Role Of Women in WWII:
During WWII women had to fill in and do all of the work that was left behind by the men because the men were off in Europe fighting the war. This was significant because before this women had always stayed at home and been house wives. Taking on these "manly" jobs empowered women because before the war they had been thought of as simple minded house wives that were meant only to cook and clean.
Cause and Effect of Use of the Atomic Bomb:
After the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941, the US became involved in WWII. As a retaliation toward the Japanese the US dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945; three days later on August 8, 1945 the US dropped another bomb on Nagasaki. The retaliation from the US was intended to show the Japanese that they had not shaken or weaken the American nation and that we would fight back with a vengeance. Effects of dropping the atomic bomb included the death of thousands of Japanese people, radiation poisoning for the people who managed to survive the explosion and complete annihilation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Finally its biggest effect was that it caused Japan to leave the US alone.
US Foreign Policy Before, During, and After the War:
Before we were neutral isolationist who had neutrality acts and had no intentions of entering WWII. We became concerned when Japan began stockpiling boats and the Germans began to rebuild their military.
During the war FDR swore to help any country that came under attack and doubled the size of the US navy. One of the ways he did this was by trading battleships with Britain; in exchange the British were given land in the Caribbean (Lend- Lease Act). After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the US declared war and became fully involved in supporting the Allies until the end of the war.
After the war ended the US was considered to be the "dominant" nation and a strong world power. Because we were considered the strongest nation we began to get involved in the affairs of other countries that were having government related and/or economic problems.
Effects of War on Europe:
Major decline in European population, especially the Jewish population because of the Holocaust. A great deal of damage had been done to all of the countries; especially German cities as a result of the air raids. The German economy plummeted because they had to pay war Damage to all countries.
Effects of Pearl Harbor Attack:
This was the catalyst that led the US to become involved in WWII. Without the bombing of Pearl Harbor the US would not have entered the war and would not have dropped bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Japanese Internment:
After the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, the US government forced all Japanese Americnas into prison camps. The government did this by using a loophole in the Constitution which states that a persons Constitutional rights can be stripped if they are considered a "clear and present danger". This was done because the government had to assure that none of the Japanese Americans were spies or informants for the Japanese enemy. One of the most notable events that dealt with the Japanese being forced to go into labor camps was the Korematsu vs. US. Korematsu sued the US because they had stripped him of his Constitutional rights; in the end the US won because they felt that the Japanese were a "clear and present danger".
Neutrality Acts:
The Neutrality Acts were began in 1935 and ended in 1937 and were passed in order to show that they kept an isolationist attitude toward the war. In the Neutrality Acts it stated that US battleships could not be armed, Americans could not travel on ships that belonged to countries who were involved in the war, and it placed an embargo on arms sales.
Purpose of Propaganda:
The main purpose of propaganda is to persuade. The US wanted all Americans to support the war and inspire a spirit of patriotism and unity. It also was used to gain support for troops over seas and to coax men into enlisting. Propaganda empowered women to take up mens jobs and fill and made sure that all Americans did all they could to help with the war effort. It was also used when the US flew planes over Germany and dropped anti-Nazi flyers.
Hitler used a great deal of propaganda in Germany and all of Europe to instill his views that the aryan race was supreme. He also used it implement the idea that Jews and any non-aryans were bad and that the cause of WWI was their fault.
Rationing:
Food rationing was implemented so that there would be enough food to feed the troops. Other rations such as the rationing of tires and gasoline was set in place because we needed the supplies to make tanks, missiles, and other war related objects. Every thing that could be spared was spared and used in order to support the war effort.
Results of WWII:
There was a severe decrease in the European population, especially the Jewish population. Millions of Americans were killed during the war which led to many families alone and without a second source of income. All of the jobs that were established during the war got America out of the Great Depression. When the men came back from the war it caused the "baby boom" which simply meant that there was a huge population increase in the US.
Germany was put into a large amount of debt which caused them to go into an economic depression. The Marshall Plan was established in order to help rebuild European countries and their economies. Germany needed to pay war debts to the allies, so the US lent them money and the other Allies lowered the amount of money they wanted.
In Japan the land of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was completely destroyed and polluted with radiation. All of the excess radiation transmitted from the blast gave many people radiation poisoning whose effects can still be seen today.
