From Isolation to Intervention America’s Road to World War II

America’s Road to World War II

In your mind, what are some possible problems with America remaining isolated during the 1930s?

STEP #2 - Neutrality Laws

Would you support the Neutrality Acts? Why or why not?

STEP #3 – Building America’s Defense

Any questions?

You have heard that, even though the United States is not joining either side of the war and has chosen to remain neutral, the country has agreed to build up the country’s military. Why are they doing so?

In what ways are they strengthening their armed forces?

STEP #4 – Cash and Carry

What are the arguments for and against the plan?

Would you support the plan? Why or why not?

STEP #5 – The America First Committee

Why did some American oppose the AFC?

Would you have supported the AFC? Why or Why not?

STEP #6 – The 1940 Election

What is your reaction to this result? Do you think the nation made the right choice? Why or why not?

STEP #7 – The Arsenal of Democracy

What is this “Lend Lease” Act that Congress has now passed, under the pushing of FDR?

You have found out that FDR and the new Prime Minister of Great Britain, Winston Churchill, have met in Newfoundland to discuss the future relationship between the two countries. While they haven’t made any alliance, they have agreed on something called “The Atlantic Charter”. What is it?

In the charter, each nation agreed to

(1) seek no ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­_____________________ expansion

(2) pursue no territorial changes without the consent of the _____________________

(3) respect the right of people to choose their own form of_____________________

(4) promote _____________________among nations

(5) encourage international _____________________ to improve peoples' lives

(6) build a secure peace based on freedom from want and fear

(7) work for _____________________ of aggressors

(8) establish a "permanent system of general _____________________"
What do you think this Atlantic Charter will do for the relationship between the US (FDR) and England (Churchill)?

STEP #9 – Trouble with Japan

What did the Japanese do in response to American actions?

America Enters the War: World War II (Overview)

British Policy: Appeasement

In the 1930s, both Germany and Italy adopted fascism and began moves to expand their territory. Japan's totalitarian government was also looking to expand. Great Britain's prime minister Neville Chamberlain urged Britain to maintain a policy of appeasement—giving in to the dictators in order to avoid a war. In part, Chamberlain had to try appeasement because the British Empire did not have the resources to fight Japan in Asia, Italy in the Mediterranean, and Germany in Europe all at the same time. Unfortunately, the policy failed because the dictators believed that Britain was weak and inferior and therefore no threat to their desires for land. When Britain became aware that Germany's air force was rapidly overtaking their own, they looked to the United States for help.

Following World War I, the United States had once again retreated into isolationism. The U.S. government believed that its interests were best served by secluding itself from other nations and avoiding alliances with them. The United States had a history of isolationism dating back to the presidential terms of George Washington; he had urged commercial treaties and expansion of trade with other nations but no political or military alliances. In 1823, in keeping with that practice and at the urging of President James Monroe, Congress adopted the Monroe Doctrine, which called on the United States to stay out of European affairs and warned Europeans to stay out of American affairs.

More legislation was passed in the 1930s to ensure the United States' stance of isolationism. The Johnson Act of 1934 prohibited loans to foreign countries that had not paid their war debts. The Neutrality Acts of 1935 and 1936 prohibited the sale of war materials to aggressors. President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued his Good Neighbor Policy in his first inaugural address. The policy promoted condemnation of aggression, no forcible collection of debts, equality of states, respect for treaties, and continental solidarity.

Lend-Lease Act

However, as Italy, Germany, and Japan became more aggressive and formed the Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis pledging to support each other, the United States could no longer ignore the situation. In March 1941, Congress passed the Lend-Lease Act, which initially appropriated $7 billion to be used to loan or lease weapons and to provide aid to other countries. Much of that money was invested to help Britain secure the seas in order to ensure the delivery of badly needed resources and supplies to the island. The United States still hoped to ensure a victory over the Axis powers without involving its own troops.

Meanwhile, Japanese aggression was spreading. In September 1940, Japan occupied northern Indochina. Bound by the Neutrality Acts, the United States responded by prohibiting the export of steel, scrap iron, and aviation gasoline to Japan. Roosevelt also approved a loan of $100 million to the Nationalist Chinese under the provisions of the Lend-Lease Act to combat Japanese aggression. Not quite a year later, in July 1941, Japan occupied southern Indochina. This time, Britain and the Netherlands joined the United States' protest by freezing Japanese assets. That meant that Japan was prevented from purchasing the oil needed to fuel its army, navy, and air force. Still, Japan was determined to carve out a new empire.

On December 1, 1941, Japan's premier Tojo Hideki concluded, "Japan has no other way than to wage war . . . to secure its existence and self-defense." On Sunday, December 7, news of Japan's attack on U.S. forces at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii reached Washington, D.C. The next day, Roosevelt declared that it was "a day which will live in infamy" and asked Congress for a declaration of war on Japan. On December 11, Germany's Adolf Hitler and Italy's Benito Mussolini honored their pact with Japan and declared war on the United States. The United States had entered the war in both Asia and Europe.