Could WW2 have been prevented?
Yes, I do believe WWII could have been prevented. Before the start of WWII the League of Nations should have taken a more severe route to punish Germany, Japan, and Italy for capturing other countries’ land. They should have conveyed a message that it was unacceptable. It could also be said that the war could have been avoided if the regulations and sanctions from WWI weren’t so harsh. If the allied group would have taken an approach similar to post WWII by supporting the countries and punishing the leaders. Sure a lot could have been done to stop Hitler, but a lot could have been done to stop this war from ever coming about after WWI.
What kinds of hardships did the war create for Americans?
Americans faced numerous hardships at home and abroad. From regular Americans to ethnic groups, everyone struggled. Everyone struggled with rationing, and soldiers struggled with the loss of their jobs. Not to mention the fighting they had to do overseas. Americans struggled losing family members and ethnic groups were put into camps out of fear that they were an enemy. However, women and African-Americans made strides. Postwar, women abandoned jobs held by soldiers but still a large number maintained jobs. More women were working then then ever before. African-Americans also made equality strides and gained jobs as well. They contributed to helping the U.S. win the war. America was impacted for the better and for the worse.
What military strategies did the United States and its allies pursue to defeat the Axis powers in WWII?
The allies used numerous strategies to defeat the Axis. The allies used leapfrogging, a blockade on oil, precision bombing, and saturation bombing. . The allies also applied a Europe First Strategy. The Europe first strategy entailed the Allies to defend their territories and the Pacific, while going on the offensive in Europe. While creating the blockade on oil, the allies helped to shutdown Hitler's war machines that put him ahead. The allies used bombing tactics to wipe out a large number of axis troops while ensuring no ground troops were killed. Lastly, the U.S. used conveys to protect products and ships while guiding them to their destinations.
Did the United States learn from past mistakes at the end of WWII?
It is evident that the United States learned from WWI. It is obvious in the aspect that the U.S. decided not to punish the countries as a whole but to punish the leaders who committed war crimes. This would stop a feud between nations over sanctions, hopefully stopping the chance of another World War. The U.S. instead of punishing the countries, decided to help them rebuild. This established connections among the countries. The U.S. also created the United Nations, a group that would control international disputes.
Glossary
- Munich Pact: the 1938 agreement in which Britain and France appeased Hitler by agreeing that Germany could annex the Sudetenland, a German-speaking region of Czechoslovakia.
- Nazism: a form of fascism that promoted the belief that Germans and other Nordic peoples were superior to other races.
- Tripartite Pact: Germany, Italy, and Japan are allied.
- Lend-Lease Act: legislation passed by Congress in 1941 adopting a plan to lend arms to Britain.
- rationing: a system for limiting the distribution of food, gasoline, and other goods so that the military can have the weapons, equipment, and supplies it needs.
- War Production Board: the federal agency set up to manage the conversion of industries to military production during World War II.
- GI: a nickname for U.S. soldiers during World War II, derived from the GI ("government issue") label on many of their supplies.
- internment camp: a center for confining people who have been relocated for reasons of national security.
- Korematsu vs the United States: the 1944 Supreme Court decision declaring that the government had the right to keep Japanese Americans in internment camps.
- Potsdam Declaration: A statement calling for Japanese surrender.
- Unconditional Surrender: NO guarantees are given to surrendering party.
- German Instrument of Surrender: Legal document establishing Germany’s surrender.
- United Nations: an international organization founded in 1945 to further the causes of peace, prosperity, and human rights.
- Four Freedoms: essential freedoms identified by FDR in a 1941 speech and later incorporated into the UN charter: freedom of speech and expression, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear.
- Universal Declaration of Human Rights: a document adopted by the United Nations in 1948 affirming basic human rights, including the right to life, liberty, and equality before the law, as well as freedom of religion, expression, and assembly.
- Allies: the countries that fought against the Central Powers during World War I and the countries that fought against the Axis Powers during World War II.
- Axis Powers: the alliance between Germany, Italy, and Japan during World War II.
- Precision bombing: the bombing of specific targets.
- Saturation bombing: the rapid release of a large number of bombs over a wide area.
- D-Day: June 6, 1944, the day that the Allied invasion of German-occupied France began.
- Holocaust: the systematic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of Jews and other minority groups by the Nazis.