-176615 CHAPTER 26—AMERICA DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR Murrin, Johnson, McPherson, Fahs, Gerstle, Rosenberg & Rosenberg Copyright © 2008 Wadsworth Group Liberty, Equality, Power: A History of the American People, 5e 0704lep5e.bmp
Times Instructions: Identify the following term(s). The so-called "cash and carry" legislation was all of the following except a requirement that belligerents pay cash for their arms purchases and carry them away on their own ships. an effort on the part of the Roosevelt administration to help Great Britain. an attempt to revise and soften the Neutrality Act of 1937. a way for the United States to strengthen its defenses. a means of broadening arms sales to belligerents. D Average p. 789 Analytical 1 The Luftwaffe refers to the German lightning war against Poland. the German sitting war against France. Hitler's "final solution" to the Jewish problem. Hitler's plan to destroy the Soviet Union. the German air force. E Least Difficult p. 791 Factual 1 The Republican candidate who opposed Roosevelt in the 1940 election was Alf Landon Wendell Willkie. John Dewey. Robert Taft. Herbert Hoover. B Least Difficult p. 792 Factual 1 Roosevelt's proposal to lend munitions to the Allies was known as the ____ plan. "lend-lease" "cash and carry" "Atlantic Charter" "Four Freedoms" "borrow and return" A Least Difficult p. 793 Factual 1 Which of the following was not declared by the Atlantic Charter? disavowal of territorial expansion endorsement of free trade call for an end to the Communist threat creation of a world organization to ensure "general security" support for common principles C Average p. 794 Factual 1 In World War II, African-American soldiers refused to fight until they received equal rights. deserted in larger numbers than did other ethnic minorities. won more medals than white soldiers. were segregated and usually assigned noncombat, menial but often dangerous jobs. were never drafted. D Most Difficult p. 816 Factual 1 The tide of the war on the eastern front really turned at the Battle of the Bulge. Moscow. Stalingrad. the Elbe. Berlin. C Average p. 798 Factual 1 The turning point of the war on the western front was Operation Torch. Operation Gamut. Operation OVERLORD. Operation Husky. Operation Hun. C Average p. 798 Factual 1 In regard to China, the United States hoped that it would stay out of the war. play a larger role in fighting the Japanese. break its communist ties with the Soviet Union. allow the United States to control its foreign policy. open its markets to U.S. trade. B Average p. 817 Factual 1 Sensitive U.S. military communications about operations in the Pacific were kept secret because of the use of sophisticated computing systems for transmitting messages. the German language when transmitting messages. the code named SECRET. Morse Code. Navajo instead of English when transmitting messages. E Average p. 801-802 Factual 1 The first atomic bomb was dropped on the city of Nagasaki. Hiroshima. Dresden. Kyoto. Tokyo. B Least Difficult p. 804 Factual 1 The government agency that oversaw the conversion of factories to wartime use was the War Labor Board. War Production Board. War Commodities Board. Office of Public Information. Office of War Production. B Least Difficult p. 806 Factual 1 Which of the following statements best describes the power of organized labor during the Second World War? Because of the scarcity of workers, the labor movement was weakened. Women's entering the labor market weakened the labor movement. Although there was a scarcity of workers, there was no noticeable change in the labor movement. There was no scarcity of workers since most jobs were filled by women. Because of the scarcity of workers, the labor movement was strengthened. E Average p. 808 Analytical 1 The congressional act that allowed the president to seize plants or mines if strikes interrupted war production was the Taft-Hartley Act. Sherman Antitrust Act. Washbourne Act. Smith-Connally Act. Interstate Commerce Act. D Least Difficult p. 810 Factual 1 The governmental office devoted to coordinating policies related to wartime propaganda was called the Office of Propaganda. Office of War Information. Office of Information. Propaganda and Information Office. Office of Communication. B Average p. 814 Factual 1 Which of the following statements regarding African Americans during the war years is not true? They remained mostly a southern, rural, agricultural minority. They were paid less money and worked longer hours than whites doing the same jobs. They were welcomed into some previously whites-only unions and skilled jobs. They migrated to Canada seeking better job opportunities. Many challenged the government to live up to its rhetoric about freedom and democracy. D Average p. 816 Factual 1 All of the following statements about the Port Chicago incident in 1944 are true except it involved an explosion that killed nearly 300 mostly black U.S. Navy dockworkers. surviving black dockworkers refused orders to resume the dangerous work. most black dockworkers injured in the explosion were awarded Purple Heart medals. nearly 50 black dockworkers were court-martialed and imprisoned for disobeying orders. Blacks who were imprisoned pressed the Navy for redress for excessive sentences, finally winning a pardon for one sailor from President Clinton. C Average p. 816 