How Did The United States End World War II?
World War II was the deadliest and most widespread war in human history. It lasted for six years from 1939-1945 and resulted in more than 60 million deaths. This war was fought between two sides known as the Allies and the Axis Powers. The Allies made up of several countries including the United States, France, and the United Kingdom and the Axis Powers which was made up by Germany, Italy, and Japan. Before World War II, the life of most people living in the United States was extremely difficult. It was suffering through the Great Depression which was the worst economic depression in the history of the Western world that occurred from 1929-1939. Millions of people were unemployed and lost their life savings. It would only end when World War
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II started. The decision of the United States to enter World War II impacted the German army and consequently resulted in shortening the war, while also vastly changing the lives of citizens within the United States. The United States would enter the World War II on December 8, 1941. The entry of the United States into World War II would dramatically change the tide of the war and have a major effect on the result. The attack started at 8:00 AM on December 7, 1941 when hundreds of Japanese fighter planes attacked the naval base, Pearl Harbor located in Hawaii. The attack would last for about two hours. According to an article on History.com, “The Japanese managed to destroy nearly 20 American naval vessels, including eight enormous battleships, and more than 300 airplanes. More than 2,000 Americans soldiers and sailors died in the attack, and another 1,000 were wounded.” (Pearl Harbor, 1). News of this attack and its casualties immediately caused the opinions of the people to change. People who were previously against joining a foreign war were quick to vote for the United States to enter World War II. Most of the country was suddenly in favor of joining the war. The day after, on December 8, 1941, the President at the time, Franklin Delano Roosevelt decided to ask Congress to declare war on Japan. All but one person were in favor of war. With the majority in favor of war, the United States officially declared war on Japan. Three days later, Germany and Italy, both of which were allies of Japan, declared war on the United States and Congress would do the same thing. The bombing of Pearl Harbor and entry of the United States into World War II initially caused great panic to most people as they were worried that many innocent civilians could be killed. However, it was this panic that converted into an acceptance of the war and the sacrifices that they would have to make in order to have a chance of victory. One such sacrifice that civilians had to make was rationing. In the spring of 1942, a limit was made on how much gas, food, and clothes a family could purchase. This was done in an effort to conserve food and allow the United States soldiers to get more supplies. Civilians did anything they could to help out the soldiers such as growing their own food from gardens known as “victory gardens”, making drives for military supplies to donate, and purchasing war bonds in order to help the United States pay for the war. With the help from civilians all over the country, the United States was able to impact World War II in significant ways. The United States would have a major impact on the several different parts of World War II. Other than Japan, the United States would have a major conflict with Germany. According to BBC.com, “Hitler had been hostile to the USA since the early 1930s. He saw USA as an ideological enemy, racially mixed and therefore inferior.” (On This Day, 21). Adolf Hitler was the dictator of Nazi Germany at that time, who was extremely racist against certain people, specifically Jews. He believed that Germans were the most superior group of people in the world, and because of this saw all other people as potential enemies. He loathed the United States and its allies even more because of the punishments that they forced Germany to follow after World War I. This hate led him to declare war on the United States with no problem even though it seemed that it was a major error in his plans. It would be a major mistake as the US soon started to turn the tide of the war in favor of the Allies. According to Gordon Corrigan, “...the United States was able to take a tiny regular army that was unloved, ill-equipped and inexperienced in 1941 and turn it into the largest army in the West and the most technologically advanced in the world-money, population and industry could do at that time, but they managed to do it so quickly, for by mid-1942, despite the gloom, doom and despondency in Allied circles about the progress of the war as a whole, a mere twelve months after being dragged into it the Americans were already making their presence felt” (Corrigan, 371). Throughout the war, the United States army changed drastically by increasing its size and receiving more support. Large groups of soldiers were placed all over different places of the world ready either to defend their allies or to attack enemy troops. Other than providing supplies and troops for the Allies, the United States did one more thing that would impact history in a major way. They used atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, both of which were cities located in Japan. The bombs nicknamed “Little Boy” and “Fat Man” marked history by being the first time an atomic bomb has been used in warfare. The result of the bombing was devastating. More than one hundred thousand people who die due to either the attack or the aftermath. With those major casualties, Japan would soon surrender on September 2, 1945. A few days later Italy would surrender as well, thereby completely ending the war. While the United States was in the war, lives of regular civilians changed drastically as well.
