Introduction.
The Second World War was a long and devastating one leading to massive loss of lives and property. It lasted for six years beginning on September 1939 when Germany invaded Poland. The war went on until 1945 during the time when both the Germans and the Japanese had surrendered to the allies. Due to this invasion by Germany, other European states such as Britain and France also declared war on Germany hence making the chain of this war to become longer. The United States was not initially involved in the war but later became a major player and also played a big role in ending the war.
When the situation became tense in Europe which would later unfold into the World War 2, many Americans were against the country getting involved in the war and therefore the government did not want to get involved. This was partly due to experiences the country went through during the First World War The war made the United States to pursue a policy of isolation. The United States passed several Acts which were meant to state its position towards the war. One of this Acts was the Neutrality Act that prohibited the shipment of items of war from the countries involved in the war.
The Second World War period witnessed a great transformation in the United States in terms of politics, the economy and even its military standing. Despite these the US was not interested in intervening in other countries’ affairs since it viewed it as being a self defeating venture. Thus, the United States was only initially interested in cooperating with the allied forces but did not want to fully commit itself to the war. The country decided to reduce the rates of immigrations and further led negotiations that were meant to disarm naval bases and thus reduce the pains associated with wars through practicing a an open policy (Adler, 1957).
The US president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt also played an important role in enhancing neutrality during the early developments of the World War 2. Roosevelt made sure in 1930s that he strengthened America’s political and economic fields as well as protecting the American citizens. President not only altered life at home, his policies led to enduring changes in the role played by the United States across the world. The Great Depression that led to challenges to the local economy prompted the country to limit Germany and Japan’s efforts to dominate Europe and Asia through tentative confrontation.
. The isolationist contention that the United States went to war in 1917, and might do so again, not for the purpose of its interests being threatened, but merely because its activities, more so relating to trade, produced incidents that blurred judgment and inflamed passions, was reflected in the neutrality legislation of the 1930s. The loans prohibitions and the barring of trade in arms, by keeping Americans off belligerent vessels, and by insisting that title to all war material had passed to the purchaser and that such material be carried only in non-American ships, Such incidents had been avoided or rather sought to avoid them as well as involvement in war by the United States.
Erosion of American Neutrality.
The change in American attitude regarding World War 2 came about due to Franklin Roosevelt’s desire to help the US allies that is France and The Great Britain but the only move that America made was to allow the sale of arms on a “cash and carry” basis. Hitler’s expansion led to the capture of Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, and Belgium and in June 1940 France was defeated and captured by Germany. Germany’s rampant expansion inflicted fear in America and thus it began building its military up. Isolationism disintegration began with the Lend Lease Act (1941) whereby America was allowed to "sell, transfer title to, exchange, lease, lend, or otherwise dispose of, to any such government; any defense article.” The building of the American base on Greenland was followed by the Atlantic Charter (August 14, 1941) which was a joint declaration between Great Britain and the US about the purposes of war against fascism.
France’s defeat by a seemingly invincible Germany as stated above created a profound sense of insecurity in the United States. The fears raised were not only of an Axis victory but also regarding a direct attack on the US in the event which was a possibility, that the British fleet would either be destroyed or captured. A Committee was founded to Defend America by Aiding the US allied Countries; the first influential interventionist organization. The success of that organization led to the establishment of the America First Committee, the last stronghold of the embattled and soon outnumbered isolationists.
However, the greatest reason that drove the US into active involvement in the Second World War was Japan’s surprise attack on the American Navy at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. In July 1939 Franklin Roosevelt declared that the US had ceased to sale items and goods such as gasoline and iron to Japan who were in dire need of them for their war with China hence leading to the creation of the Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis in July 1941. The Japanese began occupying French Indo-China and the Philippines. This led to the freezing of all Japanese assets in the US. On December 7, 1941, a move seen as retaliatory due to the trade crunch down, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, an attack in which over 2,000 people perished. Eight battleships were completely damaged and destroyed thus greatly harming the Pacific fleet. This prompted America to officially enter the war and now began to fight on two fronts: Europe and the Pacific. This led to the US declaring total war on Japan hence the erosion in its neutrality had officially began.
America’s declaration of war towards Japan did not augur well with Germany and Italy hence they in turn declared war on the US. In this case America followed the Germany first strategy for it was seen as having a major threat on the West having a larger military and its ability to manufacture more lethal weapons. Thus in 1942 the Russians were successfully fought and defeated by the German’s, bombing England as well as American shipping being harassed by the U-boats. This did not either deter America in one way or the other as it continued its defensive policy in Japan until the summer of 1942. In what was termed as the Pacific Offensive in which America in the summer of 1942 began an offensive campaign defeating the Japanese at the Battle of the Coral Sea and the Battle of Midway. In August, 1942, America invaded Guadalcanal and by May, 1943 had freed the Aleutians.
Furthermore, the development of the atomic bomb through the Manhattan Project significantly altered the course of the war since use the atomic bomb signaled the end of the. After the death of President Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman who took over decided to drop atomic bombs on two cities in Japan. This attacks which led to massive deaths made the Japanese to unconditionally surrender.
Conclusion.
As much as the Second World War in Europe is concerned and the role of the US in the war, it can be said that neither the Americans wanted to be involved in the war rather than keeping their neutrality. Even though, her close association with the fighting nations that is the Great Britain and France pitted against the Germans and the Italians send mixed signals as these other nations saw her as a sympathizer of Britain and France. However, it can also be seen as the Japanese attack on the US was uncalled for since it only spark a worldwide exchange of gun fire leading to many loss of lives and destruction of properties. Also the World War 2 could have been a blessing in disguise since the United States emerged from World War II as the world's foremost economic, political, and military power.
References.
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Cole, W. S., (1953) America First: The Battle Against Intervention, 1940–1941. New York:
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Guinsburg, N. (1982) The Pursuit of Isolationism in the United States from Versailles to Pearl
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