racial tensions grew outside of the South. Blacks made some progress in the military and the workforce, and many cities formed committees to improve race relations. Mexican Americans faced discrimination in Southern California. Japanese Americans faced discrimination during the war, especially in the relocation camps, and struggled to rebuild their lives after the war. The United Nations - Created in response to the failure of the League of Nations, the United Nations was based on the idea that an international body could resolve disputes through discussion and diplomacy to avert or stop wars. The US agreed to the UN, seeing that isolationism could not protect the country and may actually be dangerous. However, due to the setup of the General Assembly and the veto power of the five permanent members, the UN seemed destined to fail. The UN has played a constructive role in the resolution of many disputes.
The event: WW2 is what told us as a nation told that we shouldn't focus on individualism as a world, because when we do, we end up corrupted, selfish, or under the influence of corrupted, selfish nations. It should us then when we stand united, we are strong. When we don't, the world falls apart. War is horrible, that's the truth. WW2 woke us up to that. The war in Europe continued to dominate world affairs but a new threat was growing which would soon involve America as the Japanese caused a threat Asia in the Pacific and preparations for war continued . The British Prime Minister Winston Churchill addressed the joint session of congress asking for help in the form of Arms . The US still continued as normal with 2 great movies produced that year that would stand the test of time "Citizen Kane" and "Dumbo". After many years where parents had decided what teenagers wore a new revolution was happening where teenagers became fashion conscious , also drive in Movies and drive in fast food were growing in popularity. On December 7th 1941 the US was attacked by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii more than 2400 American servicemen were killed that day and America entered the WAR . And with neutrality ended some 950 tanks were sent to Britain together with food, trucks, guns and ammunition.
The Impact: The cost of the War certainly impacted the U.S. there is no official casualty count of World War II, but it was clearly the greatest and deadliest war in human history, with estimates reaching 57 million lives lost. In combat, approximately 7.5 million Russians, 3.5 million Germans, 1.2 million Japanese, and 2.2 million Chinese soldiers lost their lives. Great Britain and France each lost hundreds of thousands. The civilian toll was probably higher – an estimated 22 million Soviet citizens were lost, and 6 million Jews in the Holocaust. For the United States, the losses were smaller, but still alarming - more that 400,000 dead and over 600,000 wounded. Memorials to the War can be found across the globe. Economic improvement - World War ii Iwas a time of opportunity for millions of Americans. Jobs abounded and, despite rationing and shortages, there was money to spend again. Workers complained about long hours, overtime, and night shifts, but they were able to save money for the future. Farmers also prospered during the war, as crop production increased and farm income tripled. Women also enjoyed employment gains during the war, but many left the workforce after the war ended.
The global position of the United States - After World War II, the United States assumed a new position as a global superpower. America emerged from the war with minor casualties compared to the other Allies and to the Axis powers, and was also the only nation possessing the atomic bomb. Clearly, the United States was the leader in world affairs.
The federal deficit - As military costs escalated, so did the deficit. But at the same time, social spending plummeted. Senate liberals, for example, introduced legislation to broaden the coverage of Social Security, and another bill to provide comprehensive national health care. Both were pushed aside in favor of military expenditures.
A political shift to the right (America becomes more conservative) - The end of the New Deal and World War II brought about a political, psychological, and economic shift to the right in the U.S. Three issues troubled Americans during the war years and immediately afterward - that government was becoming too big, the economy was controlled too much by the government, and Communism was infiltrating the United States. New Deal reform measures of the past were canceled or defeated.
The federal government and the presidency - During the war, the number of civilian employees working for the federal government rose from one million to nearly four million. At the same time, Washington's spending grew from nine billion dollars to ninety-eight billion dollars. The war also accelerated the growth of the authority of the President. Now, important decisions concerning both domestic and foreign policy were not made by Congress, but by the President and his advisors.
The "Military-Industrial Complex" - An organized relationship arose between big business and the military's spending on defense. During the war, the average daily expenditure on military contracts was two hundred fifty million dollars, which inflated American industrial capacity. Small companies disappeared as two-thirds of government contracts went to the hundred largest corporations.
Discrimination in the United States - As African Americans moved into crowded industrial cities, racial tensions grew outside of the South. Blacks made some progress in the military and the workforce, and many cities formed committees to improve race relations. Mexican Americans faced discrimination in Southern California. Japanese Americans faced discrimination during the war, especially in the relocation camps, and struggled to rebuild their lives after the war. The United Nations - Created in response to the failure of the League of Nations, the United Nations was based on the idea that an international body could resolve disputes through discussion and diplomacy to avert or stop wars. The US agreed to the UN, seeing that isolationism could not protect the country and may actually be dangerous. However, due to the setup of the General Assembly and the veto power of the five permanent members, the UN seemed destined to fail. The UN has played a constructive role in the resolution of many disputes.