Episode 12

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Published on:

1st Aug 2025

S2E12- WWII

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Transcript
Speaker:

Hello y'all.

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It's me.

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It's me.

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It's Dr.

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G.

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In our last episode, we navigated the

tumultuous waters of the Great Depression

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and the transformative new deal.

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Today we turn to a conflict that

reshaped the globe and America's

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place within it World War ii.

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The shadows of the Great War, the war

to end All wars had barely receded when

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new, more ominous clouds gathered on

he international horizon, the:

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an era of uneasy normalcy and simmering

social tensions within the United States.

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Saw the rise of aggressive

expansionist ideologies abroad.

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The economic devastation of the Great

Depression further destabilize the

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world order, creating fertile ground

for dictators, fascists, and demagogues.

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America's still grappling

with the depression's impact.

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In largely embracing a policy of

isolationism would find itself

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inexorably drawn into a global maelstrom.

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This war wouldn't just be

fought on distant battlefields.

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It would transform American society, its

economy, its understanding of civil rights

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and its role as the dominant world power.

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I.

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The industrial might forge in the late

19th century and tested by the new deal's,

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mobilization efforts would be unleashed

on an unprecedented scale in this war.

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However, the racial hierarchies, the

bitter legacy of reconstruction, would I.

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Be starkly illuminated and challenged

both at home and in the segregated

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ranks of the military abroad.

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Today, following our chapters, we are

going to explore America's journey

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into the World War, world War ii, from

the rise of fascism and the origins of

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the conflict in Europe and the Pacific

through the nation's reluctant entry.

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After the bombing of Pearl Harbor,

we're gonna go over the experiences

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of the soldiers on multiple fronts.

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The colossal effort on the home front.

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The complex intersections of race and

gender during wartime and finally.

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The dawn of a new and deeply

uncertain post-war world.

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So let's go.

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In the 1920s and the 1930s, a toxic brew

of nationalism, militarism, and economic

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despair fueled the rise of fascist

regimes in Europe and imperial ambitions

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in Asia, in Italy, Benito Mussolini

and his black shirts consolidated

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power, dreaming of a new Roman

pire and invading Ethiopia in:

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The most alarming developments were

in Germany, Adolf Hitler, and the Nazi

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power rose to power in 1933, capitalizing

on economic hardship and the national

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resentment for Germany being blamed for

World War I as our textbook outlines.

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Hitler's ideology was rooted in

racial supremacy and the pursuit

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of liens, Ramm, or living space.

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And this led to the re armament of

Germany in a series of aggressive moves.

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The REM militarization of the Rhineland

in:

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1938, and the crisis over Czechoslovakia.

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The Munich agreement of 1938 where

Britain and France appeased Hitler

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by seeding the Sudetenland, only

emboldened him to take more actions.

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British Prime Minister never Chamberlain

declared that he had achieved

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quote, peace for our time end quote.

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But Winston Churchill Grimley

Retorted quote, you were given a

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choice between war and dishonor.

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You chose dishonor and you will have war.

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End quote.

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Meanwhile, in the Pacific, Imperial Japan

was on the move, driven by militarism

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and the need for more resources.

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Japan invaded Manchuria in

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invasion of China in 1937.

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American public opinion while

critical of Japanese aggression,

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remained largely isolationists.

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The final sparks in Europe were the Nazi

Soviet non-aggression pact in August

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of 1939, A cynical deal that freed

Hitler to act, and it followed swiftly

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by the German invasion of Poland on

st,:

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Finally recognizing the futility

of appeasement to Hitler or the

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Nazis declared war on Germany.

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And World War II had begun.

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So while Europe and Asia plunged

themselves into war, the United States

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clung to a policy of neutrality, deeply

influenced by the disillusionment

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following World War I and the

domestic focus on fixing the great

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depression that was still happening.

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The America First Committee with

prominent figures like the aviator

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Charles Lindbergh championed isolationism.

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Lindbergh noted in 1941.

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Quote, the United States is better

situated from a military standpoint

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than any other nation in the world.

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These wars in Europe are not wars in

which are civilization is defending

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against some Asiatic intruder.

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There is no gang khan or Xerxes

marching against our domains.

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This is not a question of banding

together to defend the white

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race against foreign invasions.

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Congress passed a series of

neutrality acts in the mid:

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before the war, aiming to prevent

the US from being drawn into foreign

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conflicts by prohibiting loans and

arm sales to belligerent nations.

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However, FDR increasingly alarmed

by this axis, aggression axis being

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Germany and Italy and later Japan.

