Non Interventionism Essay

During the cold war, the United States engaged in many aggressive policies both at home and abroad, in which to fight communism and the spread of communist ideas. Faced with a new challenge and new global responsibilities the U.S. needed to retain what it had fought so strongly for in World War II. It needed to contain the communist ideas pouring from the Soviet Union while preventing communist influence at home, without triggering World War III. With the policies of containment, McCarthyism, and brinkmanship, the United States hoped to effectively stop the spread of communism and their newest threat, the Soviet Union.

Prior to World War I, the United States generally chose to follow Washington’s farewell address and stay out of “foreign entanglements”. The United States foreign policy from 1918 to 1953 shifted from isolationism or independent internationalism to a more involved internationalism and containment of communism due to various international events, economic conditions, and US public opinion.

Interventionism, the belief that the United States should involve itself in foreign affairs, and isolationism, the belief that the United States should avert from any foreign affairs were two ideas that bopped heads during the first World War when it came to the United States’ position in foreign affairs. Interventionism was highly driven off of the thirst for profit and power. This hunger completely brainwashed people of all other thoughts, triggering them to steal innocent lives recklessly and mercilessly. However, isolationism protected American interests during the early 1900’s as it kept us out of war and affairs which ultimately resulted in American debt, lives, and peace being spared from the terrors of war as exhibited in George Washington’s Farewell Address, Ambassador James Bryce’s British Report on German Atrocities, and Robert La Follette’s A Progressive Opposes the Declaration of War.

Another major foreign policy action was the entry to World War I. On August 4, 1914 there was an outbreak in Europe. A war started between the central powers and the allied powers. The central powers consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungry, and the Ottoman Empire. They were also known as the Triple Alliance. The Allied Powers, also know as the Triple Entente consisted of Britain, France, and Russia. An immediate cause of the war was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914. Some long term causes that started the war were militarism, alliances, imperialism, and nationalism. America tried to keep themselves isolated from the war in Europe. Before the war, America had an idea of neutrality. Neutrality is when American lives and property is not threatened. There was great ethnic diversity in the United States which led to a public union about war. The United States also had the idea of freedom of the seas. This meant the routes for trading were open. The United States had the desire to trade with both the central and the allied powers. The United States had a great economic interest in the war at this time. There were many different

Chapter 25 discusses the United States and the Second World War from 1939-1945. The United States wanted to stay out of international affairs but the newly elected Roosevelt advocated for an active role in it. Though he wanted a role in this, his priority was to attack the domestic causes of the depression which appealed to many poor Americans who were suffering from the Great Depression and had just lost everything. During this time, fascist governments threatened military aggression and the rise of Hitler created a controversial and war-like atmosphere. Hitler had a goal to avenge the defeat of WW1 which lead to the accusations of Jews, and the eventual full-blown Holocaust. Neutrality acts were put into place during this time to prohibit the exchange of arms to nations during the war.

After being rejected from the League of Nations, the United States retreated from the international scene and was left isolated from neighboring countries. Threats of war lingering throughout Italy, Japan, and Germany made some Americans apprehensive. The neutrality laws passed through congress made it

Neutrality Acts (1935, 1937, 1939) – The desire for the United States to remain at peace carried into the 1930s, as political turmoil increased in Europe and Asia. Congress passed Neutrality Acts in 1935, 1937, and 1939. These acts were designed to keep the United States out of any turmoil bubbling on foreign soil. The American people wanted to avoid becoming entangled in another world war.

After World War II, during the Cold War, the United States started acting more multilaterally by forming treaties and joining groups such as NATO and the UN (Gaddis 67). This was all in an attempt to stop the spread of communism and combat the influence of the Soviet Union. The United States intervened in countries to deter them from becoming communist. They

As Franklin Roosevelt began to have more internationalist views, Americans, under no circumstances, wanted to be drawn into another foreign war. The result was a relative stand still in American foreign policy. Congress pacified isolationists by passing the Neutrality Act of 1935, which was designed to isolate America from the growing Nazi monster. First, it created an embargo on the sale of arms to all belligerent nations and second it stated that American citizens that traveled on belligerent ships were doing so at their own risk. The Act was basically an attempt to prevent the World War I nightmare from happening again. Roosevelt was required to sign the bill though he would have rather it had different provisions regarding the embargo of arms to belligerent nations. He was in favor of creating selective embargoes

Reason for US neutrality during the 1920s and 1930s was very simple.Great Depression and Stock market crash..US had to take care about government and problems inside the country and they don't had time and responsibilities to help other contries.At first they had to fix their problems

Following World War Two, the two legitimate world powers were the United States and the Soviet Union. With the Soviet Union under a communistic government and the United States being a nation founded in Capitalism, tensions between the two nations rose, resulting in the Cold War. Against the wishes of the United States, small countries in East Asia began to turn communist. Fear that one country turning would have a chain reaction turning many more, the United States turned to a policy of ‘containment’. This policy was tested in the Korean War and would be again tested in the Vietnam War. Starting as a War with the communist North Vietnam against South Vietnam and the French,

Based upon given information it is clear that there were many ideas thought of during the WWI period. During the years of 1914 through 1917, the U.S was drawn between being Isolationist and Interventionist. The decision for the American nation to either become Isolationist or Interventionist was the key in whether the United States involvement in the war. The perspective of isolationist was in the greatest interest of the U.S. It was in the best interest of the Americans because it helped them to avoid getting into any wars, economic damage, or financial deficiency. All of this was achieved by minimizing all relations with other countries. Therefore, all affairs were cut loose except for affairs that benefited the country.

The United Sates relationships to the world has change during the cold war to where the Unites States was seen as a most in control world power with values that represents capitalism and democracy to stop communism. During the cold war the United States was seen as a world power that would get involved in other nations affairs to promote is values of capitalism and democracy. For instance, The Korean and Vietnam Wars are examples of military intervention by the Americans in the name of stopping communist expansionism. The United States way of getting involved and helping in other nations affairs to secure American interests can be seen today in the event in Syria, where the United States is working with other close-by countries to help put

After WWI the U.S. did not want to get involved with anymore wars. Hitler rose to power and blamed all of Germany’s problems on the Jewish. He took over Austria and was looking to take over more territories. Great Britain, France and Italy signed the Munich Pact Germany which gave Germany Sudetenland. They did this in hopes for peace but it did not do so. The 3 Neutrality Acts were made, the 1st and 3rd act made it so Americans couldn’t sell arms or lend money to any waring country. The 2nd allowed them to do so but they warring country had to pick it up and pay in cash. When japan attacked China, Roosevelt felt strongly about war reaching the U.S. The Lend-Lease Act allowed the U.S. to sell arms to another nation without them having to pay cash. Roosevelt made the people believe that the U.S. would be drawn into the war no matter what so they choose to support the war.

Right after WW2 ended, the US got involved in the Cold War. Truman introduced the the Truman Doctrine, which provided aid to Greece and Turkey. This Doctrine helped protect those countries from communist aggression. Due to there still being a threat of communism, Truman supported the creation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. This was a military alliance of democratic nations that worked together to help stop the spread of communism. Even though WW2 was over, Truman was dedicated to stopping communism and went above and beyond to stop the spread of it (History.com