The United States and World War II

1. The United States and World War II

3. World War II was a time of transition in the United States culturally, economically, and politically. This activity will introduce you to the aspects of World War II that are important in regards to US History

4. Start at the Beginning Jump to US before WWII Jump to US in WWII Jump to US after WWII

5. Directions Read the information on each slide. Press the to advance to the next slide and the to go back to the previous slide. Click on words that are underlined for definitions

6. World War II started in 1939, but the United States did not get involved until 1941 That is because the United States was in the middle of The Great Depression

7. The Great Depression began in about 1929 and was a worldwide economic depression During The Great Depression, unemployment in the United States went up to 60% The cause of The Great Depression is still speculated on, but prices declined in the late 1920’s as wages stayed the same, which resulted in a frenzy to try to keep the economy afloat.

8. Since the entire world was looking at a mass deflation, they began to increase tariffs to protect domestic goods in all countries, which resulted in all the countries experiencing a massive economic decline

9. Deflation- A decrease in the general price level of goods and services resulting in an increase in the real value of money Tariff- A government tax on imports or exports

10. Many countries turned to new leaders to help solve this problem. Hitler was successful in pulling Germany out of their depression The United States elected Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1932 and he became president and stayed president until his death in 1945

11. Roosevelt enacted the policy for the economy that he called “The New Deal” The New Deal was a series of government programs and new laws that were created to help lower unemployment and improve the standard of living in the United States This included the “First Hundred Days,” a hundred day period at the beginning of Roosevelt’s term of unprecedented law passing, some of it unconstitutional.

12. The New Deal programs included things such as: • Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) • Responsible for navigation flood control, electricity generation, and fertilizer manufacturing • Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA) • Paid land owners for leaving land idle • National Recovery Administration (NRA) • Responsible for stablizing prices and wages by cooperating with businesses

13. The New Deal did a great job supporting morale, but did little economically The reason the United States got out of The Great Depression was thanks to World War II and the sudden manufacturing demands of all the countries at war

14. Review Who was elected president in 1932? Harry S. Truman Theodore Roosevelt Franklin Roosevelt Herbert Hoover

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17. World War II On December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor This attack forced the United States into, not only a war with Japan, but with all the Axis Powers

18. The Axis Powers- The German, Italian, and Japanese forces in World War II that provided most of the resistance

19. The United States and other Allied forces began fighting a war in the pacific, with battles such as: • The Battle of Guam • The Battle of Iwo Jima • The Battle of Midway • The Battle of the Coral Sea • The Battle of Okinawa

20. The Pacific battles were fights against the Japanese that were in extremely fortified areas and therefore left hundreds of thousands of American soldiers dead or wounded

21. Meanwhile, the entry of the United States in the European front temporarily allows the Allied powers to advance and help stall the progress of Axis forces In 1943, following the Guadalcanal Campaign and the Battle of Kursk, the Allied forces gained a clear upper hand in the war in Europe

22. On June 6, 1944, Allied forces invaded German controlled France at Normandy in what is called “D-Day” D-Day was the beginning of the end for the Axis powers in Europe as the Allies continued to move East afterwards

23. In May of 1945, the last German forces surrendered, ending the war in Europe

24. The Pacific war against the Japanese continued in the Pacific US forces came to the conclusion that something needed to be done to save American lives In early August of 1945, after the Japanese denied treaties of surrender, the United States dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima

25. The Japanese official surrendered on September 2, 1945, also known as “V-Day” officially ending World War II

26. Review What was the turning point for Allied victory in Europe? Battle of the Bulge Battle of Stalingrad Battle of Munich D-Day

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28. The Cold War Following World War II, the United States emerged as the world’s superpower since it had the only atomic weapons This all change soon and started what is known as “The Cold War,” which was a standoff between the Soviet Union and the United States for the world’s superpower

29. In August of 1949, the Soviet Union, with stolen information form the United States research, detonated their first atomic bomb, marking an official start to the Cold War

30. The Cold War was not just an arms race, it was also a battle between the ideals of Capitalism against the ideals of Communism The Soviet Union, along with Communism, were expanding, resulting in fear in the United States Plans to contain (the Truman Doctrine) and prevent (The Marshall Plan) were enacted to stop Communism’s spread

31. The Cold War would continue for more than 40 years, with several threats of breaking into nuclear war, such as the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Korean War

32. Quiz What year did World War II start in Europe? 1918 1929 1939 1949

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34. 2. What was the name of the economic crisis in America and the world in the 1930’s? The Tariff of Abominations The Great Depression The Great Recession The Great Deflation

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36. 3. What years did Franklin Roosevelt serve as president? 1919-1927 1928-1932 1932-1936 1932-1945

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38. 4. What was Roosevelt’s policy for economic reform called? The New Deal The New Age The Great Society The Great Gatsby

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40. 5. What event forced America into World War II? German invasion of Poland German invasion of France Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor Battle of Midway

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42. 6. Which was one of the cities that an atomic bomb was dropped? Tokyo Nagasaki Iwo Jima Okinawa

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44. 7. What beachhead was invaded on D-Day? Paris Britain Normandy Portugal

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46. 8. What were the powers of Italy, Germany, and Japan called? Evil Powers Allied Powers Austin Powers Axis Powers

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48. 9. What is the day when Japan surrendered known as? J-Day W-Day V-Day D-Day

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50. 10. What was the first sign of the Cold War Spread of communism in Europe Soviet Union creates Atomic Bomb Soviet Union creates Hydrogen Bomb US creates Hydrogen Bomb