The bombing of Pearl Harbor and entry of the United States into World War II caused several different problems for Japanese Americans. One such problem was being arrested and relocated. The wave of panic right after Pearl Harbor caused many people to become paranoid that Japanese Americans living among them might attack them or give information leading to major attacks. According to Lorraine B. Diehl, “... FBI agents went to the homes of Japanese aliens suspected of subversive activities. They were instructed to pack one suitcase, after which they were taken to nearby police stations where they were booked as ‘prisoners of the Federal authorities.’” (Diehl, 65). Most of the people who were arrested and put into specified locations were forced to leave everything they owned behind with most of it being lost. This was due to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signing an Executive order. According to history.com, “ U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 ordering all Japanese-Americans to evacuate the West Coast. This resulted in the relocation of approximately 120,000 people, many of whom were American citizens, to one of 10 internment camps located across the country.”(Japanese-American Relocation, 1). Anyone who managed to avoid this still had a hard time in life as most people wanted to avoid them meaning that Japanese Americans would get little …show more content…
employment. However, while Japanese employment would drop, woman employment would rise. As most men were drafted into the war to fight, many jobs were left empty for the women to fill. Most of the work force at the time would be made up of women. Previously thought by many at the time to be useful only for household jobs, women managed to do several amazing things to improve working conditions including making a minimum wage. The war had provided many opportunities for people to change their lives. After the war was over, many saw how much women had done to improve the workforce. Women and other groups of people who were racially discriminated were now becoming more vocal in trying to gain equal rights. World War II had managed to change everyone's lives one way or another.
In conclusion, the decision of the United States to enter World War II impacted the German army and consequently resulted in shortening the war, while also vastly changing the lives of citizens within the United States. The nation changed in major ways throughout the war going from being in panic and fear due to the bombing of Pearl Harbor to brave and strong while having a major influence on several different aspects of the war. While the United States was helping turn the tide of the war in favor of the Allies, the life of it’s civilians changed by there being more racism and gender equality. Had the United States never entered World War II, the result and other aspects of the war could have possibly have been very different from what it is today in the present.
Bibliography
"BBC ON THIS DAY | 11 | 1941: Germany and Italy Declare War on US." BBC News. BBC, 1941. Web. 21 Apr. 2016. .
Corrigan, Gordon.
The Second World War: A Military History. New York: Thomas Dunne /St. Martin's, 2011. Print.
Diehl, Lorraine B. Over Here!: New York City during World War II. New York: Smithsonian, 2010. Print.
History.com Staff. "Japanese-American Relocation." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 21 Apr. 2016. .
History.com Staff. "World War II History." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 21 Apr. 2016. .
History.com Staff. "The Great Depression." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 21 Apr. 2016. .
History.com Staff. "Pearl Harbor." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 21 Apr. 2016. .
History.com Staff. "The U.S. Home Front During World War II." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2010. Web. 21 Apr. 2016. .
"Japanese Americans: The War at Home | Scholastic.com." Japanese Americans: The War at Home | Scholastic.com. Web. 21 Apr. 2016. .
"Postwar United States - American Memory Timeline- Classroom Presentation | Teacher Resources - Library of Congress." Postwar United States - American Memory Timeline- Classroom Presentation | Teacher Resources - Library of Congress. Web. 21 Apr. 2016. .
"The Way We Won: America's Economic Breakthrough During World War II." The American Prospect. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.
.
The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company. Web. 21 Apr. 2016. .
