A series of critical foreign events once again drew the United States onto the world's stage. During his time in office, Roosevelt had embraced "Wilsonian" internationalism. The American public, however, was overwhelmingly isolationist during the 1930s. Americans, for example, flocked to popular movies and plays and read books that depicted the horrors of war.

Other events reinforced this popular suspicion of American involvement in European affairs. The "Senate Investigation of the Munitions Industries," a report produced by the Nye Committee between 1934 and 1936, contended that greedy industrialists and munitions manufacturers had provoked the United States to enter WWI.  According to this report, war-mongering profiteers had popularized gruesome tales of Germany atrocities to convince the United States to join the Allies and to invest heavily in war production. This report helped convince many Americans that they should ignore European "propagandists" who claimed to document the brutalities of Hitler, Mussolini, and Hirohito during the 1930s.

Roosevelt's one significant foreign policy move prior to World War II was the recognition of the Soviet Union. Until that point, the United States had refused to recognize the Soviet Union as a legitimate state. Roosevelt appealed to American business interests by arguing, mistakenly, as it turned out, that diplomatic relations with the Soviet government would open up that country to trade.

While hostilities were building in Europe and the Far East, the United States Congress passed three pieces of legislation-- known collectively as the Neutrality Acts--designed to keep America out of war. Congress was determined to avoid the mistakes which had drawn America into the First World War.  As Americans were calling for isolationism and pacifism, aggressions were mounting all over the world. Publicly, Roosevelt stated and restated his promise not to get the United States involved in the European war. He said in the 1940 presidential campaign:

However, Roosevelt admitted privately that United States involvement in the World War II was inevitable. Already in 1938 and 1939, the United States began to gear up its industrial might and military power. Of course, war became a reality for the United States following the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. After the United States declared war on Japan, Germany, recognized its alliance with Japan and declared war on the United States. Suddenly, isolationist America found itself fighting a world war on two fronts.

We will focus not on the military history of the war, but rather its impact on American society. We will focus on women at war and the internment of Japanese Americans.

Readings:

• Zinn: chapter 16

• Addams, The Best War Ever

Recommended Readings:

• Don't Know Much: 358-396

Discussion Topics:

• How was World War II an inevitable outcome of World War I?

• What does the title of Michael C. C. Adams book, The Best War Ever, mean?  Does Adams make a strong argument?  Why or why not? 

• In The Best War Ever, historian Michael C. C. Adams describes the many changes American society underwent during the WW II era—including, the growth of big business, the emergence of a new youth culture, the breakdown in traditional values, and racial and gender upheavals.  How does Adams asses these transformations?  Are his conclusions sound?  Why or why not?