- July, 1943: American and British forces land in Sicily and begin to move north, up through the Italian mainland. Mussolini's government collapses, he flees to Germany and Italy now joins the Allies. But it took another year for the Allies to drive German forces out of Italy. - America and the Holocaust: by 1942 the U.S. government had incontrovertible evidence of the Holocaust. Pleas for the U.S. to bomb railroad leading to the death camps were rejected as "militarily unfeasible"... The U.S. also resisted pleas to admit Jewish refugees attempting to escape Europe.
- The American people in wartime: WWII was the most consuming military experience since the Civil War. U.S. forces engaged in combat around the world for 4 years. - War-induced economic recovery ended the Great Depression. - The U.S. govt invested $40 billion into military and transportation facilities, highways and power plants in CA....so much so that by the end end of the war, CA and much of the west coast had been transformed. - Wartime science & technology: early development of the computer, improvements in mass production, aviation and naval technology, radar and sonar technology, combined Allied intelligence and code-breaking... - Racism in the U.S. military: racial segregation was prevalent at the beginning of the war, but began to evolve by war's end. Native American "Code Talkers" were a huge asset to U.S. gains in the Pacific Theater. - Women and the war effort: "We Can Do It!," Rosie the Riveter, most women were employed in service-sector, not factory jobs.

I asked Vlad to research some WWII videos/footage that interested him. He brought to class today: "Attack on Pearl Harbor 1941." It was an extremely interesting and informative video of the Japanese plan of attack and the damage inflicted to the U.S. naval fleet and U.S. servicemen. We then watched another great strategic video on the "island hopping" campaign the U.S. launched in the Pacific Theater. The intent of this campaign was to defend lands not yet attacked and occupied by the Japanese and then it turned to reclaiming lands the Japanese had conquered. Great visualized time spent on the battles and strategies in the Pacific Theater!

-December 8, 1941 - America enters WWII and is faced with fighting a war on two fronts. - After Pearl Harbor, the U.S. is determined to turn the tide against Japan. - The Philippines, Guam, Wake Island and Hong Kong, Singapore and Burma rapidly fall to Japan. - The first important U.S. victory in the Pacific theater is Midway, followed by Guadalcanal. - In Europe, the U.S> was fighting with European allies and the Free French who had been fighting for 2 years against the Nazis. - U.S. General George Patton and British General Bernard Montgomery lead successful Allied offensives in Europe and North Africa. - Soviet losses and the Battle of Stalingrad... - America and the Holocaust... - The tragedy of the European ocean liner St. Louis in 1939, no country - including the U.S., would let the ship dock to give sanctuary to the 900 Jewish passengers on board. It was forced to return to Europe and most of its passengers perished in the Holocaust. - Official Anti-Semitism... - America in war time... - The huge mobilization effort...

The road to Pearl Harbor: The U.S. enforces an embargo against Japan after Japan invades China in 1937. This cuts off Japan's access to raw materials. -The Tripartite Pact between Japan, Germany and Italy is signed in 1940 and Japan officially joins the Axis powers. -On Sunday, Dec. 7, 1941 at 7:55am, Japanese bombers attack the American Naval Fleet in Pearl Harbor, HI.
-There were more than 2,000 U.S. casualties and over 1,000 wounded. We viewed a "History Buff" presentation about the bombing of Pearl Harbor through clips from "Tora, Tora, Tora!" the finest movie made about the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

-The League of Nations, -The Kellogg-Briand Pact, -America & the Soviet Union, -The Rise of Isolationism, -The Spanish Civil War, -1922: Mussolini and his fascists come to power in Italy, -1923: Hitler and the Nazi party attempt to overthrow Germany's democratic government, the Wiemar Republic. Hitler is imprisoned, but by 1933, he is elected Chancellor of Germany. -1934: Hitler and the Nazis eliminate their political opposition in a night of terror, attacking opposing politicians and burning down the Reichstag, Germany's Congress during what was called the "Night of the Long Knives." -1931: Japan wages war against China, -In 1940 Japan signs the Tripartite Pact with Germany and Italy forming a loose alliance with them and joining the Axis powers. Events leading to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor: Japanese aggression in the Pacific, the U.S. trade embargo against Japan...

We focused on the remainder of FDR's New Deal programs and how they helped to revive America throughout the 1930s. His administration worked hard to restore confidence in the government and the economy. The New Deal focused on agricultural adjustments for farmers and production, industrial recovery, regional planning, regulating U.S. currency, banks and the stock market. It introduced federal relief programs such as unemployment insurance, minimum wage and social security. We have another class together this afternoon as we have not met for class since Monday.

Absent - on Field Trip

President Roosevelt's personality and the "First 90 Days" of office... -Fireside Chats,-Bank Holiday, -Prohibition repealed in 1933 with the 21st Amendment -New Recovery Programs: AAA (Agricultural Adjustment Administration), Rural Electrification, NRA (Nation Recovery Administration, TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority), SEC (Security and Exchange Commission)... To be continued tomorrow....

We discussed how the 1929 Stock Market Crash and Great Depression reverberated throughout the U.S. and around the world. Times are still difficult for many European countries 10 years after WWI. The German people will make a history altering, horrifying decision to elect Adolph Hitler Chancellor of Germany in 1933. While the American people decide on new leadership in 1932. After 12 years of mostly corrupt and/or ineffectual republican presidencies, the American people elect a democrat to office in 1932: Franklin Delano Roosevelt. His "New Deal" policies will help America to recover from the Great Depression throughout the 1930s and he will also be the U.S. President throughout almost the entirety of WWII.

The impact of the Great Depression on the American people. - Life changed tragically and drastically for millions of Americans from all walks of life and socioeconomic classes. We then discussed Vlad's college search. He shared with me what he liked and disliked about Georgia Tech after visiting the campus last week. He asked me about UC Santa Barbara. Vlad also checked into the University of Miami, but is concerned that they don't have a men's golf team. Nearby Barry University in Coral Gables, Miami does have a golf team. Vlad remains enthusiastic about Embry-Riddle University in FL and AZ. I advised him to make a list of these schools and denote pros and cons. Vlad also noted that some of these universities offer IB curricula. He asked me what that is. I explained that it stands for International Baccalaureate and that the IB curriculum originated in Europe in the late 1960s for foreign students interested in attending U. S. colleges and universities. I explained a bit about the structure, philosophy and approach of the IB curriculum as it is now common to find in a multitude of U. S. middle and high schools. I think Vlad would do well with a classic or IB university curriculum.