AMSCO Topic 7.11

Interwar Foreign Policy Overview

Key Quote

  • Charles Lindbergh, September 1, 1941: Highlights the significant opposition of the American public towards war, emphasizing the test of democracy.

Learning Objective

  • Goal: Understand the similarities and differences in attitudes about the United States' role in the world during the interwar years.

American Sentiment Post-WWI

  • Disillusionment: The aftermath of WWI caused widespread disillusionment, leading many Americans to fear involvement in another conflict.

  • Isolationism and Unilateralism:

    • Congress refused to join the League of Nations

    • Adopted a type of unilateralism—acting independently through military interventions and private investments abroad.

  • Failure to Avoid Conflict: Despite efforts to remain neutral, the approach ultimately failed as conflicts escalated worldwide.

Post-World War I Agreements

Republican Presidents' Efforts

  • Focused on promoting peace while scaling back defense spending.

Washington Conference (1921)

  • Initiated by: Secretary of State Charles Evans Hughes for naval disarmament.

  • Participants: 9 nations—Belgium, China, France, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Portugal.

  • Key Agreements:

    • Five-Power Treaty: Established warship ratios (U.S. 5, Britain 5, Japan 3, France & Italy 1.67 each).

    • Four-Power Treaty: Respect for territories in the Pacific.

    • Nine-Power Treaty: Agreement to uphold the Open Door Policy in China.

Kellogg-Briand Pact (1928)

  • Lead by: Jane Addams and others in the peace movement.

  • Purpose: Outlaw war as a national policy.

  • Limitations: Allowed defensive wars and lacked enforcement mechanisms.

Business and Diplomacy

Republican Approach

  • Prioritized pro-business policies that also strengthened international relations.

Latin America Relations

  • Mexico: Concerns over national ownership of oil, resolved diplomatically by Dwight Morrow in 1927.

  • Military Presence: U.S. maintained troops in Nicaragua and Haiti but withdrew from the Dominican Republic.

Middle East Interests

  • Oil Reserves: Recognized as vital; U.S. sought drilling rights despite British dominance.

Impact of Tariffs

  • Fordney-McCumber Tariff (1922) increased duties, hurting European recovery and contributing to overall global economic downturn, leading to the Great Depression.

War Debts and Reparations

Post-War Financial Landscape

  • Transformed from a debtor to a creditor nation after WWI, seeking full repayment of war debts from Britain and France.

  • Dawes Plan (1924): Cycle of payments established between U.S., Germany, and the Allies that ultimately faltered after the 1929 stock market crash.

  • Legacy: Only Finland repaid its debts, leading to resentment towards the U.S. in Europe.

Herbert Hoover's Foreign Policy

  • Alignment with isolationist sentiment of Americans, reducing military commitments.

  • Good Neighbor Policy: Improved relations in Latin America, withdrawing troops from Nicaragua and Haiti.

Aggression in Asia

  • Japanese Invasion of Manchuria (1931): Defied international agreements; the League of Nations failed to act.

  • Stimson Doctrine: U.S. refusal to recognize Japan's takeover of Manchuria, but lacked real enforcement.

Franklin Roosevelt's Policies (1933-1939)

Initial Focus

  • Concentrated on domestic economic recovery, extending Hoover's goodwill towards Latin America.

Good Neighbor Policy

  • Rejected interventionist policies of predecessors, focusing on cooperation and non-interference.

Key Actions

  • Recognition of the Soviet Union: Aimed at increasing trade.

  • Reciprocal Trade Agreements: Facilitated lower tariffs to encourage international trade.

Rise of Fascism and Militarism

  • Economic hardships from the depression contributed to dictatorships in several nations, emphasizing a shift in global power dynamics.

American Isolationism

Public Sentiment

  • Isolationism arose from disenchantment with WWI outcomes; sentiments grew to avoid foreign entanglements.

Legislative Actions

  • Neutrality Acts: A series of laws designed to maintain American neutrality, including bans on arms sales and loans to belligerents.

  • Spanish Civil War: Isolationists prevented U.S. support for Loyalists against fascist forces.

  • America First Committee: Formed to promote isolationism and warn against involvement in foreign conflicts.

Prelude to Another War

Axis Powers Actions

  • Series of aggressions (Ethiopia, Rhineland, Sudetenland) prompted rising global tensions.

  • The Munich Agreement is recognized as a symbol of appeasement towards Nazi Germany.

Roosevelt's Quarantine Speech

  • Called for collective action against aggressors but faced public opposition, reinforcing isolationist policies.

Outbreak of World War II

Key Events

  • Invasion of Poland (September 1, 1939): Marked the beginning of WWII in Europe, with Britain and France declaring war on Germany.

American Shifts

  • Roosevelt gradually shifted from isolationism towards supporting allies, seeking to strengthen defenses while maintaining public support for neutrality.

Key Terms by Theme

  • Foreign Policy: Disarmament, Washington Conference, Kellogg-Briand Pact.

  • Hoover-FDR Policies: Good Neighbor policy, recognition of the Soviet Union.

  • Militarist/Fascist Aggression: Japanese aggression, Axis powers.

  • Isolationist Response: Neutrality Acts, America First Committee.

  • FDR's Response: Quarantine speech, Lend-Lease Act, Pearl Harbor.