World War II, Abroad & @ Home

O Global War, Technically 1939-1945, but. . .

O For Japan and China, 1937-45’ Nanking Massacre Dec. 1937.

O Italy invaded Ethiopia 1935

O For U. S. A., Pearl Harbor, Dec. 9, 1941

The Depressing Statistics:

O 100 Million People from 30 Countries fought in the war.

O 50 Million Combat fatalitiesO 11 Million Dead in Holocaust (Nazi

Genocide of Jews and others).

The Combatants:O Allies: Britain, China, Soviet Union

(started with Axis and then changed sides), and United States. To a a lesser extent, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, etc.

O Axis: Germany, Japan, Italy. To a lesser extent Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania.

O *See map next page!

U.S. Really at War in TWO WARS

O War # 1: European War (which was a two front war). U. S. v Germany/Italy

War # 2: Pacific War: Mostly a Naval War, More Navy, Against Japanese

At Issue for US: O Two BIG wars, needing different military stuff and

people, is a BIG DEAL. O Requires MASSIVE WAR MOBILIZATION.O Great Depression Ends, everyone who wants a

job has a job– either in military, or in manufacturing or replacing workers who move to military/manufacturing.

O The means, EVERYONE, white, black, brown, male, female . . .

O This doesn’t mean sexism and racism are over, but there’s a lot more opportunity out there.

Japanese Relocation:O Executive Order 9066: President F. D.

Roosevelt orders the internment of Americans who might be loyal to a hostile foreign government.

O Small # of German Americans and Italian Americans were interred.

O Mostly Japanese Americans Effected

The Propaganda Campaign:

O The L.A. Times editorialized: "A viper is nonetheless a viper wherever the egg is hatched--so a Japanese American, born of Japanese parents...grows up to be a Japanese and not an American....Thus while it might cause injustice to a few to treat them all as potential enemies...we are at war with their race."

Lt. General John DeWitt--head of the Western Defense Command--wrote: "The Japanese race is an enemy race and while many second and third generation Japanese, born on United States soil, possessed of United States citizenship have become Americanized, the racial strains are undiluted.... It therefore follows that along the Pacific Coast over 112,000 potential enemies of Japanese extraction are at large today."

How it worked: #1, Citizens and non-citizens ordered to pack one bag each

and leave home

#2: They had to leave everything else.

#3 and report to temporary camps, like Santa Anita Race Course or LA County

Fairgrounds in Pomona

#4 and then moved to Permanent Camps away from the West Coast

#5, Where they lived, in poor conditions, for the duration of the war, having been

convicted of NO CRIME.

#6 Imprisoned behind fences, guard towers and guns.

. . . And with American Racist Support

And some Resistance (but not enough)

The Statistics: 47,000 1st Generation Japanese Immigrants (not allowed to become citizens),

80,000 2nd and 3rd Gen. Citizens. 127,000 TOTAL

Zoot Suit Riots O 1. Watched Video, have video notes,

plus handout. O 2. Example of significant racial

problems in War-time U. S.– it wasn’t just Japanese Americans.

Peg’s Point: O Americans LOVE WWII History. It can

be told as a heroic tale of Great America, Evil Nazis, Evil Japs, and winning Americans.

O The myth is that we all pulled together in a time of national need to defeat a common set of enemies.

O In reality, while we did end up on the winning side, we did not band together.

O We attacked our own citizens too.

And?O That’s worth knowing. That in times

of crisis we can sometimes do the wrong thing.

O There is NO perfect, historical moment.

O Because History is made by humans, and humans are NOT perfect.

O (But Hitler really was a Monster– we can all agree on that!

Finis!