Dropping the Atomic Bomb

War in Pacific. It is .pdf file in the WWII file folder.

1. What factors have affected viewpoints on Truman's decision?
Truman had many things to consider when he was faced with the decision of using nuclear weapons on Japan or not. Many people were against and with his decision to use them. Some people who were on the Allies' side thought that the nuclear weapons were unnecessary. Some people thought that the war was already over and the bomb served no military purpose, it was dropped to scare the Soviet Union and to test the bomb in real warfare. Other people believe that the bomb was truly dropped because Truman thought it would cost fewer lives than a conventional war.

2. Do you think he made the right decision? Give your reasons.

I am undecided about if I believe it was the right decision or not to use the Nuclear bomb. There are pieces of evidence that support each side. On one hand, this bomb ultimately ended the war. But on the other hand, it killed at least 75,000 people instantly and many more were killed gradually from the radiation poisoning(Source 33). Truman believed that a bomb would kill less people than if they had kept fighting normally, but I think this was a little over the top for war. Other than the thousands killed, it affected the whole environment and had many long-term effects. I think this was war on a totally different level; an extremely intense level. Overall, I don't think that this was justified.

War in the Pacific

Read Chapter 25-3, The War in the Pacific (Stop at the end of page 790)

1. What was the importance of the Battle of Midway?
The Battle of Midway was a turning point in the pacific war, the Allies won their territory back from the Japanese island by island. The Allies were moving closer to Japan.

2. What strategy did the United States adopt in fighting Japan?
Getting their territory back by "island hopping."

3. Why did the Japanese fight so hard on Iwo Jima?

If the U.S. took Iwo Jima it would be critical as a base so the U.S. bombers could easily reach Japan. The Japanese wanted to fight and win this battle especially to prevent this from happening.

4. Why did the Allies believe Okinawa was a foretaste of an invasion of Japan?
Because the Allies now saw how the Japanese fought using kamikazes and withstanding many casualties.

5. What was the Manhattan Project?
The development of the atomic bomb.

6. Ultimately, why did President Truman decide to drop atomic bombs on Japan?

President Truman thought it would end the war.

War for Europe and North Africa - Part II

Read the remainder of Chapter 25-2 (pages 779 onward) (War for Europe and North Africa)
6. What was D-Day?
On June 6, 1944, the Allies invaded Normandy in northern France. Three divisions parachuted down behind German lines. They were followed by thousands of soldiers from the sea.

7. What happened at the Battle of the Bulge?
After the U.S. captured their first German town, Hitler wanted to retaliate. Germans broke through weak American defenses. Hitler hoped that a victory would split American and British forces and break up Allied supply lines. When the German tanks drove into the Allied territory, it created a bulge in the lines, and that's why it's called the Battle of the Bulge. This battle went on for a month. The Germans had pushed back and it seemed too look the way it had before the battle, but really the Germans had lots a lot of soldiers and machinery so they were not able to fight anymore.

8. What did Allied troops find in Germany?
Allied troops found Nazi death camps in July 1944 when they were pushing eastward into Germany. They found many dead bodies and many starving, emaciated prisoners.

9. What happened to Hitler? What happened to F.D. Roosevelt? Who became U.S. President?

Hitler killed himself. F.D.R. died on April 12, 2945 and Vice President Harry Truman became president.

War for Europe & North Africa

Read Chapter 25-2 (pages 775 - 779)

1. To what did Roosevelt and Churchill agree early in the war?

They agreed to strike against Hitler. They thought that Germany and Italy posed a greater threat than Japan.

2. Why was winning the Battle of the Atlantic so crucial to the fortunes of the Allies?

Britain depended on supplies from North America. Hitler knew that if he cut of their path, Britain would be starved into submission.

3. Why was the Battle of Stalingrad so important?
The Soviet Victory against Germany marked a turning point in the war. From that point on, the Soviet army began to move westward toward Germany.

4. What happened in the war in North Africa?
Stalin believed that if Great Britain and America opened a second front across the English Channel would force Hitler to divert troops from the Soviet front. Churchill and Roosevelt didn't think that the Allies had enough troops to attempt invasion on European soil. Instead they launched Operation Torch, an invasion of Axis controlled North Africa. Many Allied troops invaded and went eastward. After months of heavy fighting, the Afrika Korps surrendered.

