US Honors CH24 Quiz

This guide explains the mechanisms through which the United States transitioned from isolationism to active involvement in World War II, alongside the rise of global threats and atrocities.

During the (1930s), the United States maintained a strict policy of isolationism, influenced by the desire to avoid another costly European conflict.
The Nye Investigation (1934-1936), led by Senator Gerald Nye, investigated whether arms manufacturers ("merchants of death") had influenced the U.S. decision to enter World War I for financial gain.
The committee’s findings reinforced isolationist sentiment and led to the passage of several Neutrality Acts designed to limit U.S. involvement in foreign wars.

Adolf Hitler rose to power as Chancellor of Germany in (1933), establishing a totalitarian regime under the Nazi Party.
His ideology centered on racial supremacy, antisemitism, and the aggressive expansion of German territory (Lebensraum).
Hitler's actions, including the remilitarization of the Rhineland and the invasion of Poland in (1939), directly challenged the international order and sparked the conflict in Europe.

The Holocaust was the systematic, state-sponsored genocide of approximately (6,000,000) Jews by the Nazi regime and its collaborators.
This atrocity also targeted other groups deemed "undesirable," including Romani people, people with disabilities, LGBTQ+ individuals, and political opponents.
The genocide progressed from discriminatory laws to mass shootings and the implementation of extermination camps as part of the "Final Solution."

As the war in Europe escalated, President Franklin D. Roosevelt sought to mobilize American industry to support nations fighting against the Axis powers without officially entering the conflict.
In a (1940) fireside chat, Roosevelt argued that the U.S. must become the "Great Arsenal of Democracy," providing the military supplies necessary for the UK and other allies to defeat the threat of totalitarianism.
This period marked the end of true American neutrality and shifted the national economy toward wartime production levels.

The Lend-Lease Act served as the primary vehicle for providing military aid to foreign nations during the conflict.
It authorized the president to transfer arms or other defense materials to "the government of any country whose defense the President deems vital to the defense of the United States."
The act allowed the United States to support the Allied war effort financially and materially—specifically aiding Britain, the USSR, and China—while remaining technically a non-belligerent.

FDR and Winston Churchill met secretly off the coast of Newfoundland prior to the U.S. formally joining the war to define post-war goals.
The charter outlined several shared goals, including self-determination for all people, no territorial expansion, global cooperation, and freedom of the seas.
This document served as the ideological foundation for the future United Nations.

The surprise attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, was the immediate catalyst for the United States' entry into World War II.
Japan’s motivation was to cripple the U.S. Pacific Fleet to prevent interference with its expansion into Southeast Asia and to secure natural resources after U.S. oil embargos.
The attack resulted in the death of over (2,400) Americans and the destruction or damage of numerous battleships and aircraft.
On December (8), (1941), Roosevelt declared it a "date which will live in infamy," and the U.S. officially declared war on Japan.

Nye Investigation: A probe into WWI causes that fueled (1930s) isolationism.
Holocaust: The genocide of (6,000,000) Jews and millions of others by the Nazi regime.
Lend-Lease: Lending war materials to allies to support them without sending troops.
Atlantic Charter: A joint declaration defining war aims and establishing a post-war order.
Pearl Harbor: A surprise military strike by Japan intended to neutralize the U.S. Pacific Fleet.

Consider how the findings of the Nye Investigation shaped public opinion and delayed U.S. entry into World War II.
Reflect on the moral and political impact of the Holocaust on the post-war international community and the formation of human rights laws.
Consider how the transition from the isolationism of the early (1930s) to the "Great Arsenal of Democracy" represents