United States
The United States, Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and France were the major countries of the Allied Powers. Numerous smaller nations also fought against the Axis Powers.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt became President in 1933. Before the United States entered the war he was in favor of supporting Great Britain against the Axis Powers. He introduced the Lend-Lease Act in order to supply Britain and the other Allies with war material. Roosevelt died on April 12, 1945, shortly before the end of the war.
Harry S. Truman replaced Henry Wallace as Vice President in 1944. He took Presidency after Roosevelt’s death in 1945 and adapted quickly to the role, as well as the responsibility of deciding upon the use of the atomic bomb.
During the 1920’s and 1930’s, the American government, as well as the public, struggled over the degree to which the US should become involved in foreign conflict. The US rejected membership to the League of Nations.
Americans were determined to avoid war. The First World War had left the US with a huge domestic debt and billions of dollars in foreign debts that could not be collected. To prevent being drawn into war again, Congress passed the Neutrality Acts in 1935, 1936, and 1937. These laws barred the transportation or sale of arms to nations at war and banned loans to warring nations outside the Western Hemisphere.
The United States entered World War II on December 7, 1941, after the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor by Japan.
http://www.pearlharborattacked.com/
Click here to read President Roosevelt’s address to Congress, asking for a declaration of war between the United States and Japan on December 8, 1941.
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| Franklin Delano Rosevelt |
Harry Truman |
The road to war between Japan and the United States began in the 1930’s when differences over China drove the two nations apart. In 1931, Japan conquered Manchuria, which until then had been part of China. In 1937, Japan began a long and ultimately unsuccessful campaign to conquer the rest of China. In 1940, the Japanese government allied their country with Nazi Germany in the Axis Powers.
The United States, which had important political and economic interests in East Asia, was alarmed by these Japanese moves. The US increased military and financial aid to China and cut off the shipment of oil and other raw materials to Japan.
Because Japan was poor in natural resources, its government viewed these steps as a threat to the nation's survival. Japan's leaders responded by expanding its territories in Southeast Asia, even though that move would certainly result in war with the United States.
On August 6, 1945, the US decided to drop the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, by the Enola Gay. Three days later, a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, officially ending war with Japan.
The wartime economy brought about full employment with more and more women entering the workforce. Women took up jobs in industry that had once been reserved for men and “Rosie the Riveter” became a popular American icon. However, the number of high school dropouts increased significantly. During the war, the teenage workforce grew from one million to three million.
The federal government encouraged Americans to conserve and recycle materials such as metal, paper, and rubber, which factories could then use for wartime production. The federal government also compelled Americans to cut back on foodstuffs and consumer goods. For example, ration cards were needed to purchase items such as gasoline, sugar, coffee, and meat. Rationing eventually began to frustrate many Americans. For the first time in years, they had money to spend, but there were very few goods available for purchase.
The United States also possessed the atomic bomb and was now the most powerful nation in the world.
Philip LaFleur