Factual 1 The organization founded during the war years devoted to nonviolent resistance to segregation was the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). National Urban League (NUL). A Average p. 819 Factual 1 During World War II, more than 100,000 Japanese Americans were guilty of sabotage and espionage. denied their constitutional rights and imprisoned without trial. not allowed to join the military or to work in factories. deported by the U.S. government. executed. B Average p. 818 Factual 1 The successor to President Franklin Roosevelt was Dwight Eisenhower. Thomas Dewey. Lyndon Johnson. Henry Wallace. Harry Truman. E Least Difficult p. 804 Factual 1 Poland was a point of great dissension between the Allies in 1945 because of all of the following except the Soviets failed to hold free elections. the Soviets did not relinquish control. the Allies were unclear in their communications with Stalin about their desires for Poland. Americans of Polish descent wanted open immigration for their fellow Poles. The Soviets considered Poland in their sphere of influence. D Average p. 821 Factual 1 The worldwide economic instability of the 1920s and 1930s brought supernationalistic military governments to power in Europe and Asia. promoted international economic cooperation. caused disastrous trade conflicts. stimulated the growth of centralized democracies. did not significantly impact political systems. A Average p. 788 Analytical 1 All but which one of the following were part of Adolf Hitler's political agenda? compliance with the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles assertion of the superiority of the "Aryan" race establishment of an expanded German empire condemnation of the "Jewish conspiracy" rebuilding the German military A Average p. 788 Factual 1 Who of the following was not a fascist political leader? Benito Mussolini Francisco Franco Adolf Hitler Joseph Stalin none of the above D Average p. 788-789 Factual 1 American foreign policy in the early and mid-1930s was basically interventionist. expansionist. isolationist. jingoistic. militaristic. C Average p. 788-789 Analytical 1 The Neutrality Acts of 1935 and 1936 prohibited American investment in foreign countries. offered loans and credit to belligerents. cut off trade with Asia. cut off all trade between the United States and Europe. outlawed U.S. weapon sales to nations at war. E Average p. 789 Factual 1 In response to the Spanish Civil War, all of the following occurred except Germany and Italy sent weapons and soldiers to help the rebels. the United States, Britain, and France pursued a policy of noninvolvement. the Soviet Union assisted the republican government of Spain. American conservative groups opposed General Franco and urged help for republican forces. the American left supported republican Spain. D Most Difficult p. 789 Factual 1 In 1939 and 1940, Franklin Roosevelt tried to halt Japanese aggression in China and Indochina by sending troops to mainland China. threatening to invade Japanese holdings in the Pacific. imposing economic sanctions to limit Japanese access to raw materials. offering most-favored nation trade status to Japan in return for an end to hostilities. bombing Japanese cities. C Most Difficult p. 794 Factual 1 The United States was unprepared for the attack at Pearl Harbor because coded messages intercepted by U.S. agents indicated that an attack on Southeast Asia was planned. American military leaders were overconfident and believed that no nation would dare attack. Franklin Roosevelt deliberately exposed the fleet to destruction in order to bring the United States into the war. the United States and Japan were on friendly terms. Germany had assured the U.S. that Japan would not attack. A Average p. 795 Analytical 1 All of the following demonstrated the preeminence of the military in the Washington power structure in the 1940s except the creation of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. building of the Pentagon complex to house the War Department. creation of dozens of new agencies and bureaucracies to coordinate the war effort. decision to institute the draft. development of radar technology. D Most Difficult p. 796 Analytical 1 All of the following statements regarding the Holocaust are not true except only Jews were persecuted by the Germans. no one outside of Germany knew about the death camps until after the war ended. the United States turned away Jewish refugees who could have been saved from the camps. about 500,000 people died in the Nazi concentration camps. only adults were killed. C Most Difficult p. 798 Factual 1 In China, the United States supported Jiang Jieshi instead of Mao Zedong because Jiang was a capitalist while Mao was a communist. Jiang's government was honest, competent, and democratic. the Chinese peasants supported Jiang. Jiang's troops were determined and effective in fighting the Japanese. Mao had the support of Japan. A Most Difficult p. 800-801 Analytical 1 During World War II, the highest number of Japanese casualties resulted from sea battles such as the Battle of the Coral Sea. the two atomic bomb blasts. the use of biological warfare. the invasion of the "home" island of Japan. the fire bombing of Tokyo and other major cities. E Most Difficult p. 803 Factual 1 Harry Truman's motives for using the atomic bomb against Japan included his hatred