Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Korean War Lessons

It is 1952. A new president, Eisenhower, has been elected in the US. Your task is to write a report for him on what lessons the United States can learn from the war. Your report should advise the President on:

the military and civilian cost of war

Hello Eisenhower,
I wanted to fill you in on the recent war that happened in Korea. So for beginners when the USA went into Korea they were just looking to get the North Koreans out of Southern Korea and keep the boarder. But before they could even go into Korea they had to get the go ahead from the UN. However this was just a minor speed bump in since they had most of the say in the UN budget because they were the main contributer of the money into the UN bu. Also since the USA had cut the USSR out of the UN and so therefore the vote was unanimous and the USA could get 18 countries to go into the war with them. Then once over in Korea they began to push the border and then they came up with the plan to try and push them farther into Northern Korea. However then China became involved in the affairs because China was in charge of Korea where they pushed the UN forces back to the original border that South Korea had in place. This was a very bad decision to try to continue to push South Korea northward because they it killed many more civilians and it made General MacArthur have too much confidence and think that they could handle much more than they could.
Thank you for your time,
Erika Lind

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Dropping the Atomic Bomb

1. What factors have affected viewpoints on Truman's decision?

That it would save thousands of American lives though it would kill millions of Japanese. Also he had to question whether to tell the Japanese so that they might surrender however the president recieved signs that the Japanese would fight to the finish and what if the testing didn't work for the Japanese to see?

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

I think they did however I also think that it was a bed decision because they saved thousands of Americans lives but was it at the right cost of millions of Japanese lives? Also I think it might have been the correct decision because if they hadn't then it could've cost even more lives if they had fought and the Japanese had ended with a win. If the Japanese had won then they might have started a war on American soil or the Axis Powers would've been at an advantage suddenly with Japan killing so many Americans.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

War in the Pacific

1. What was the importance of the Battle of Midway?

It was important because that was when the American's got their revenge on Japan from Pearl Harbor. Also because then the Allies began island hopping and slowly they were winning all the islands and working their way towards Japan.

2. What strategy did the United States adopt in fighting Japan?

The strategy that the United States adopted in fighting Japan was kamikaze which was suicide-plane.

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

Because it was cruitial to win so that they could have a base from which heavily loaded bombers might reach Japan.

4. Why did the Allies believe Okinawa was a foretaste of an invasion of Japan?

Because it was what they imagined as a fortaste of what the Allies invasion of Japan's home islands would be.

5. What was the Manhattan Project?

An atomic bomb that was to be used on Japan.

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

So that the Allies didn't need to do an invasion on the mainland which could kill thousands if not millions of Americans.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

War for Europe and North Africa - Part Il

6. What was D-Day?

It was the first day of the Allies invasion on Germany behind enemy lines, followed the next day by thousands and thousands of seaborne soldiers.

7. What happened at the Battle of the Bulge?

When tanks drove 60 miles into Allies territory, creating a bulge in the lines.

8. What did Allied troops find in Germany?

The death camps, where the U.S.S.R. found a thousand starving prisoners barely alive, the world's largest crematorium and a storehouse filled with 800,000 shoes.

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

He married his long time love and then wrote out a letter where he blamed the Jews and the generals for losing the war. Then he shot himself while his wife drank poison.
F.D.R. died on April 12, 1945 of a stroke and then Vice President Harry S. Truman became the 33rd president.

Monday, March 8, 2010

War for Europe & North Africa

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

That Germany and Italy posed a greater threat than Japan, Churchill convinced Roosevelt to strike against Hitler.

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

Because Britian depended on supplies from the sea. The 3,000-mile-long shipping lanes from North America were her lifeline. Hitler knew that if he could cut off that lifeline, Britian would be starve for submission.

3. Why was the Battle of Stalingrad so important?

Because it was the first great turning point for the Allies to see victories on land as well as at sea.

4. What happened in the war in North Africa?

Allied troops, of mostly Americans, went to Africa to fight and win to be "masters of the North African shores".

5. What happened after the Allies invaded Italy?

Mussolini resigned and Italy cheered because they thought the war was over however Hitler had a different plan.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Mobilizing for WWII

1. Selective Service System

It expanded the draft and eventually provided anoter 10 million soldiers to meet the armed forces' needs.

2. Women

Under the Marshall's bill women volunteers would serve in noncombat positions.

3. Minorities

They were restricted to racially segregated neighborhoods and reservations and denied basic citizen rights, some members of these groups questions whether it was their war to fight.

4. Manufacturers

They all started making war materials.

5. Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD)

To bring the scientist into the war. To work on spurred improvements in sonar and radar, new technologies for locating submarines underwater. Also in making the atomic bomb.

6 Entertainment Industry

They created the Manhattan Project which became a code for any nationwide research.

7. Office of Price Administration (OPA)

It fought the inflation by freezing prices on most goods. While Congress also raised income tax rates and extended the tax to millions of people who had never paid it before.

8. War Production Board (WPB)

They decided which companies would convert from peacetime to wartime production and allocate raw materials to key industries.

9. Rationing

Households recieved ration books with coupons to be used for buying such scarce goods as meats, shoes, sugar, coffee and gasoline.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Japan and U.S. Relations in 1941

Document A
-This is when Japan was talking to Germany and Italy about how to take over the world.
-That Japan is planning on how to take down America and England.

Document B
-How Japan is circling America in the ocean.
-How America is choosing whether or not to care and protest.

Document C
-That Japan is talking with the other Axis powers of how they tried to talk to America
-Also how Japan tried to negotiate with an unbendable America.

Document D
-This is the Japanese Prime Minister talking about either America or Britian
-He is mentioning them like he has to make sure that he has their trust or something.

Document E
-This document was saying that President Roosevelt was calling war on Japan.
-Also it was informing the American people that Japan was dicieving us and didn't really want peace with America.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

America Moves Toward War

1. What did the 1939 Neutrality Act allow?

It allowed the cash-and-carry policy go into affect.

2. Who were the Axis powers?

Germany, Italy and Japan.

3. What did the Lend-Lease Act do?

It was the only thing to do to prevent the fire from spreading to your own property.

4. What pledges were contained in the Atlantic Charter?

Collective security, disarment, self-determination, economic cooperation, and freedom of the seas.

5. Who were the Allies?

The nations that fought the Axis Powers.

6. What did the attack at Pearl Harbor do to the U.s. Pacific fleet?

It killed 2,403, wounded 1,178, sunk or dmaged 21 ships, including 8 battleships which was nearly the whole U.S. Pacific fleet.

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

Because Congress quickly approved for Roosevelt's request to declare war on Japan.