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The 1920's were a time of great economic prosperity. The focus on entertainment was greater than never before: radio, music, dancing, speak-easies, flappers, and other time appropriate things were common to all. People were vacationing and had no worries at all. This all ended when the Great Depression set in.
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In 1922, Benito Mussolini was made Prime Minister in Italy. This eventually led to him becoming a fascist dictator.
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When the Stock Market crashed in 1929, the US was hurdled into the Great Depression. This was the lowest economic point in the US. A huge percentage of people were unemployed and in poverty, relying on charity to survive.
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Gulielmo Marconi was one of the men associated with the invention of the radio. His work with wireless communications won him the Nobel Prize in 1930. This just shows how important the radio was, especially in the 1930s.
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The Dust Bowl was an environmental disaster caused by poor farming practices and prolonged drought.The ground cover that held the soil in place was gone. Winds, dust clouds, and dust storms caused life to be extremely difficult. The furniture and homes would have a thick layer of dust and some buildings were even half buried. Because of this, many living on farms were forced to leave and migrate to California; these people were commonly called "Okies."
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German President Paul von Hindenburg died in 1934, which made Chancellor Adolf Hitler the absolute dictator of Germany. His extreme prejudice led him to do horrible things during WWII and made him infamous.
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President Franklin D. Roosevelt was becoming incresingly worried about international stability and feared that the US's isolationism was going to make it hard to maintain peace during the war. He proposed that the US become a member of the World Court. This led to a firestorm of critisism and isolationists were in strong opposition; therefore, his proposal was refused.
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After Benito Mussolini invaded Ethiopia, the US felt the need to strengthen its isolationist stance and passed the Neutrality Act of 1935. This was the first of 3 neutrality acts that were passed; the other two were passed in 1936 and 1937. On August 31, 1935, President Roosevelt signed this act which was a failed attempt at keeping the US out of WWII.
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In 1938, Orson Welles famous War of the Worlds radio broadcast was heard by many listeners that mistook it for a news broadcast. This sent many into a panic.
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World War II began in 1939, when Hitler invaded Poland and ended in 1945.
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In 1940, when France fell to the Germans, FDR was shocked. This was one of the events that finally woke the US up, proving to them that the fascist threat was real. As a result, the US Congress voted to expand the size of the army and the navy and introduced the first ever peacetime draft. This was an act of preparedness in an uncertain time.
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In 1940, Japan joined the Axis powers alongside Germany. Eventually, they targetted the US.
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Though the Lend-lease act stirred up much controversy, it was passed in March 1941. This act allowed Great Britain to borrow military equipment with the assurance that it would be returned to the US. This was a violation of all previous acts for neutrality.
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Earlier in the year, the US denied Japan US oil and acrap iron. Japan was not happy with his since they relied heavily on US resources. Because of this, Japanese military leaders were highly offended and General Tojo persuaded them that destroying the US naval bases would lead to a quick peace. So, on December 7, 1941, Japan attacked the Naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. 8 battleships were sunk, 1,100 sailors were killed, 340 planes were destroyed, and 2,400 total Americans were killed.
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After Pearl Harbor, Germany and Italy declared war on the US. The US, driven by the events at Pearl Harbor, were united in the committment for war despte previous longing for isolation. The plan for the US during WWII was to concentrate on Germany first then bring the nation's full strength to bear on Japan. To begin these efforts, the draft was started: 10 million were drafted into the serveice, 5 million volunteered, and 260,000 women enlisted as decoders, supply pilots, and mechanics.
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When the Japanese inhabited the Aleutian Islands in June of 1942, the US fought to remove them as well as the Japanese garrisons. This was the only US soil Japan would inhabit during WWII and was a blow to the American Morale.
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The Battle of Midway is the first naval battle in the Pacific during WWII. The Japanese were planning on taking Midway islands and use them as base for further advances. If the US had not won this battle, the war might have ended differently.
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The battle of Stalingrad is a Major Battle in the war against Germany. It was the last German offensive of WWII and led to the German defeat; also, it indicated Germany's increased weakness. This battle led to 750,000 Soviet casualties, 740,000 German casualties, and the death of 40,000 civilians. If the Germans had won this battle, the Germans would have access to a huge amount of resources and people.
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The invasion of North Africa was called Operation Torch. This operation in November 1942 was a compromise operation: it met the British objective of securing North Africa and allowed American armed forces to work towards stopping Nazi Germany.
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Operation Overloard (D-Day Invasion) was launched on June 6, 1944. The troops landed on the coast of Normandy. The successful execution of this invasion marked the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany.
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On April 30, 1945, Adolf Hitler commited suicide and his assistants burned his body outside the bunker as Soviet soldiers approached.
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After Japan failed to surrender, the US made a difficult decision. They had spent millions of dollars developing the worlds first atomic bomb and they decided to use it on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. This bomb, called Little Boy, completely obliterated the city and killed innocent people.
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The 2nd atomic bomb dropped on Japan was in the city of Nagasaki. The bomb was called Fat Man and also caused destruction on a grand scale.