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They sought to find ways to aid

the allies, Britain and France.

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The neutrality Act of 1939 introduced

the cash and carry provision, allowing

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belligerent to buy US arms if they

paid one in cash, and two, transported

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them on their own ships, a policy that

primarily benefited Britain and France.

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By 1940, France had fallen, and

Britain was standing alone and

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Roosevelt ramped up support.

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The Lend Lease Act of March, 1941

effectively ended American neutrality,

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allowing the US to lend or lease

war materials to any country whose

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defense the President deemed vital

to the defense of the United States.

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Roosevelt famously compared it

to lending a garden hose to a

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neighbor whose house is on fire.

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In August of 41, Roosevelt and British

Prime Minister Winston Churchill

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met secretly off the coast of

Newfoundland, Canada and issued the

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Atlantic Charter, a joint Declaration

of war aims that included principles

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like self-determination, free trade.

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And freedom from fear and want.

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This was a clear signal of America's

growing alignment with the Allied cause,

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even before direct military involvement.

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Earlier in that year, January

of:

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vision for a world founded upon for

freedoms, quote, in the future days.

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Which we seek to make secure.

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We look forward to a world founded

upon four essential human freedoms.

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The first is freedom of speech and

expression everywhere in the world.

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The second is freedom of every

person to worship God in his

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own way everywhere in the world.

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The third is freedom from

want everywhere in the world.

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And the fourth is freedom from

fear anywhere in the world.

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The event that shattered American

isolationism and catapulted the nation

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into full scale war occurred on December

th,:

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infamy as President Roosevelt declared, I.

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Japanese carrier launched planes executed

a surprise attack on the US Pacific

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Fleet stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

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The attack killed over 2,400 Americans

wounded another:

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the US Naval presence in the Pacific.

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I.

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Quote yesterday, December 7th, 1941,

a date which will live in infamy.

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The United States of America was suddenly

and deliberately attacked by naval

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and air forces of the Empire of Japan.

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No matter how long it may take us to

overcome this premeditated invasion, the

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American people in their righteous might

will win through to absolute victory.

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End quote.

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That was the address of FDR and on

December 8th, Congress declared war on

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Japan with only one dissenting vote.

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Germany and Italy.

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Japan's Access Partners declared

war on the United States.

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A few days later, America was now

fully engaged in a global conflict

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despite the attack by Japan, the

Allies, which included the US Britain.

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The free French.

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Remember, the French had been invaded and

conquered by the Germans by this point.

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And now the Soviet Union, which had

been invaded by Germany in June of

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1941, adopted a Germany first strategy.

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They recognized Nazi Germany

as the more dangerous long-term

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threat over the Japanese.

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So American forces began arriving

in Europe significantly in numbers

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in 1942, but first, the fight

would take place on African soil.

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The key campaigns included

Operation Torch, which happened

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in North Africa in 1942 and 43.

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This was the first of American major

offensive in the European Theater.

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US forces under commanders like

Dwight d Eisenhower, and George S.

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Patton landed in Morocco and Algeria.

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Eventually helping to defeat German

and Italian forces in North Africa.

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Next would come the Italian

campaign from 43 to 45.

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Following the success in North

Africa, the allies invaded Sicily

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and then the mainland Italy.

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This was a long a.

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Brutal and Attritional campaign fought

through difficult mountainous terrain.

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The US Fifth Army under Mark Clark and

the Seventh Army under Patton played

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significant roles in battles like

Salerno and Anzio, eventually leading

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to the fall of Rome in June of 1944.

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D-Day is the day Operation

th,:

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This was the largest

amphibious invasion in history.

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Allied forces landed on the beaches

in Normandy, France opening up a

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long awaited second front against

Germany and Western Europe.

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The other front being.

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Russia.

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American troops faced intense German

resistance on Omaha and Utah beaches,

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but ultimately secured a vital

beachhead from which to then attack

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from Europe, the Battle of the Bulge,

which was the winter of:

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This was Hitler's last major offensive

on the Western front, the surprise

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German attack in the Dens forest.

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Initially pushed back Allied

lines, but was ultimately repulsed.

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Thanks in part to the stubborn

defense of American units.

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Notably at Best Stone, this

battle depleted Germany's

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remaining offensive capabilities.

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The war in Europe was characterized

by immense logistical challenges,

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fierce fighting and heavy casualty.

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For many American soldiers, it was the

first experience of industrial scale.

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Warfare.

