Events prior to World War II such as Progresivism, World War I and the great Depression contributed to Americas stand and success for World War II.
Progresivism ended America’s isolationist ideals. With Theodore Roosevelt in office, the epitome of a Progresivist, America began its course of global interactions from being a policing agent to nations in the Western Hemisphere to being a peace making nation to Russia and Japan in the Ruso-Japanese War. It was also during this period that Theodore Roosevelt realized the importance of a great naval force and strengthened it beyond what it was before. America was now a growing military power. With Roosevelts order for the Great White Fleet to tour the world, once Americans docked at Japanese harbors, Japan also saw a need for developing a powerful naval force and secretly did so in years leading up to the World War II.
As World War I broke out, President Wilson initially placed America in a nuetral position in the war. As events such as the sinking of the Lisitania and Zimmerman Note occured, America’s agressive nature reappeared and a declaration of war was made. World War I implored new technologies and new tacticts. War was revolutionized. The battlefield was much deadlier. Experiences and battle tactics used in World War I would later be evalutated and expanded and studied during World War II.
Following World War I was a great period of economical success and boom. After a decade, this optimistic period ended. The stock market had crashed from over speculation, over production, uneven distribution of income, weak farm economy and the excessive use of credit. This period of econimic downfall lasted for a decade. Many conspiritors speculate that President Franklin D. Roosevelt, president througout the great depression, anticipated the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and utilized it as an excuse to declare war, solving the nations economical crisis.
Entering World War II did solve much of American Economic crisis. America’s industry was completely mobilized for the war effort. Factories were creating weapons and vehicles for war. Woman were at the head of the home-front in these factories while the men were away. A main contributing factor to the attack on Pearl Harbor seemed to be from the fact that the during the Progressive Era, after seeing the Great White Fleet, Japan began its expansion and fortification in its naval force. World War II was won due to great battle tactics and the combined minds of the allied leaders. When a second front was opened in the European theater, Germany began its downfall until Berlin was captured and Hitler committed suicide. In the Pacific theatre, the war was won due to two attacks made by the atomic bomb. Following the war, Berlin as well as all of Germany was split amongst the 4 allied nations of the war. Trials for war crimes in both Germany and Japan took place and many war leaders where excited.
America did not go to war because of the actions Hitler took. America did not again want to be entangled in European affairs although we greatly supported it. It was the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and who knows, maybe even a desire to solve our countries economical crisis that urged America into the war. I really loved hearing about the conspirators point of view on how America went to war. Will we ever know for reals?
The interview on both the Yalta and Tehran confrence was very useful. It fortified my understandings of what happened in both confrence. It allowed me to understand in depth that both confrence planned for a quick end to the war and actions of what where to happen after the war. We should do more re-enactments of certain events in history.
The multiple choice test and the FRQ for me were not so great for this section. I thought I had a grasp of the information asked but I suppose the Ap exam has its own way of wording things weirdly. The FRQ, hmm well I need to re evaluate why I’ve been stuck with the same grade every time. Im not really fearful of the Apush exam because I know I’ve grasped main ideas from the chapters. Its just that sometimes the test just has ridiculous questions. What I really want to do before the exam starts is know all the people and their importance. My friends in public school somehow have a lot of these people memorized and know what importance they were of in American History. Hopefully I’m looking forward to a better upcoming section. By the way, are the questions on our quizzes released Apush exam question? Cause I do pretty well on those but not so hot on the test ones.
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