American History: A Survey (Brinkley), 13th Edition

World War II | U.S. in Latin America

World War II


The years 1933 to 1942 saw the rise and expansion of Fascism in Italy, Nazism in Germany, and militarism in Japan. These empires expanded their territory and military power at the expense of their smaller neighbors, many of them new nations created by the Treaty of Versailles. The League of Nations, helpless to stem aggression, and the United States, guided by a policy of isolationism, stood largely aside as Europe and Asia descended into crisis. By the late 1930s, Nazi Germany had invaded Poland and threatened to invade Great Britain, a longtime ally of the United States. It was not until Japanese forces attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii -- a U.S. territory, though not yet a state -- that the U.S. entered the world-wide conflict. World War II spanned the globe, with battles fought in Africa, Europe, Asia, and the United States (or its territories). The war did not end until Italy was occupied, Germany was invaded by U.S. and Russian forces, and the two atomic bombs were dropped on the Japanese cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima in 1945.

1			What factors help explain the ease with which Hitler's Germany and Mussolini's Italy were able to conquer so much of Europe and Africa from 1933 to 1941? What problems in the Soviet Union, France, and Great Britain made resistance to German and Italian aggression difficult?
2			How was the crisis of the 1930s rooted in the settlement of World War I at Versailles in 1919? How did that treaty change the political makeup of Europe, and why did the League of Nations fail to live up to its mission to preserve peace?
3			What goals did Hitler have in his conquests of the 1930s? How did these conquests fit into Hitler's plan for a "greater Germany?"
4			You are an American journalist living in Germany during the 1930s. Write three short dispatches home about the events in Europe, and how they may impact America in the near future.

U.S. in Latin America


Under President Theodore Roosevelt and subsequent administrations, the United States vigorously enforced the Monroe Doctrine's policy of preventing European nations from intervening in Latin American affairs. However, as an increasingly "iron-fisted neighbor," it frequently intervened in the region itself when internal disorder or an inability to meet obligations to the international financial community seemed likely to invite intervention by others. The construction of the Panama Canal between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans was Roosevelt's most cherished accomplishment, requiring equal parts of diplomatic, engineering, and military efforts in Panama and neighboring Central American countries.

5			How did the "Roosevelt corollary" change U.S. policies toward Latin America? Give three examples of nations affected by this shift in U.S. policy? What were the outcomes of this policy change?
6			How did the creation of the Panama canal reflect changing U.S. views of the region? How did U.S. policy help create the canal? Why was the canal such a significant economic and political achievement for the U.S.?
7			Create the front page of a Latin American newspaper for one day during this time period. What main stories would be featured about the U.S. role in the region? What view will your newspaper take of the events of this period?