WWII American Isolation

Now that world war had once again begun, US involvement seemed inevitable. The United States didn't want to be involved in foreign, political wars. We wanted to be left alone. As a result, the Senate was strongly against the Versailles Treaty and refused to ratify it(4). We made a separate peace with Germany. This would come back to haunt us after we were forced into war by the attack of Pearl Harbor.

In the summer of 1914 World War I began in Europe between the Allied and Central powers. Although the war was seen as unavoidable in Europe it came as a surprise to the American people. When word reached America of the outbreak of war, President Wilson urged the United States government and the American people to hold a neutral attitude on the war in Europe(1). For the most part President Wilson’s initial stance on neutrality was strongly supported by the majority of the country. In the early stages of World War I President Wilson approached both the Central and Allied leaders and offered to be a mediator between the two sides. “The Central Powers replied that victory was certain, and the Allies required the dismemberment of their enemies' empires. No desire for

The Treaty of Versailles was a peace settlement between Germany and the Allied Powers signed on June 28, 1919. The Treaty of Versailles officially ended World War 1. However, since the conditions in the treaty were so punitive towards Germany many believe that it was also partly responsible for starting World War 2. Before the treaty was signed President Woodrow Wilson and his opponent in congress, Senator Henry Cabot Lodge debated over the membership in the League of Nations and about the mortality of the treaty. Many debated that the United States should have signed the Treaty of Versailles and joined the League of Nations while others oppose both the treaty and the alliance. I believe that the United States did the right thing by rejecting the Treaty of Versailles, and avoiding the entangling commitments overseas which the alliance would have brought upon us.

During the onset of this fighting, the United States was determined to remain neutral for a variety of reasons. With the Great Depression not improving, there was a

Prior to America’s involvement into the war President Roosevelt gave urgent talks to the country

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

Although Roosevelt was a great United States President, there is the matter of how exactly the United States entered World War II. There is no debate that Roosevelt thought that the United States should enter World War II. He knew that fascism was wrong and that the Axis Powers, led ultimately by Adolph Hitler of Germany, had to be defeated to protect democracy. Also, Roosevelt knew a war would boost the United State’s economy severely. Generally, in war time there is many more jobs, which decreases unemployment tremendously. However, the majority of the citizens of the United States wanted to take an isolated approach from the rest of the world as far as foreign affairs are concerned. As much as 85% of the public opposed entering the war.4 The United States did not want to enter into another world war, such as World War I, that costs so many lives and money. When World War II broke out in 1939 with Germany’s invasion of Poland, Roosevelt called Congress to revise the Neutrality Act in an attempt to enter the war. His attempt failed. Knowing the public would not agree to enter World War II, Roosevelt took several measures to make sure that

With such events occurring quickly in such a small time period, the second World War came as a massive shock. Yet again, Americans called for isolationism and neutrality as they believed America should focus on ending the Great Depression, not worrying about and dealing with the international issues of other nations and peoples. By analyzing Document 5, it is clear that many Americans still believe in isolationism during the Great Depression. Bennett Champ Clark states in his Defense of the First Neutrality Act that “the desire to keep the United States from becoming involved in any war between foreign nations seems practically unanimous among the rank and file of American citizens.” Americans influenced the US foreign policy yet again as the First Neutrality Act was passed in 1935. By analyzing Document 6, it is clear that President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the choices he made were still influenced by isolationist sentiment as he states in his Quarantine Speech that “it is my determination to adopt every practicable measure to avoid involvement in war.” However, it is clear in President Roosevelt's speech that he knew that entering the war was inevitable as he states that the “peace of the world and the welfare and security of every nation, including our own is today being threatened by that very thing (war).” Although the United States tried its best to not enter the second World War for many years, it could not avoided by the end of 1941. On December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor was bombed by the Japanese. The federal government’s response to this attack can be analyzed in Document 7, President Roosevelt’s Pearl Harbor Address to the Congress of the United States. In response to the attack, Roosevelt calls for Congress to “declare . . . a state of war has existed between the United States and the

In 1941 when Roosevelt’s speech was written, and presented to the public, the world was engaged in World War II. America had currently been a bystander in the war, trying to stay out of it in hopes that if they avoided the war, then the war would avoid them. However, President

World War II was a tremendously impactful war which was fought during the forties. It had many turning points and great changes that turned not only the United States but the world. One of the first events that occurred was the rise of Communism. With the rise of communism it caused panic in the country of the United States. The panic was inevitable because anyone could be suspected of being a communist. Also, with communism rapidly spreading in Europe it was hard for the United States to stay in a state of isolationism. Therefore, a key factor of the United States abandoning isolationism and joining the war was the incidence of Pearl Harbor. The bombing of Pearl Harbor was sent by Japan. As a result, the United States declared war on Japan and World War II started. After the war, the impact continued. After World War II, the Cold War began; which was a start to a race in technology, space, and power. The Cold War lasted several decades and was a reaction to World War II.

During the 1920s, the United States was forced into war by the Germans. Germany, attacking and violating with the use of submarines, gave President Woodrow Wilson, who was president during World War I, no other option but to go into war. “We enter this war only where we are clearly forced into it because there are no other means of defending our rights.” (Wilson, 1917). He was a neutral person. Even though he wanted

The United States has been involved in many conflicts, but the World Wars are two of the major conflicts, which many people lost their lives. World War II, being the more recent war, is the war that the United States should have entered earlier than they have. The World Wars are two of the most violent wars we have had in the world, but World War II, was by far, the more hurtful war out of the two. World War II has violated many human rights, and has produced many social injustices to the people who have suffered during this war. Millions of people could have been saved from the Nazi’s lust for purity if the United States would have entered the war earlier than they have.

Is it possible to know what Americans thought of World War II, if they believed that the war was a just war or whether they did not agree for what the United States was fighting for? The historian Studs Terkel believes he knows this answer and that Americans saw themselves as liberators of an oppressed world fighting for the just war which can be concluded from his famous volume, The Good War. Of course one person’s beliefs should not be believed as easily just by reading a book. A person should base their opinions on something much more analytical than that. In order to decide whether some Americans actually thought that World War II was a just war, a thorough analysis should be done of American life looking at all the facts found. Beginning with American experience before the war then analyzing the experience of the war and the home-front itself and finally ending with the analysis of America after World War II a conclusion can be made regarding the American point of view.

When war broke out, there was no way the world could possibly know the severity it would have taken on the people of the world. Fortunately one country saw and understood that Germany and its allies would have to be stopped. America’s Involvement in World War II not only contributed in the downfall of the insane Adolph Hitler and his Third Reich, but also came at the best time and moment. If the United States entered the war any earlier the consequences would probably have been worse.

     The war progressed as the Nazi party took over Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Holland, and France on a series of blitzkriegs. No country could hold up to the power of the Nazi’s. The French tried to fight, but proved no match for Hitler’s Army. Roosevelt wanted to expand aiding to the Allies, but public support was hard to gain. He said, “We must be the great arsenal of democracy.” Congress approved a Lend-Lease Act which put the United States at an economic warfare against Germany. Tensions ran high when the American freighter Robert Moor was sank by a German U-boat off the coast of Africa (Roark 644). Roosevelt then issued a “shoot on sight” policy for escort vessels (Roark 644). An event that stirred the attention of many was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Hitler. This broke the Nazi-Soviet pact and would change the United State’s stand in war.