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Now, I'm not gonna go into all

of these different battles.

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Your textbook goes into some of

them and why they're important.

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But you need to go check out

the World War II Museum in New

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Orleans if you haven't been there.

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But definitely check out their

website, which has a lot of

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interesting and amazing stories there.

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Go check that out.

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As war is going on in the

Western Theater, the war in the

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Pacific was also ramping up.

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This was the island hopping

to victory strategy.

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So the US faced the daunting

task of rolling back the Japanese

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empire, which had conquered vast

territories across Southeast Asia

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and a host of Pacific Islands.

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The strategy that was adopted was

called Island Hopping, bypassing heavily

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fortified Japanese strongholds and seizing

strategically important, less defended

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islands to establish forward air bases

for the eventual assault on Japan itself.

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Many of the key battles here

include the biggest turning

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point, the Battle of the Midway.

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In June of 1942, just six months

after Pearl Harbor, the US Navy

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achieved a stunning victory.

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They sank four Japanese aircraft carriers.

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This was a crucial turning point.

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It crippled a lot of Japan's naval

air power and ending its offensive

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capabilities in the Pacific.

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After this point, Japan

went on the defensive.

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The Battle of Guac Canal,

August,:

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This was the first major American

offensive in the Pacific, and this was a

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brutal six month campaign on and around

the island of Guadalcanal, and it evolved

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intense jungle warfare and naval battles.

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It was another hard fought

victory that marked the beginning

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of the Allied offensive.

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The Battle of Late Gulf, this was

the largest naval battle in history.

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It effectively destroyed the

Japanese Navy as an offensive force

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and paved the way for American

reconquest of the Philippines.

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The Battle of Iwo Jima, one of the

bloodiest battles in Marine Corps

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history happened in between February

and March of:

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capitalize on the island's airfield by

supporting B 29 bomber raids on Japan.

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The iconic flag raising on Mount

Sir BCE became a symbol of American

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sacrifice and determination.

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And lastly, we got the Battle of

Okinawa, April to June of:

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This was the last major

battle of World War ii.

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Okinawa saw ferocious Japanese

resistance, including mass kamikaze

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attacks and heavy civilian casualties.

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The high US casualty rate

influenced thinking about the

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potential cost of invading the

Japanese home islands themselves.

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So the fighting in the Pacific was

often characterized and rightly

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so by its particular brutality.

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Its racial animosity on both sides and the

fanatical resistance of Japanese forces.

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For the millions of Americans who served

in World War ii, it was a transformative

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and often harrowing experience.

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Their letters, their diaries,

their oral histories.

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You can find these at

the Library of Congress.

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Paint a vivid picture of life

on the front lines and at home.

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I.

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Private Isaac Schwartz serving in

Europe wrote of the sheer terror

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and dehumanization of combat

during the Battle of the Bulge.

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Quote.

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It is a game of life and death.

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There are no rules here we are the

gladiators of the 20th century.

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I find men who a few months

ago were supposedly normal

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human beings now savages.

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They have lost all sense of values.

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All moral codes are forgotten.

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End quote.

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He later described the bitter cold and

the constant fear quote, how long can

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a human being exist like this living

in a hole in the ground like an animal

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shells bursting around you constantly?

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It makes one wonder what it is all about.

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End quote.

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On the Pacific front, the

experiences were equally brutal.

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James j Fahe a semen aboard

the USS Montpelier wrote in his

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diary before action quote, the

men are all anxious for a fight.

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I want to see some action too.

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I hope we have good luck

and I come out of it.

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Okay, end quote.

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This initial eagerness gave way to

the grim realities of island warfare.

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Soldiers grappled with boredom, feared

comradery, loss, and the stark contrast

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between the ideals they were fighting for

and the brutal realities of war itself.

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The GI Bill of Rights passed in

:

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unprecedented opportunities for

education, housing, and business loan

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because of the experiences and of course

winning the war and this profoundly

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shaped post-war American society.

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Something will get into.

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Next episode,

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let's turn our attention

to the home front.

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While soldiers fought overseas,

the American home front was utterly

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transformed into the arsenal

of democracy, as it was called.

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The war effort required an unprecedented

mobilization of industrial resources

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and people as our textbook highlights.

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Federal spending during the war

was immense, far exceeding even

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the programs of the New Deal, and

this massive government expenditure

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definitely ended the Great depression.

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The war production board established

in:

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oversaw the conversion of civilian

industries into war production.

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Automobile plants began churning

out tanks and planes, typewriter

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factories made machine guns.

