This is an archived course. A more recent version may be available at ocw.mit.edu.

 

Lecture 6: From Isolationism to Pearl Harbor

 

Photo of Adolf Hitler.

Adolf Hitler in Nuremberg. Halftone photomechanical print from cigarette card. (Sammelwerk Nr. 15, Gruppe 66, Bild Nr. 184.) 1923. Location: LOT 3633. Library of Congress Reproduction Number: LC-USZ62-12667. http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pnp/cph/3a10000/3a15000/3a15000/3a15028r.jpg

 

Hitler announcing the acquisition of Austria.

Hitler accepts the ovation of the Reichstag announcing the "peaceful" acquisition of Austria. It set the stage to annex the Czechoslovakia Sudetenland, largely inhabited by a German-speaking population. Berlin, March 1938. Credit: National Archives and Records Administration http://bill.ballpaul.net/iaph/main.php?g2_itemId=1131

 

Nazi anti-semitism, 1933.

On April 1st, 1933, the boycott which was announced by the National Socialistic Party began. Placard reads, "Germans, defend yourselves, do not buy from Jews," at the Jewish Tietz store in Berlin. Photo: New York Times Paris Bureau Collection. Credit: National Archives and Records Administration. http://bill.ballpaul.net/iaph/main.php?g2_itemId=1122

 

The USS Arizona burning after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941.

The USS Arizona burning after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941. Credit: National Archives and Records Administration. http://bill.ballpaul.net/iaph/main.php?g2_itemId=1166

 

Roosevelt signing the declaration of war against Japan, December 8, 1941.

Roosevelt signing the declaration of war against Japan, December 8, 1941. Credit: National Archives and Records Administration. http://bill.ballpaul.net/iaph/main.php?g2_itemId=1160