7.11 American Foreign Policy Between the World Wars

American Foreign Policy Between the World Wars

Isolationism After World War I
  • Following World War I, the United States largely adopted a policy of isolationism.
  • This was driven by a desire to avoid European entanglements after the experience of the Great War.
  • Warren G. Harding's 1920 presidential campaign promised a "return to normalcy," reflecting this sentiment:
    • "America's present need is not heroics but healing, not nostrums but normalcy, not revolution but restoration, not submergence in internationality but sustainment in triumphant nationality."
Manifestations of Isolationist Foreign Policy
  • Increased Tariffs:
    • The Fordney McCumber Act of 1922 raised tariffs significantly.
    • The Hawley-Smoot Tariff of 1930 further increased tariffs.
    • Protective tariffs aimed to make foreign goods more expensive, encouraging the purchase of domestic goods.
    • Tariff↑  ⟹  Domestic Goods Purchased↑Tariff \uparrow \implies Domestic\ Goods\ Purchased \uparrow
    • Effect: Decreased international trade.
  • Kellogg-Briand Pact:
    • A pact signed by 63 nations, including the United States, renouncing war in principle.
    • Negotiated and signed outside the League of Nations' authority, making it unenforceable.
    • A symbolic effort to avoid international entanglements, particularly war.
The Erosion of US Isolationism in the 1930s
  • The rise of fascist and totalitarian governments in Europe concerned many Americans.
    • Italy: Benito Mussolini and the Fascist Party.
    • Germany: Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party.
    • Japan: Militaristic authoritarianism.
  • These dictatorial governments became aggressors:
    • Japan invaded Manchuria in 1931.
    • Germany occupied the Rhineland in 1936, Austria in 1937, and Czechoslovakia in 1938.
    • Italy took over Ethiopia in 1936.
  • Despite these developments, the US maintained its isolationist stance.
  • September 1939: Hitler invaded Poland, marking the official start of World War II.
Arguments for and Against Intervention
  • Isolationist Arguments:
    • Over 100,000 American lives were lost in World War I, which did not make the world "safe for democracy."
    • The Senate's Nye Committee revealed that American corporations profited significantly from World War I, suggesting that the pursuit of profits may have led the US into the war.
  • Interventionist Arguments:
    • Isolationism, rooted in George Washington's presidency, relied on the Atlantic Ocean as a buffer. However, submarines and airplanes nullified this buffer.
    • If Britain fell, nothing would stop Hitler from bringing the war to America.
FDR's "Intervening Isolationism"
  • President Franklin D. Roosevelt sympathized with Britain but lacked public support for direct intervention.
  • He led America to get involved in the war without appearing to be directly involved.
  • Cash and Carry Program:
    • Roosevelt persuaded Congress to pass a looser neutrality act.
    • Belligerents could purchase armaments from the US if they paid in cash and used their own ships.
    • Effectively aided Britain, which controlled the seas.
    • Cash+Ship=ArmsCash + Ship = Arms
  • Destroyers for Bases Program:
    • The US exchanged American destroyers for land rights on British possessions.
  • Lend-Lease Act (1941):
    • Allowed Britain to obtain arms from the US on credit.
    • The United States was technically neutral but clearly favored the Allied Powers.
The End of Isolationism: Pearl Harbor
  • December 7, 1941: Japanese planes attacked Pearl Harbor Naval Base in Hawaii.
  • Over 2,400 Americans died in the attack.
  • Roosevelt addressed Congress and requested a declaration of war against Japan.
  • Hitler then declared war on America, officially bringing the US into World War II.