I am President Franklin Roosevelt of the United States of America. During my term as president I experienced the biggest global military of all time, which was the World War II. It is this war that has had the biggest impact negatively in human history. The stages that led me to support England began in 1941 whereby I met with the Prime Minister of Britain, Winston Churchill and signed the Atlantic Charter. This stated the postwar goals of both our countries which included national self-determination, free access of all people to economic opportunity, freedom from war and fear and freedom from the seas. Thus with the Prime Minister, we started working and making preparations for defense.
The main member of the Axis coalition was Germany, during that time led by Adolf Hitler. He preached a racist brand of fascism, whereby he viewed the Germans as being of a superior race. After being elected as the German Chancellor, it only took a while for him to be established as a dictator. I was also aware of the fact that Japan did not formally adopt fascism during this time, but still had the same stance as Germany and both this countries formed what was to be known as the Axis coalition, thus the enemy to England during the war.
Besieged by the Germans and threatened by the Japanese, England was desperate for American warships and war material but did not have sufficient funds. Thus, the English prime minister was left with no option but traded some of the lands they had acquired during colonization so as to save the empire itself. In order to get fifty American ships and war material, England gave up the naval bases in the Western Hemisphere that it owned over to the US. This was quite advantageous to my country as we would be able to increase our military power since we now had in our possessions highly strategic naval bases that could act to our advantage. Furthermore, Churchill avoided from liquidating England’s African and Asian possessions to buy more American support or to but of the Germans and Japanese.
However, Churchill could not induce me to go against a large majority of Americans who refused to support a war on behalf of one colonial power against another. This was mainly through the domestic isolationist movement that sort to ensure that we did not take part in the war. It was also going to have a negative effect on the American economy even though we would be able to acquire strategic assets from Britain. I was advised that it would be better not to be directly involved in the war so as to reduce the negative impacts that it may have on us. At last, I was willing to engage in the war and join the allied side, but I was not able to induce England’s enemies to give me a political justification that the war was worth it. All I did as the president of the United States was to provide aid to England until its enemies were exhausted.
When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, they gave me a clear cause to lead my country into war. I pursued a strategy that had me involved with the war within Europe and not Japan though it had attacked us. As commander in chief of the armed forces, it was only appropriate to declare war so as to protect the American soil bearing the fact that Japan was extremely close to the American coast and could attack once again.
As an isolationist U.S. senator, I had various reasons why I did not want my country to be involved with the war. For a start, it would have adverse negative effects on our economy, leading to an economic decline over time just as it is being witnessed with England at present. Initially, it was believed that we entered the First World War to protect our interests, especially the loans to our allies. If the US was involved, it would mean we would have to increase our spending on defense. As a senator and isolationist, I believed this would only impact negatively on the US. The chances of an attack on us would be increased, and the borders would not be safe. Moreover, our coastlines would be prone to attacks based on the fact that they were wide.
Works Cited
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Graham, Otis L. Franklin D. Roosevelt : his life and times : an encyclopedic view. Boston:
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Kellogg, William O. E-Z American history. New York: Barron's Educational series, 2009.
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Robinson, Gregory H. By order of the president : FDR and the internment of Japanese
Americans. Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2001. Print.