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This miracle of production, as it was

called saw American factories produce an

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astonishing quantity of war materials.

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The office of War Mobilization

coordinated this vast national effort.

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The government also managed labor

relations through the National War Labor

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Board, which mediated disputes and sought

to prevent strikes in vital industries.

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While war is happening, most unions, like

the A FL under Samuel Gomer, adopted a no

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strike pledge for the duration of the war.

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Though some strikes, notably

by coal miners did occur, union

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membership actually grew during

the war, benefiting from quote,

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maintenance of membership clauses.

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Civilians were called

upon to make sacrifices.

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The Office of Price Administration

implemented rationing for scarce

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goods like gasoline, sugar, coffee,

meat, and tires, scrap drives,

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collected rubber, metal and paper

to be donated for the war effort.

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Victory Gardens.

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Sprouted across backyards and

public parks across the country.

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The government financed the war

through increased taxes and a

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massive sale of liberty bonds.

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The bonds promoted through intense

propaganda campaigns that emphasized

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it was your patriotic duty to buy

these bonds as well as to donate goods.

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The Office of War information

established in:

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official government propaganda effort

using posters, radio, films, and

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newsreel the Office of War information.

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The OWI aim to unify public opinion,

encourage enlistment, as well as bond

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purchases, promote conservation of

resources as well as its donation,

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and to demonize the enemies we face.

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Iconic pictures urged Americans to

quote, dig on for victory or save waste

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fats for explosives, and reminded them

that quote, loose lips, sink ships.

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George Creole, who was in charge

of the propaganda from World War I

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had set some precedents for World

War ii, but the O'S reach was even

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greater than what Creole could muster.

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Because of the new technology and

using these progressive era persuasion

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tactics actually worked this often

led to intense anti-German and

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anti-Japanese sentiments at home.

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Now World War II dramatically expanded

opportunities for many Americans.

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And the first we're gonna look at

is American women with millions

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of men in uniform and overseas.

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Women particularly stepped

into roles previously close to

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them because of their gender.

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I.

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The iconic image of Rosie the Riveter,

inspired by a popular song in a Norman

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Rockwell's famous painting, symbolized

the millions of women who entered

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the defense industries working in

factories and shipyards and aircraft

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plants, building the weaponry and the

machinery necessary to win the war.

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Oral histories from women who

work these jobs reveal their pride

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and the challenges they faced.

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One.

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Rosie Inez Sour described

her work at Boeing.

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Quote, I was a riveter.

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I was terrified at first,

but you just did it.

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It was your patriotic duty end quote.

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Another Juanita Allen recalled quote.

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It was the first time I ever had

money in my pocket that I had made.

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End quote.

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They often face lower pay than men doing

the same job and skepticism about their

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abilities because they were women, but

their contributions were undeniable.

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We don't win the war without them.

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Women actually also served in the

military in unprecedented numbers.

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The Women's Army Corps, the WAC and

the Navy Women's Accepted for Volunteer

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Emergency Service or waves, the Coast

Guard, SP, and the Women Air Force Service

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Pilots, the wasps provided vital support

services freeing up men for combat.

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Over 150,000 women

served in the WACS alone.

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Army and Navy nurses served

with distinction often close

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to the front lines, seeing the

terrible carnage that war brings.

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So while the war opened new doors, it

also reinforced traditional gender roles

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in some way with women often encouraged

to return to domestic life after the war.

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However, the experience of wartime

employment, having money in your pocket

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for the first time and the services

that they had done had a lasting impact.

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It challenged the pre nor notions

about women's capabilities, and it

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contributed to the later feminist

movements asking and then demanding

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and then protesting for better rights.

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For African Americans, world War II was

fought on two fronts against fascism

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abroad and against racism at home.

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This sentiment was encapsulated by the

Double V campaign, launched by the British

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Courier, a leading black newspaper quote.

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We as colored Americans are

determined to protect our country,

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our form of government, and the

freedoms which we hope to enjoy.

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We are also determined to achieve our

full rights as citizens in this country.

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Therefore, let us call for a double

V, V for victory over our enemies

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on the battlefields abroad and

V for victory over our enemies.

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On the home front, the enemies of

intolerance, prejudice, and race hatred.

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End quote, over 1 million African

Americans served, but they did so

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in segregated military, often facing

discrimination and being relegated

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to service and supply units mostly.

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However, there were exceptional.

