Heimler's History: American Foreign Policy Between World Wars

Overview

• Focus on American foreign policy from post-World War I to pre-World War II.
• Learning Objective: Explain similarities and differences in attitudes about the nation's proper role in the world.

Post-World War I Isolationism

• Isolationism Defined: After WWI, America leaned towards isolationism, avoiding European conflicts.
• 1920 Presidential Election: Warren G. Harding elected with a promise of "return to normalcy".
  • Quote highlights need for "normalcy" and "triumphant nationality".

Isolationist Policies

• Tariffs: High tariffs to protect domestic goods.
  • 1922: Fordney-McCumber Act raised tariffs significantly.
  • 1930: Smoot-Hawley Tariff increased them further.
• Kellogg-Briand Pact: Agreement among 63 nations, including the U.S., to renounce war.
  • Signed outside League of Nations; largely unenforceable.

Challenges to Isolationism in the 1930s

• Rise of fascist and totalitarian governments in Europe (Italy, Germany, Japan).
• Aggressive actions by these countries made Americans uneasy:
  • Japan invaded Manchuria (1931).
  • Germany occupied the Rhineland (1936), Austria (1937), and Czechoslovakia (1938).
  • Italy conquered Ethiopia (1936).
• World War II Begins: Germany invaded Poland in September 1939.
• Debate between isolationists and interventionists:
  • Isolationists: Cited WWI casualties and profits made by corporations during the war.
  • Interventionists: Argued for involvement due to technological advances making the Atlantic less of a barrier.

Franklin D. Roosevelt's Approach

• Described as an "intervening isolationist".
• Sympathetic to Britain but lacked public support for direct involvement.

Roosevelt's Aid to Allies

• Cash and Carry Program: Allowed warring nations to buy armaments from the U.S. with cash and transport them using their ships.
• Destroyers for Bases Program: U.S. exchanged destroyers for land rights on British possessions.
• Lend-Lease Act (1941): Allowed Britain to obtain arms on credit from the U.S.
• Despite official neutrality, U.S. actions favored the Allies.

Catalyst for U.S. Involvement in WWII

• Attack on Pearl Harbor: December 7, 1941, Japanese attack led to U.S. declaring war on Japan.
• Germany declared war on the U.S. shortly after.

Conclusion

• America moved from isolationist tendencies to active involvement in WWII following the Pearl Harbor attack.
• Videos and resources available for further study on Unit 7 of the AP U.S. History Curriculum.

These notes cover the key points of American foreign policy between the world wars, as discussed in Heimler's History lecture.