5. What happened after the Allies invaded Italy?

Hitler was determined to stop the Allies in Italy rather than fight on German soil. This battle was called "Bloody Anzio" lasted four months. After the battle, German armies continued to put up strong resistance. The effort to free Italy didn't succeed until 1945 when Germany was close to collapsing.

Mobilizing for WWII

Read Chapter 25-1: Mobilizing for War and note how each of the following contributed to that effort.

1. Selective Service System

They expanded the draft and provided many more soldiers to meet the armed forces needs. The draftees reported to military bases around the country for training.

2. Women

The Women's Army Corps made it able for women to help in noncombat positions. Many women worked as nurses, radio operators, electricians and pilots.

3. Minorities
Minorities felt that they should fight for equality and freedom for themselves, not for white people.

Despite this, many minorities were a large part of the armed forces.

4. Manufacturers

February 1942 was the end of automobile production for private use. The automobile plants were converted to make tanks, planes and boats. Other factories were also converted to war production.

5. Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD)
The ORSD improved radar and sonar to locate submarines underwater. It encouraged the use of pesticides to fight insects. This helped the soldiers to be healthier. They developed the atomic bomb.

6. Entertainment industry

Hollywood made war oriented propaganda films. Movies energized people to join the war effort. Also informational films were made.

7. Office of Price Administration (OPA)
The OPA fought inflation by freezing prices on most goods. Congress raised income tax rates and extended the tax to millions of people who had never paid it before.

8. War Production Board (WPB)

The WPB decided which companies would convert from peacetime to wartime production and allocated raw materials to key industries. The WPB organized drives to collect scrap iron, tin cans, paper rags and cooking fat for recycling into war goods.

9. Rationing

The OPA set up a rationing system that established allotments of goods deemed essential for the military. Households received ration books with coupons used for buying items like meat, shoes, sugar, coffee and gasoline.

Japan and U.S. Relations in 1941

From the I.B. description of the summary of evidence: "[It] should indicate what the student has found out from the sources he or she has used." It will take the form a bullet-pointed list.
The IA question: Using the documents and your own knowledge assess the state of diplomatic relations between Japan and the U.S. in 1941.
DIRECTIONS: Based on this question, create a bullet-pointed list of evidence from each document. List the evidence under each document ID.

Japan and U.S. Relations in 1941
Document A

-Japan plans to advance in the south and make a negative impact on America's source of strategic materials

-Japan plans to defeat many countries, including America

Document B

-Great Britain and the U.S. have a racist view towards Japanese people

-They don't want to be encircled by Japan

-The U.S. and Great Britain don't like Tojo and Japan

Document C

-Japan believes that the U.S. has been making it impossible for Japan to establish negotiations because it is imperialist

Document D

-Japan is scared of the emperor and think that he is going to use hostilities

-Japan wants to repay obligations to the emperor, bring the government closer together and try as hard as possible to reach their war aims to please the emperor

Document E

-The U.S. was attacked suddenly by Japan on December 7, 1941 in Oahu

-The U.S. was at peace with Japan before the attack

-There was no hint of war or armed attack previous to this day

-The attack was deliberately planned

-Japan was faking peace in order to make the attack a suprise

-FDR asked Congress to declare war on Japan on December 7, 1941

America Moves Toward War

Chapter 24-4

1. What did the 1939 Neutrality Act allow?
It allowed warring nations to buy U.S. arms as long as they paid cash and transported them in their own shops, called "cash-and-carry".

2. Who were the Axis powers?

Germany, Italy and Japan

3. What did the Lend-Lease Act do?

The president leased arms and other supplies to any country whose defense was vital to the United States

4. What pledges were contained in the Atlantic Charter?
Both countries (Great Britain and the U.S.) pledged collective security, disarmament, self-determination, economic cooperation, and freedom of the seas.

5. Who were the Allies?

America, the Soviet Union and Great Britain.

6. What did the attack at Pearl Harbor do to the U.S. Pacific fleet?
The Japanese killed and wounded many Americans. The surprise raid has sunk 21 ships, including 8 battleships-nearly the whole U.S. Pacific Fleet.

7. Why did Germany and Italy declare war on the U.S.?

Because the U.S. declared war against Japan. Since Germany and Italy had agreements with Japan, they had to back Japan up in war.