Lecture Notes: The Road to World War II & FDR's Foreign Policy

Overview

• Focus on Franklin Roosevelt's foreign policy from 1932 to 1941.
• Examination of the path leading to World War II.

Roosevelt's Foreign Policy Initiatives

Recognition of the Soviet Union

• Formal recognition of the Soviet Union to counter growing German power.
• Interest in trade opportunities with the Soviet Union.

Good Neighbor Policy

• Aimed at improving relations with Latin America.
• Withdrawal of Marines from Haiti (1934).
• Repeal of the Platt Amendment in Cuba while retaining Guantanamo.

Reciprocal Trade Agreements (1934)

• Reduction of U.S. tariffs if other countries reciprocate.
• Aimed to reverse high tariffs from the Civil War and improve international trade.

Rise of Totalitarian Regimes

• Emergence of totalitarian regimes in the 1920s and 1930s.
• Italy: Mussolini and the Fascist Party (1922).
• Soviet Union: Joseph Stalin's rise.
• Germany: Nazi Party and Adolf Hitler (1933).
• Japan: Militaristic government, Hideki Tojo (1941).

Expansionist Policies of Totalitarian States

• Japan: Conquest of Manchuria (1931), withdrawal from the League of Nations.
• Italy: Invasion of Ethiopia (1935).
• League of Nations' inaction in response to these aggressions.

American Neutrality and Isolationism

The Nye Commission (1934)

• Investigated U.S. involvement in WWI, attributing it to bankers and arms manufacturers.
• Led to U.S. public support for neutrality.

Neutrality Acts (1935-1937)

• Prohibited American involvement with belligerent nations.
  • No sailing on ships of nations at war.
  • No sales of arms or loans to nations at war.
• Limited U.S. ability to assist victims of aggression, like China.

Ineffectiveness of Neutrality

• Spanish Civil War: Neutrality prevented aid to the loyalist government.
• **Hitler's Aggressions: **Violation of Treaty of Versailles, annexation of Austria and Sudetenland (Czechoslovakia).
• Munich Conference: Failed appeasement strategy, Hitler's expansion continued.

Escalation towards WWII

Germany-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact (1939)

• Allowed Germany to invade Poland without a two-front war.
• Secret agreement to divide Poland.

Outbreak of WWII

• Germany invaded Poland (Sept 1, 1939); France and England declared war.
• Rapid German conquests (Blitzkrieg) in Europe by 1940.

U.S. Response and Policy Shifts

Cash and Carry Policy (Neutrality Act 1939)

• Allowed sale of arms to belligerents if they paid in cash and transported the goods themselves.
• Benefited nations like the UK but was limited by financial and logistical constraints.

Shift to Active Support for Allies

• Peacetime Draft (1940): U.S. prepares for potential conflict.
• Battle of Britain (1940): Heightened debate over U.S. involvement.

Key Programs and Acts

• Destroyers for Bases (1940): Exchange of U.S. destroyers for British base rights.
• Lend-Lease Act (1941): Supply aid to Allied nations, marking end of true neutrality.

The Atlantic Charter (1941)

• FDR and Churchill: Post-war goals for self-determination, free trade, and collective security.

U.S. Entry into World War II

Conflict with Japan

• U.S. embargo on Japan (steel, iron) due to aggression in Asia.
• Japan's expansion in Southeast Asia led to frozen assets and embargo.

Pearl Harbor Attack (December 7, 1941)

• Surprise attack by Japan led to U.S. entry into WWII.

Conclusion: The U.S.'s journey from neutrality to active involvement in WWII was shaped by global aggression, domestic policy shifts, and a strategic response to Axis powers' threats.