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Service members like the units of the

Tuskegee Airmen, a group of black fighter

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pilots who achieved a distinguished combat

record escorting bombers over Europe,

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as well as disproving racist myth about

their in capabilities to fly planes.

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They did so amazingly.

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There was also the 761st tank battalion

that also distinguish itself in service.

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On the home front, the Great War

accelerated the great migration that

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we had talked about previously, and

African Americans from rural south moved

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again in mass numbers to industrial

cities in the north and west, seeking

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again, opportunities economically in the

defense industry as well as to escape

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the racism and violence of the south.

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However, that didn't always go

as planned as they often face

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continued discrimination in

employment and housing in the north.

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Labor leader a Philip Randolph

threatened a massive march on Washington

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in 1941 to protest this racial

discrimination and defense hiring.

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This pressure led President Roosevelt

to issue executive order 8 8 0 1,

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banning racial discrimination in defense

industries, as well as creating the

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Fair Employment Practices Committee.

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While the FEPC had limited enforcement

powers, it was a significant symbolic step

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of the government recognizing the racial

tensions, but these racial tensions.

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Boiled over in several

cities, there were race riots.

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The Detroit Race Riot in 1943 sparked

by conflicts over jobs and housing,

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as well as fueled by white resistance

to blacks having jobs and advancement.

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Resulted in 34 deaths, 25 of them African

American, and hundreds of injuries

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before federal troops restored order.

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Similar riots occurred in places like

Harlem and other northern cities.

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The experience of Japanese Americans

in World War II represents one of

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the starkest violations of civil

liberties in American history.

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I.

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Following the attack on Pearl Harbor,

fueled by wartime hysteria, as well

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as some longstanding anti-Japanese

racism and prejudice, president

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:

Roosevelt issued executive order

in February of:

388

:

This order authorized the forced removal

and incarceration into concentration camps

389

:

of over 110,000 Japanese Americans, two

thirds of whom were US citizens from the

390

:

West coast into these internment camps.

391

:

Ako Herzig Saga in interned as

a teenager, recalled this quote.

392

:

We were simply told to report to

a particular place at a particular

393

:

time with only what we could carry.

394

:

It was a period of such

confusion and such terror.

395

:

Really to be uprooted like

that, to lose everything you had

396

:

worked for was just devastating.

397

:

End quote.

398

:

The Supreme Court in Kora Matsu

versus us in:

399

:

legality of the internment

policy citing military necessity.

400

:

Justice Robert Jackson issued a

powerful dissent warning that the

401

:

ruling quote lies about like a loaded

weapon, ready for the hand of any

402

:

authority that can bring forward a

plausible claim of an urgent need.

403

:

End quote.

404

:

Decades later, the US government formally

apologized and provided reparations,

405

:

acknowledging the grave I justice

of in interning Japanese citizens.

406

:

Despite this treatment, many nea,

second generation Japanese Americans,

407

:

had served with extraordinary bravery

in the US military, most notably

408

:

the 442nd regimental combat team

in Europe, which became one of the

409

:

most decorated units in US history.

410

:

Mexican Americans also

face discrimination.

411

:

The Zoot Suit riots in Los Angeles in

:

412

:

Mexican Americans wearing distinctive

zoot suits, fueled by racist presidents

413

:

and sensationalist media coverage.

414

:

Police often arrested the victims

rather than the attackers.

415

:

Simultaneously, the Bracero program.

416

:

Initiated in 1942 brought hundreds of

thousands of Mexican laborers to the US

417

:

to fill agricultural labor shortages,

often under exploitative conditions.

418

:

And all of this, again, fueled

more and more racial prejudice.

419

:

So as we can see, the home

front wasn't just unified

420

:

against common enemies abroad.

421

:

It was actually quite

divisive at home too.

422

:

As barriers, racial or

gender were being challenged.

423

:

As the war raged on horrific reports of

the Nazi regimes, systematic extermination

424

:

of European Jews and other targeted

groups, what we know as the Holocaust

425

:

news of that began to reach the allies.

426

:

The full scale of this genocide

was not understood by the general

427

:

public until after the war, the US

government and Jewish organizations had

428

:

increasing evidence of mass killings.

429

:

By 1942, the American response was

tragically inadequate antisemitism

430

:

at home, restrictive immigration laws

like the quota systems established in

431

:

the twenties, and a focus on winning

the war above all else contributed

432

:

to a reluctance to take decisive

action to rescue European Jews.

433

:

Finally, in January, 1944, president

Roosevelt established the war refugee

434

:

board largely due to pressure from

the Treasury Department officials.