"The Great Depression and WWII Teacher Resources - American Memory Timeline- Classroom Presentation | Teacher Resources - Library of Congress."The Great Depression and WWII Teacher Resources - American Memory Timeline- Classroom Presentation | Teacher Resources - Library of Congress. Web. 21 Apr. 2016. .
II started. The decision of the United States to enter World War II impacted the German army and consequently resulted in shortening the war, while also vastly changing the lives of citizens within the United States. The United States would enter the World War II on December 8, 1941. The entry of the United States into World War II would dramatically change the tide of the war and have a major effect on the result. The attack started at 8:00 AM on December 7, 1941 when hundreds of Japanese fighter planes attacked the naval base, Pearl Harbor located in Hawaii. The attack would last for about two hours. According to an article on History.com, “The Japanese managed to destroy nearly 20 American naval vessels, including eight enormous battleships, and more than 300 airplanes. More than 2,000 Americans soldiers and sailors died in the attack, and another 1,000 were wounded.” (Pearl Harbor, 1). News of this attack and its casualties immediately caused the opinions of the people to change. People who were previously against joining a foreign war were quick to vote for the United States to enter World War II. Most of the country was suddenly in favor of joining the war. The day after, on December 8, 1941, the President at the time, Franklin Delano Roosevelt decided to ask Congress to declare war on Japan. All but one person were in favor of war. With the majority in favor of war, the United States officially declared war on Japan. Three days later, Germany and Italy, both of which were allies of Japan, declared war on the United States and Congress would do the same thing. The bombing of Pearl Harbor and entry of the United States into World War II initially caused great panic to most people as they were worried that many innocent civilians could be killed. However, it was this panic that converted into an acceptance of the war and the sacrifices that they would have to make in order to have a chance of victory. One such sacrifice that civilians had to make was rationing. In the spring of 1942, a limit was made on how much gas, food, and clothes a family could purchase. This was done in an effort to conserve food and allow the United States soldiers to get more supplies. Civilians did anything they could to help out the soldiers such as growing their own food from gardens known as “victory gardens”, making drives for military supplies to donate, and purchasing war bonds in order to help the United States pay for the war. With the help from civilians all over the country, the United States was able to impact World War II in significant ways. The United States would have a major impact on the several different parts of World War II. Other than Japan, the United States would have a major conflict with Germany. According to BBC.com, “Hitler had been hostile to the USA since the early 1930s. He saw USA as an ideological enemy, racially mixed and therefore inferior.” (On This Day, 21). Adolf Hitler was the dictator of Nazi Germany at that time, who was extremely racist against certain people, specifically Jews. He believed that Germans were the most superior group of people in the world, and because of this saw all other people as potential enemies. He loathed the United States and its allies even more because of the punishments that they forced Germany to follow after World War I. This hate led him to declare war on the United States with no problem even though it seemed that it was a major error in his plans. It would be a major mistake as the US soon started to turn the tide of the war in favor of the Allies. According to Gordon Corrigan, “...the United States was able to take a tiny regular army that was unloved, ill-equipped and inexperienced in 1941 and turn it into the largest army in the West and the most technologically advanced in the world-money, population and industry could do at that time, but they managed to do it so quickly, for by mid-1942, despite the gloom, doom and despondency in Allied circles about the progress of the war as a whole, a mere twelve months after being dragged into it the Americans were already making their presence felt” (Corrigan, 371). Throughout the war, the United States army changed drastically by increasing its size and receiving more support. Large groups of soldiers were placed all over different places of the world ready either to defend their allies or to attack enemy troops. Other than providing supplies and troops for the Allies, the United States did one more thing that would impact history in a major way. They used atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, both of which were cities located in Japan. The bombs nicknamed “Little Boy” and “Fat Man” marked history by being the first time an atomic bomb has been used in warfare. The result of the bombing was devastating. More than one hundred thousand people who die due to either the attack or the aftermath. With those major casualties, Japan would soon surrender on September 2, 1945. A few days later Italy would surrender as well, thereby completely ending the war. While the United States was in the war, lives of regular civilians changed drastically as well.