for the Japanese and his desire to totally destroy them. desire to end the war quickly to save American lives. mistaken belief that civilians would not be killed. intelligence reports that asserted Japan was close to completing an atomic bomb of their own. belief that Japan planned an attack on California. B Most Difficult p. 804 Analytical 1 The most powerful wartime economic agency was the War Production Board. Maritime Commission. War Labor Board. Office of Price Administration. Railroad Administration. A Least Difficult p. 806 Factual 1 The January 1942 conference at Rio de Janeiro resulted in all of the Latin American countries breaking diplomatic relations with the Axis governments except Brazil and Peru. Colombia and Guatemala. Chile and Argentina. Paraguay and Uruguay. Ecuador and Chile. C Most Difficult p. 821 Factual 1 As wartime production systems created more jobs in cities such as Los Angeles and Detroit, black(s) moved by the hundreds of thousands from the rural south to the north and west. generally proved unwilling to move from the south in pursuit of such jobs. were prevented from moving out of the south by Jim Crow laws. men moved into northern and western cities, but women generally stayed in the south. almost completely abandoned the rural south. B Most Difficult p. 816 Factual 1 In September 1940, Senator Burton K. Wheeler of Montana spoke out in favor of the nation going to war with Germany. mailed out more than a million anti-interventionist postcards at government expense. urged President Roosevelt to step up military preparations against a Japanese surprise attack. published a secret agreement between FDR and Churchill that exposed Lend Lease. initiated an investigation of war profiteering. B Most Difficult p. 791 Factual 1 The minority group that suffered the most during World War II were African Americans. Mexican Americans. Native Americans. Japanese Americans. German Americans. D Average p. 817-818 Factual 1 According to the Senate Committee headed by Gerald Nye in the 1930s, Jews caused World War I. bankers and munitions makers manipulated the U.S. into entering World War I. the Depression was caused by bankers and businessmen. World War I was fought to defend the American way of life. the press forced the United States into World War I. B Most Difficult p. 789 Factual 1 The East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere was the Allies plan for restructuring China after World War II. Mao Zedong's plan for rebuilding China. Jiang Jieshi's plan for rebuilding China. The U. S. plan for reconstructing Japan after the war. Japan's proposal for liberating Asia from Western imperialism. E Most Difficult p. 789 Factual 1 Britain and France declared war on Germany when Germany bombed London. Czechoslovakia fell. Hitler invaded Poland. Hitler declared union with Austria. Hitler militarized the Rhineland. C Average p. 791 Factual 1 Opponents of President Roosevelt's pro-Allied policy included those who sympathized with Hitler's anti-Semitism. those who feared that war would centralize the government's power. those who sympathized with the Fascists' anticommunism. members of religious groups committed to nonviolence. all of the above E Average p. 793 Analytical 1 The America First Committee opposed U. S. involvement in the war in Europe. supported President Roosevelt's efforts to aid the Allies. opposed Communist expansion in Asia. opposed Stalin's regime in the Soviet Union. opposed efforts to expand international trade. A Average p. 793 Analytical 1 During World War II, U.S. refugee policy increased the number of Jews who were admitted to the country. increased the number of Germans who were admitted to the country. did not increase its immigration quota to admit 20,000 Jewish children into the U.S.. allowed Jewish children, but not adults, to enter the country as refugees. allowed Japanese refugees to enter the country. C Average p. 793 Factual 1 The American people united behind President Roosevelt's decision to ask for a declaration of war when they learned of the death camps in Europe. Japan attacked the Philippines. London fell to the Germans. France fell to the Germans. Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. E Least Difficult p. 794-795 Factual 1 To ease resistance in North Africa, General Eisenhower pledged U.S. support to Nazi sympathizer Jean Darlan. agreed to support General Charles de Gaulle. won the support of the Italians in that area. convinced the Soviet Union to join in the African campaign. used atomic bombs there. A Average p. 796 Factual 1 When he became President, Harry Truman was well prepared for the office because he had been among Roosevelt's closest advisors. had been a leading critic of Roosevelt's policies for fighting the war. had been vice president for three terms. prided himself on his ties to America's business leaders. was poorly prepared for the office, having seldom met with Roosevelt or been included in the decision-making process E Average p. 804 Factual 1 During World War II, Congress abolished the job-creation programs of the New Deal era. extended government subsidies to businesses. saw Republicans gain seats. reduced the budget for national planning all of the above. E Average p. 796-797 Factual 1 During World War II, average weekly earnings rose by nearly 70 % fell in the South and rose in the North. rose for white