American entry into World War II and the rise of Nazi Germany

America in a World at War and "America and the Cold War questions:

Brinkley, Alan. The Unfinished Nation: A Concise History of the American People. Fourth Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill 2004.

During WWII the German government methodically went about the destruction of six million Jews, Catholics, gypsies and other ethnic groups not considered Aryan in nature. How, in your opinion could this happen? How was a leader such as Adolph Hitler able to go about what we now call the Holocaust, without the citizens rising up in objection? More importantly could this happen again? Could it happen in the United States?

To answer this question is difficult, for it poses essentially, a question that historians and Germans alike have wrestled with for decades, namely why did the Holocaust occur? The only, albeit incomplete answer is that genocides have occurred throughout human history. Genocides continue in Europe to this day, as evidenced in the recent events in Bosnia and Serbia. Today, Israel stands as a refuge for the world's Jewish population. But it is sobering to remember the U.S.'s own tolerance of lynching and Jim Crow of African-Americans, and how enforced ignorance and blindness is psychologically possible that can result in the deaths of millions and the eradication of almost an entire people and culture.

Question 2

What concerns, events, etc. drove the United States into WWII and out of isolationism?

The bombing of Pearl Harbor was the event that propelled the United States to declare war against Japan, and the Axis powers quickly followed in declaring their hostilities to the U.S. soon afterwards. However, in reality, the U.S. had long been a supporter of Great Britain in its foreign policy. Hitler and Tojo's unchecked expansionism into their respective spheres of influence simply made it no longer possible for the U.S. To exist as a free nation in the world, safe and secure, without declaring war.

Question 3

How were we able to stay out of the fight from 1939 to 1941?

The Good Neighbor Policy allowed the U.S. To be officially neutral, yet to give overt economic and covert military aid Great Britain in its fight against European fascism.

Question 4

In the war in Europe what factors that resulted in an allied victory in 1918 contributed to Hitler's rise to power in Germany?

A fear of communism and a sense of Germany's disempowerment as a world power, combined with a sense of outrage at the way the nation was treated after World War I all combined to pave the way for the rise of the National Socialists, led by Hitler -- and fear, which cumulated in the suspicious burning of the Reichstag that allowed Hitler to assume total control.

Question 5

In the area of technology, how was America able to pull ahead of Germany and Japan in this area? What result did these technological advances have on the War? Do you think that technology was more important for strategy or intelligence? Explain.

The massive immigration of Jewish scientists to the United States from the former scientific powerhouse of German combined with the U.S.'s persistent research and development efforts were the two major factors.

Question 6

Consider racial minorities and women during WWII. Which groups made notable gains and which did not? Explain.

Women's exemplification of "Rosie the Riveter" seemed to make substantial strides for female achievement, yet because of the return of the soldiers seeking jobs after the termination of the war, women as a social group made few concrete economic gains in the footholds of management. African-Americans benefited from the integration of some aspects of the armed forces and the G.I. Bill that extended a free education to all G.I.s, thus allowing some African-Americans to make concrete post-war gains through education.

Question 7

Why was the decision made to use the Atomic bomb against Japan in WWII? What were the arguments? Even after sixty years this is still an area of controversy. In your opinion, was the use of atomic weapons justified?

The use of atomic weapons was made, according to President Truman, to spare American lives. In other words, by dropping the atomic bomb, Truman more quickly and efficiently ended the war and spared the Americans and even the Japanese army, ultimately, needless carnage, because the Japanese army refused to agree to an unconditional surrender in a war that 'they' began at Pearl Harbor. While Truman's arguments may have some merit, the fact is that civilians composed a tremendous amount of the population he attacked over the course of his efforts, and he set the stage for the fear if not the actual use of atomic and nuclear capabilities forevermore in history.

Question 10

How did the thinking of the period known as the Cold War influence the United Nation/United States to become involved in the conflict between North and South Korea? Was this a logical result on your opinion?

The domino theory held that if one nation 'went communist,' then the neighboring nations would follow, illogically ignoring regional differences of government, culture, and stability.

Question 11

To what degree was communism a genuine threat to the interests and security of the United States in the 1950s? Why did communism cause such fear in the post WWII era? Was this fear reasonable? How did these fears lead to the rise of Senator Joseph McCarthy? How was he eventually defeated?

This is not to deny the potential military threat of the Soviet Union, however, admirable fought against by efforts such as the Berlin Airlift, for example. But although the fears may have had some reasonable causes, they achieved a level of pitched hysteria, to the point that Americans became willing to sacrifice their own democratic institutions for democracy.