Posted: March 24th, 2023

World War II

Regardless of the isolationist foreign policy of the United States in the 1930s, the country could not have remained away from World War II or even prevent it from happening. Three essential events had created a fertile ground for the war: Treaty of Versailles, Hitler and the Nazi Party, and the Japanese expansion and the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

Although the world desired peace in the wake of World War I, the Treaty of Versailles led to considerable dissent and laid the grounds for World War II. Germany was furious about the dictated peace and the punishment inherent in the treaty. It also created the room for Hitler and the Nazi Party to develop fascism in Germany and totalitarianism. While the US foreign policy during the 1930s sought to distance the country from war, Roosevelt’s presidency rose under Hitler’s and Japanese militarists’ aggressiveness (Corbett, Janssen, Lund, Pfannestiel, & Vickery, 2014). President Roosevelt failed to remain out of the war entirely. During the initial period of the war, the United States was involved in providing financial and military support to allies. The government supported the British and the Allies against the Axis powers. However, on December 7, 1941, when the Japanese attacked its naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, the country entered the war in full force (Dyer & Dyer, 2005). The government could no longer remain uninvolved.

Although the United States had initially sought the isolationist policy, World War II was inevitable, and the country could not prevent it. It was also a matter of time before the country experienced direct aggression that would lead to its direct involvement in the war. The time came when the Japanese military launched a direct attack on the U.S. naval base.