men but fell for African Americans. rose for women but fell for men. fell across the nation. A Average p. 808 Factual 1 When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, its leaders were confident that Japan could win a prolonged war against the U.S. F Most Difficult p. 794 Factual 1 For the most part, the war brought an end to most of the New Deal agencies concerned with the problems of low-income people. T Average p. 806-807 Factual 1 The most virulent acts of racial discrimination came from the government during World War II. F Average p. 816-818 Analytical 1 Soon after the U.S. formally entered the war, President Roosevelt moved to integrate the U.S. armed forces. F Average p. 816 Factual 1 The most publicized "zoot suit" disturbances took place in Los Angeles between young Chicano men and police officers. T Most Difficult p. 817 Factual 1 Some 130,000 people of Japanese ancestry were interned in barbed-wired concentration camps during the war. T Least Difficult p. 818 Factual 1 After World War II, the United States declared itself opposed to any attempt by the Allies to reestablish colonial rule. F Average p. 821 Factual 1 The Yalta agreement on Poland was clear and unambiguous. F Least Difficult p. 821 Factual 1 In the mid-1930s, Gerald Nye headed U.S. Senate committee hearings that charged that bankers and munitions makers had maneuvered the United States into World War I. T Average p. 789 Analytical 1 The Axis powers of World War II were Germany, Italy, and the Soviet Union. F Average p. 789 Factual 1 In a period of only six weeks, the German blitzkrieg conquered eastern Europe and Greece. F Average p. 791 Factual 1 The Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 was the first peacetime draft in U.S. history. T Average p. 791 Factual 1 Before Pearl Harbor, the United States and Germany were already engaged in an undeclared naval war in the North Sea. T Average p. 794 Factual 1 The Hoover-Stimson Doctrine of nonrecognition of Manchukuo had no effect on Japan. T Average p. 788 Factual 1 The 1944 conference that created the International Monetary Fund included representatives from 45 nations. T Average p. 832 Factual 1 The Abraham Lincoln battalion assisted Francisco Franco's forces during the Spanish Civil War. F Average p. 789 Factual 1 Congressional reaction to Franklin Roosevelt's quarantine speech was not enthusiastic. T Most Difficult p. 789 Analytical 1 It took only six weeks for Hitler's army to seize control of Europe's entire Atlantic coastline. T Average p. 791 Factual 1 William Allen White headed the America First Committee. F Average p. 793 Factual 1 Banning the sale of aviation fuel and high-grade scrap metal to Japan failed to halt Japan's advance in Southeast Asia. T Average p. 794 Analytical 1 For the Japanese, the attack on Pearl Harbor was an act of desperation. T Average p. 794 Analytical 1 The United States and Great Britain agreed on the unconditional surrender principle to assuage Soviet concerns about delays in launching the second front. T Average p. 796-797 Analytical 1 Japan suffered its first naval defeat at the Battle of the Coral Sea in May 1942. T Average p. 800 Factual 1 World War II concentrated power in the largest corporations. T Average p. 807 Analytical 1 Roughly 25,000 Native Americans served in the armed forces in World War II. T Average p. 817 Factual 1 Unions adhered strictly to wartime no-strike pledges. F Average p. 809 Analytical 1 FDR let stand the policy of segregation of the armed forces. T Average p. 816 Factual 1 Mobilization for World War II brought the United States out of the Depression. T Least Difficult p. 787 Factual 1 Gerald P. Nye, who led the Senate investigation into American entry into World War I, was a Democrat. F Average p. 789 Factual 1 Spain's General Francisco Franco was a popularly-elected leader who abhorred fascism. F Average p. 789 Factual 1 Because the United States remained officially uninvolved, the Spanish Civil War did not affect the political debate over U.S. foreign policy. F Average p. 789 Analytical 1 In 1939, Japan abrogated its Treaty of Commerce and Navigation with the United States. F Average p. 794 Factual 1 On the national level, the commitment of organized labor to female workers was weak. T Average p. 808-809 Factual 1 The atomic bombs were viewed as simply bigger, more effective firebombs. T Least Difficult p. 804 Factual 1 The antitrust laws were vigorously enforced during World War II. F Least Difficult p. 807 Factual 1 Married women had trouble finding work during World War II. F Least Difficult p. 808 Factual 1 In 1936 Germany violated the 1919 Treaty of Versailles by militarizing the Rhineland. T Average p. 789 Factual 1 African Americans who were court-martialed for refusing to load ammunition at Port Chicago in 1944 were found not guilty. F Average p. 816 Factual 1 At the end of World War II, the U.S. refused to grant independence to the Philippines. F Average p. 821 Factual 1 The Soviet Union declared war on Japan prior to the deployment of the atomic bomb. F Average p. 804 Factual 1 The ____________________ Project was the center of the atomic bomb production during the war. Manhattan Least Difficult p. 804 Factual 1 0 The new international organization created to maintain world peace was the ____________________. United Nations Least Difficult p. 820 Factual 1 0 The International ____________________ was created in 1944 to maintain a stable system of international currency exchange. Monetary Fund Most Difficult p. 820 Factual 1 0 The Supreme Court case that upheld the constitutionality of the U.S. government's plan to relocate people of Japanese ancestry was ____________________. Korematsu v. U.S. Average p. 818 Factual 1 0 The ____________________ consisted of American volunteers who fought on the side of the republicans and socialists in the Spanish Civil War. Abraham Lincoln Brigade Average p. 789 Factual 1 0 The most effective radio communications "code" used by the United States in the Pacific was the ____________________. Navajo Indian language Average p. 801-802 Factual 1 0 Oversized, flamboyant clothing worn by young Mexican-American men in the 1940s were called ____________________. zoot suits Average p. 817 Factual 1 0 The puppet state created by the Japanese in Manchuria was called ____________________. Manchukuo Average p. 788 Factual 1 0 In October 1935, Italy took over ____________________. Ethiopia Average p. 788 Factual 1 0 ____________________ led a Senate investigation that supported claims that bankers and arms manufacturers had maneuvered the nation into the First World War. Gerald Nye Average p. 789 Factual 1 0 The British barely evacuated their troops from the French coastal town of ____________________ just before it fell to the Germans. Dunkirk Average p. 791 Factual 1 0 The ____________________ tried to sway Congress and the American people in an isolationist direction. America First Committee Average p. 806 Factual 1 0 The ____________________ would have boosted U.S. immigration quotas to allow for the entry of 20,000 Jewish children otherwise slated for Hitler's concentration camps. Wagner-Rogers Bill Average p. 793 Factual 1 0 In late 1944, the fall of ____________________ brought American bombers within range of Japan. Saipan Most Difficult p. 802 Factual 1 0 In 1943, a race riot broke out in ____________________ after a conflict between black and white youth at an amusement park. Detroit Average p. 816-817 Factual 1 0 ____________________ legislation that prevented the U.S. from intervening in Europe during the early 1930s was seen by many critics as actively aiding Nazi expansionism. Neutrality Average p. 789 Factual 1 0 Germany, Italy, and Japan formed an alliance against ____________________ in November 1936. the Soviet Union Average p. 791 Factual 1 0 The Nazi-Soviet Nonaggression Pact of August 1939 divided ____________________ between the two signatories. Poland Average p. 791 Factual 1 0 The sinking of the U.S. destroyer ____________________ led Congress to repeal the Neutrality Act. Reuben James Most Difficult p. 794 Factual 1 0 The idea of firebombing urban targets was proposed to Franklin Roosevelt by General ____________________. Henry ("Hap") Arnold Most Difficult p. 802 Factual 1 0 The government called on ____________________ to make a series of films called Why We Fight. Frank Capra Average p. 814 Factual 1 0 The foundation for the United Nations was first laid out at the ____________________ Conference in Washington. Dumbarton Oaks Most Difficult p. 820 Factual 1 0 Eleanor Roosevelt chaired the committee to draft the "Universal ____________________" adopted by the United Nations in 1948. Declaration of Human Rights Average p. 820 Factual 1 0 The International Monetary Fund was created at the ____________________ Conference. Bretton Woods Average p. 820 Factual 1 0 The five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council were the United States and ____________________. Great Britain, France, China, Soviet Union Most Difficult p. 820 Factual 1 0 The wartime government agency that attempted to ban discrimination in hiring practices was the ____________________ Commission. Fair Employment Practices Most Difficult p. 808 | p. 819 Factual 1 0 A farm labor program that allowed Mexican workers to enter the U.S. during the war was the ____________________ program. bracero Average p. 807 Factual 1 0 The Republican presidential candidate who ran against Roosevelt in 1944 was ____________________. Thomas Dewey Most Difficult p. 804 Factual 1 0 The "General ____________________" was established after World War II to implement free trade agreements. Agreement on Tariffs and Trade Most Difficult p. 820 Factual 1 0 In the ____________________ Death March, Japanese commanders forced prisoners of war to walk 60 miles with little food and water. Bataan Average p. 800 Factual 1 0 Manhattan Project: large-scale scientific project to create the atomic bomb at Los Alamos, New Mexico. TYPE: Identifications 1 -1 Harry Truman: vice president under Roosevelt. Assumed office of president on the eve of the Allied victory over Europe. Upon assuming the office, Truman had very little knowledge of foreign affairs and little knowledge of the Manhattan Project. TYPE: Identifications 1 -1 A. Philip Randolph: African-American leader who threatened Franklin Roosevelt with a march on Washington in order to get the government to open up defense-plant jobs to African Americans and to integrate the military. Canceled march after Roosevelt promised to create the Fair Employment Practices Commission. TYPE: Identifications 1 -1 Office of War Information: branch of the U.S. government that centralized and coordinated policies related to propaganda and censorship. TYPE: Identifications 1 -1 Operation Overlord: massive Allied operation to open a second front on the western front of the war. Accomplished on June 6, 1944--D-Day. TYPE: Identifications 1 -1 Holocaust: Adolf Hitler's attempt to exterminate Jews and "unfit" groups. Millions of Jews, gypsies, homosexuals, and others died in the Nazi concentration camps. TYPE: Identifications 1 -1 Zionism: the movement to establish a Jewish state in the Middle East. After World War II, Palestine was partitioned between Arabs and Jews, and the state of Israel was created. TYPE: Identifications 1 -1 East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere: Japanese goal for Asia. Called for liberating peoples throughout Asia from Western colonialism and creating a self-sufficient and self-government economic zone under Japanese political control. TYPE: Identifications 1 -1 Bataan Death March: forced 60-mile march of American and Filipino prisoners of war. Packed on ships and transported to prison camps. 7,000 died. Came to represent Japanese cruelty. TYPE: Identifications 1 -1 Jiang Jieshi: incompetent and corrupt nationalist leader of China supported by Roosevelt to prevent communist leader Mao Zedong from coming to power. Tying U.S. policy to him caused difficulties for post-war China policy. TYPE: Identifications 1 -1 Describe the effects of the war years on African Americans. The Second World War offered both challenges and opportunities to African Americans. The challenges were similar to those of the past: exclusion from high-paying and skilled jobs, discrimination, and segregation. Opportunities came in the era of the war, with job openings in the North and West that led to the migration of 750,000 African Americans from the South to work in defense-related industries. Even with these opportunities, however, many of the old barriers remained. First, blacks sometimes were excluded from the better jobs as well as from union membership. In addition, black troops fought in segregated army units in Europe and in the Pacific. Still, the war did witness growing militancy among African Americans. In 1941, in order to spur Roosevelt to action, black civil rights leader A. Philip Randolph threatened FDR with a massive march on Washington. In response to Randolph's demands for equal access to lucrative defense jobs and the end of segregation in the workplace, Roosevelt issued an executive order that created the Fair Employment Practices Commission (FEPC), which was charged with enforcement of nondiscriminatory clauses in government contracts. In addition, such organizations as the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) formed to mount nonviolent resistance to segregation and helped set the stage for the civil rights activism of the 1950s. Finally, the war witnessed a significant change in the population base of African Americans, also portending significant changes for the future. From a southern, rural base, the black population of the United States was increasingly moving into urban areas, particularly in the North and West, where political power could be exerted more easily. TYPE: Short Essays 1 -1 The American economy underwent a transformation during the years of the Second World War. Explore this transformation and examine its long-range effects on American society. The changes that took place in the U.S. economy during the Second World War were both dramatic and significant. First, merely by the force of wartime production, the Great Depression that had plagued Americans for over a decade was ended virtually overnight. Although the supply of consumer goods did not magically increase (wartime rationing kept many products off the shelf), the number of jobs and shortage of goods led to the largest amount of savings on the part of Americans since the nineteenth century. Increased job opportunities also came to workers who had not benefited previously from economic gains: African Americans and women. In other substantial ways, the American economy was transformed as well. A closer relationship developed between American industry and the federal government during the years after the end of the war, especially in the area of national defense. The major goal of the U.S. economy throughout the 1940s was the production of weapons and military-related supplies. During World War II itself, cost-plus contracts for military contractors guaranteed sizable profits. In addition, large industries were allowed to engage in a variety of monopolizing activities for which, had it not been for the war, they might have been prosecuted under antitrust laws. Finally, this close government-military industry connection did not end with the war; because of tensions with the Soviet Union, this connection would continue until the 1980s. TYPE: Short Essays 1 -1 Examine the gains made by American women during the Second World War. Within the first year of World War II, with wartime production booming and the need for workers in defense plants soaring, American women found themselves in an economically desirable position. With several million men in uniform in Europe and in the Pacific, women found job openings in the industrial/public sector that had been closed to them previously. By 1943, women formed a significant minority of workers in almost all aspects of production. For example, 25 percent of automobile workers were women, and proportions