The bombing of Pearl Harbor and entry of the United States into World War II caused several different problems for Japanese Americans. One such problem was being arrested and relocated. The wave of panic right after Pearl Harbor caused many people to become paranoid that Japanese Americans living among them might attack them or give information leading to major attacks. According to Lorraine B. Diehl, “... FBI agents went to the homes of Japanese aliens suspected of subversive activities. They were instructed to pack one suitcase, after which they were taken to nearby police stations where they were booked as ‘prisoners of the Federal authorities.’” (Diehl, 65). Most of the people who were arrested and put into specified locations were forced to leave everything they owned behind with most of it being lost. This was due to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signing an Executive order. According to history.com, “ U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 ordering all Japanese-Americans to evacuate the West Coast. This resulted in the relocation of approximately 120,000 people, many of whom were American citizens, to one of 10 internment camps located across the country.”(Japanese-American Relocation, 1). Anyone who managed to avoid this still had a hard time in life as most people wanted to avoid them meaning that Japanese Americans would get little …show more content…
employment. However, while Japanese employment would drop, woman employment would rise. As most men were drafted into the war to fight, many jobs were left empty for the women to fill. Most of the work force at the time would be made up of women. Previously thought by many at the time to be useful only for household jobs, women managed to do several amazing things to improve working conditions including making a minimum wage. The war had provided many opportunities for people to change their lives. After the war was over, many saw how much women had done to improve the workforce. Women and other groups of people who were racially discriminated were now becoming more vocal in trying to gain equal rights. World War II had managed to change everyone's lives one way or another.
In conclusion, the decision of the United States to enter World War II impacted the German army and consequently resulted in shortening the war, while also vastly changing the lives of citizens within the United States. The nation changed in major ways throughout the war going from being in panic and fear due to the bombing of Pearl Harbor to brave and strong while having a major influence on several different aspects of the war. While the United States was helping turn the tide of the war in favor of the Allies, the life of it’s civilians changed by there being more racism and gender equality. Had the United States never entered World War II, the result and other aspects of the war could have possibly have been very different from what it is today in the present.
Bibliography
"BBC ON THIS DAY | 11 | 1941: Germany and Italy Declare War on US." BBC News. BBC, 1941. Web. 21 Apr. 2016. .
Corrigan, Gordon.
The Second World War: A Military History. New York: Thomas Dunne /St. Martin's, 2011. Print.
Diehl, Lorraine B. Over Here!: New York City during World War II. New York: Smithsonian, 2010. Print.
History.com Staff. "Japanese-American Relocation." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 21 Apr. 2016. .
History.com Staff. "World War II History." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 21 Apr. 2016. .
History.com Staff. "The Great Depression." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 21 Apr. 2016. .
History.com Staff. "Pearl Harbor." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 21 Apr. 2016. .
History.com Staff. "The U.S. Home Front During World War II." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2010. Web. 21 Apr. 2016. .
"Japanese Americans: The War at Home | Scholastic.com." Japanese Americans: The War at Home | Scholastic.com. Web. 21 Apr. 2016. .
"Postwar United States - American Memory Timeline- Classroom Presentation | Teacher Resources - Library of Congress." Postwar United States - American Memory Timeline- Classroom Presentation | Teacher Resources - Library of Congress. Web. 21 Apr. 2016. .
"The Way We Won: America's Economic Breakthrough During World War II." The American Prospect. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.
.
The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company. Web. 21 Apr. 2016. .
"The Great Depression and WWII Teacher Resources - American Memory Timeline- Classroom Presentation | Teacher Resources - Library of Congress."The Great Depression and WWII Teacher Resources - American Memory Timeline- Classroom Presentation | Teacher Resources - Library of Congress. Web. 21 Apr. 2016. .