435

:

The WRB, despite limited resources and

operating late in the war, did manage

436

:

to save some lives estimated in the tens

of thousands through various relief and

437

:

rescue efforts, often working with neutral

governments and private organizations.

438

:

However, for millions.

439

:

Help came too late or not at all.

440

:

The liberation of Nazi concentration

and death camps by Allied Soldiers

441

:

in 1945 exposed the full unimaginable

horrors of the Holocaust to the world.

442

:

This is your chance to go to the United

States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

443

:

Their website will go into

more detail about all of this.

444

:

It is a terrible, horrible

part of the history.

445

:

The war in Europe ended on May 8th,

:

446

:

unconditional surrender after Hitler's

suicide and the fall of Berlin to

447

:

Soviet forces in the Pacific, despite

the devastating conventional bombing

448

:

campaigns against Japanese cities.

449

:

Japan refused to surrender and fought on.

450

:

We had a new president, president Harry

s Truman took office after fdr, R's

451

:

death in April of 1945, and he made

the momentous decision to use a newly

452

:

developed atomic bomb on August 6th,

:

453

:

Hiroshima when Japan refused to surrender.

454

:

A second atomic bomb was dropped

on Nagasaki on August 9th.

455

:

Announcing the Histor Hiroshima bombing.

456

:

Truman stated quote, it is an atomic bomb.

457

:

It is a harnessing of the

basic power of the universe.

458

:

We are now prepared to obliterate

more rapidly and completely.

459

:

Every productive enterprise in the

Japanese have above ground in any city.

460

:

If they do not accept our terms, they

may expect a rain of ruin from the air.

461

:

The like of which has never

been seen on this Earth.

462

:

End quote, the Japanese surrendered

th,:

463

:

Day officially ending World War ii.

464

:

The post-war world was vastly different.

465

:

The old European empires

were weakened or collapsing.

466

:

Out of the shadows and the rubble.

467

:

The United States and the Soviet

Union emerged as the two dominant

468

:

superpowers, their wartime alliance

quickly giving way to suspicion in

469

:

ideological conflict conferences at Yalta

in February of:

470

:

Churchill and Stalin were present was

very different from the conference in

471

:

Potsdam in July and August of 1945.

472

:

Where Roosevelt had given way to Truman

and Churchill was no longer the Prime

473

:

Minister, and this new conference

attempted to shape the post-war world

474

:

addressing issues like the division

of Germany, the fate of Eastern

475

:

Europe and the war against Japan.

476

:

However, these meetings also revealed the

deep divisions That would soon lead to

477

:

one of our next episodes, the Cold War.

478

:

In an effort to prevent future

global conflicts, the United Nations

479

:

was established in 1945 with the

US playing a leading role in its

480

:

creation vastly different than the

League of Nations, which the United

481

:

States never joined domestically.

482

:

The GI Bill of Rights provided returning

veterans with unprecedented opportunities

483

:

for education, vocational training, home

and business loans, fueling post-war

484

:

prosperity, and suburbanization.

485

:

Our next topic in our next episode.

486

:

World War II had cost tens of millions

of lives and it wrought, unparalleled

487

:

destruction upon this world.

488

:

But it also fundamentally reshaped the

global PAL balance of power, accelerated

489

:

social changes within the United States,

and ushered in an era of American global

490

:

leadership, an era that was fraught with

new challenges and responsibilities.

491

:

The end of World War II marked not just

the conclusion of a devastating conflict,

492

:

but the beginning of a new epoch.

493

:

The United States was

now a global superpower.

494

:

Would soon find itself locked in a

decades long cold war with the Soviet

495

:

Union, a struggle that would define much

of the latter half of the 20th century.

496

:

Join me next time on Star-Spangled

Studies when we explore the

497

:

anxieties and the transformations.

498

:

Of the early Cold War era.

499

:

I'll see y'all in the past.

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About the Podcast

Star-Spangled Studies
Star-Spangled Studies is a college-level U.S. history podcast created by professional historian Dr. G—built for students, teachers, and curious listeners alike. Season 1 covers the era from 1865 to the present, using The American Yawp, a free and open educational resource (OER) textbook, as its guide. Each episode unpacks key events, movements, and ideas that shaped the modern United States—through rich narrative, scholarly insight, and accessible storytelling.

Whether you're enrolled in a course or exploring history on your own, you’ll get clear, engaging episodes that follow the chapters of The American Yawp. Bring your curiosity, download the textbook, and join Dr. G for a star-spangled journey through American history.

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