in other industries were similar to this. Although wages tended to lag behind their male counterparts, even when their work was in traditionally "male" jobs, this pay was significantly more than earnings during the Depression. Women were encouraged by government and media propaganda to join the workforce, and many did willingly. But neither unions nor the government expected--or wanted--this to be a permanent situation. Unions attempted to control and limit women's participation under the assumption that, once the war was over, former servicemen would resume their prewar jobs. Indeed, the government employed patriotic campaigns proclaiming that a woman's place was still in the domestic sphere and that women should be prepared to return to the home with the cessation of hostilities. Industry reinforced this idea during the course of 1945 by slashing the women's workforce in a variety of different areas. It is clear, however, that women saw their wartime jobs from a very different perspective, since many expected to stay in the workforce even after the war was concluded. TYPE: Short Essays 1 -1 Examine the situation of Japanese Americans during the Second World War. People of Japanese ancestry suffered systematic discrimination. Following the attack of Pearl Harbor, communities on the West Coast began to question the patriotism and the loyalty of Japanese Americans and noncitizens of Japanese descent. This suspicion led to the internment, in camps surrounded by barbed-wire, of 130,000 Japanese-American men, women, and children for the duration of the war. There was virtually no evidence to support any disloyal activities among those people confined, but the government still ordered both first- and second-generation men and women off their land, out of their homes, and away from their businesses (which were generally sold at far below market value) and sent them off to middle-America (Oklahoma and other states) until the war was over. The official military justification for the removal was that Japanese Americans "constituted a menace." In 1944, the Supreme Court, in Korematsu v. U.S., upheld the constitutionality of the removal and forced relocation. In 1988, Congress officially apologized for the removal and ordered a cash indemnity for any victims who were still living. TYPE: Short Essays 1 -1 Explore Roosevelt's attempts to help the Allied powers before the United States officially entered the war in December 1941. Long before the attack of Pearl Harbor, FDR envisioned the United States participating in the Second World War, even if most Americans at that time did not. Believing that a British defeat of the Nazis and a halt to Japanese aggression were in the national interest, Roosevelt proposed a more activist foreign policy. A variety of people--ranging from committed isolationists to mere pacifists, and even to outright fascist sympathizers--were suspicious and even angered by FDR's position. The Neutrality Act of 1935 made it extremely difficult for the federal government to grant any aid to nations involved in military activity against fascist powers. Although the 1937 provisions eased restrictions somewhat, it remained difficult to offer significant assistance. In 1939 Roosevelt persuaded Congress to lift the Neutrality Act's ban and replace it with a "cash and carry" plan, whereby nations with adequate financial reserves could purchase military equipment in the United States. This was aimed clearly at the Allies since they controlled the seas. In 1940, with Britain short of financial reserves, Roosevelt persuaded Congress to pass the "lend-lease" plan, which would loan military equipment to Great Britain (the United States did not sell the equipment on credit as this would have put the United States in a position where an Allied victory was essential). The final part of the Roosevelt program was the "bases for battleships" exchange in which the United States traded "outdated" naval vessels to Britain in exchange for control of certain military bases around the world. With these moves, Roosevelt had essentially made the United States an ally of Britain (and, with reservations, of the Soviet Union) even though there were no official arrangements and even though a sizable minority of the American people was still wary. TYPE: Short Essays 1 -1 Describe the situation of American Indians during World War II. World War II increased the economic pressures on American Indians and encouraged them to leave their reservations and to merge themselves into the mainstream of U.S. society. Twenty-five thousand Indian men and hundreds of Indian women joined the military during the war. Indian troops were not segregated or relegated to menial noncombat jobs as were many Japanese Americans and most African Americans. The most effective radio code used in the Pacific theater was the unwritten language of U.S. Marine Navajo Indians. Back home, thousands of Indians moved into urban areas to find jobs in war industries. Some shifted residences every few months, living and working in the city for awhile and then returning to the reservation. In cities like Rapid City, South Dakota, Indian workers camped on the edge of town. Wherever they went in the United States, Native Americans faced discrimination and felt isolated and unwelcome. Nonetheless, the lack of jobs on the reservations and the lure of good wages in white society inspired many Indians to seek new opportunities away from their tribal lands. TYPE: Short Essays 1 -1 In August 1945, President Harry Truman made the most controversial decision of the war; he chose to use atomic weapons against Japan. Discuss the motives and goals that prompted Truman to usher in the nuclear age. By August 1945, the war in the Pacific was drawing to a close and the United States was contemplating a full-scale invasion of Japan and the promised entry of the Soviets into the war in Asia. While the "big three" met at Potsdam, Truman received word that the atomic bomb had been tested successfully and was ready for use. Some advisors suggested that the bomb could be demonstrated on a publicly announced target so that no civilians would be killed or injured. Others insisted that the Japanese would surrender unconditionally only after experiencing an attack of devastating magnitude. Using the bomb would save American and Japanese lives, bring the war to a close quickly, and impress the Soviets. Hundreds of thousands of Japanese civilians had already been killed by American bombing raids, and millions of people had died worldwide in seven years of constant warfare. To many people, the utilization of a new weapon of terrifying power was in keeping with the existing war mentality. From various points of view, dropping "the bomb" and thereby ushering in the nuclear age seemed to be the practical choice. Truman felt he had made a wise decision, and he always insisted that he never regretted using the atomic bomb to end the most destructive war in world history. TYPE: Short Essays 1 -1 Examine U.S. military strategy during the Second World War. Essay should address several key points: A. Overarching strategy of United States 1. Military goal was to focus on Europe first a. Contrary to goal of American public that wanted revenge on Japan b. Reasons for U.S. strategy 2. Use American money to defeat Hitler, but primarily European troops wherever possible B. U.S. strategy in Europe 1. Goal was to open up a second front a. Disagreement among Allies over where the second front should be b. United States favored European site; England favored a North African site 2. Heavy military aid to the Soviets a. Postwar vision called for a demilitarized Germany b. Consequences C. U.S. strategy in the Pacific 1. Goal was to push Japanese westward and out of Pacific islands 2. Employ China as fully as possible 3. Dismemberment of colonial empires 4. Development of a world market
TYPE: Long Essays 1 -1 Explore the various misunderstandings between the Allied powers and the Soviet Union that ultimately led to the origins of the Cold War. Essay should address several key points: A. Background to U.S.-Soviet relations 1. FDR and assistance to the Soviets a. Recognition of mutual goals b. U.S. military aid to Soviets 2. Soviet suspicion of Allied strategy a. Failure to open a timely second front b. Choice of Italy over France B. Disagreement over eastern Europe 1. Allied powers hoped for independent Poland a. Allies wanted to control Soviet power b. American voters of eastern European descent wanted Soviet-free homelands 2. FDR and Churchill expressed concerns, but were willing to let Soviets control the East a. Idea of spheres of influence b. Wartime considerations C. Emergence of Truman 1. With death of FDR, Truman demanded a free Poland a. Soviets had no intention of allowing an "independent" Poland b. Truman broke off "lend-lease" c. Germany divided into separate military spheres 2. Consequences
TYPE: Long Essays 1 -1 Describe the effects the Second World War had on labor. Essay should address several key points: A. Background to labor's growing strength 1. Labor shortage during war a. Young men in military b. Shortage adds to labor's strength 2. Strengthening of labor-union movement a. Union membership rose by 50 percent b. Women accounted for 27 percent of labor membership B. New groups in labor 1. Women enter workforce in unprecedented numbers a. Paid lower wages than men in same jobs b. Labor unions unreceptive to women workers 2. African Americans also enter workforce a. Large-scale migration to northern cities b. Federal protection for black workers (rarely enforced) C. Organized labor's response to new workers 1. Mixed response on labor's part a. Women and blacks welcomed-temporarily b. Full-scale union recognition given to neither 2. Consequences
TYPE: Long Essays 1 -1 Although World War II began in 1939, the United States did not become officially involved until 1941. Discuss the position of the United States at the beginning of World War II and the events that gradually drew the United States into the conflict. Essay should address several key issues: A. Isolationism 1. Public suspicions regarding World War I 2. Neutrality Acts of 1935, 1936, 1937 3. Spanish Civil War a. Noninvolvement policy and its effects b. "Abraham Lincoln battalion" B. European and Asian aggression 1. Japanese invasion of China a. Panay incident b. Nanking 2. Creation of Axis alliance 3. Munich conference 4. Invasion of Poland, the war begins C. U.S. response to war 1. "Cash and carry" policy 2. Aid to the Allies 3. Preparations for war 4. Lend-lease Act D. End of neutrality 1. Signing of the Atlantic Charter 2. Undeclared naval war with Germany 3. Economic sanctions against Japan 4. Attack on Pearl Harbor
TYPE: Long Essays 1 -1