Given that WW2 started in 1939 (although arguably before that, in Asia), why didn't the US join until 1941?

Question

We all know the US didn't get involved till Pearl Harbour, but why did they stay out of the war that had already consumed Europe and their allies in the Commonwealth?

In reviewing the first few answers, I'm also interested in the Iraq comparison. Or did the rules regarding allies and going onto foreign soil change between WW2 and now ??

Answer 1

The Japanese were late delivering the invitation

Answer 2

The United States and the rest of the world following WWI had a never again Ethos, no one wanted to fight again and so they disbanded most of their military strengths. When Germany under the cover of the V. Treaty they started to remobilize. This caused many militaries to hasten a remobilization. The U.S. decided that there was no reason at the time, we were in a position to sit there, and not worry. The problem started to occur with not just the Japanese but the fact that many American's from the European states were joining their home countries militarys.

The Jews did not have a boycott on german products, the Germans didn't have any products to send anywhere, they were using all of their sources for the massive war effort. No one believed that Auschwitz and fellow camps existed until pretty much the end of the war, when these camps were liberated. The Germans while yes caring about the war, did not want the US involved and was also more concerned with the killing of the undesireables.

Answer 3

We had no reason to. Up until that point, the fighting was going on in areas of the world where the US had no troops or other interest. The general opinion of the American public was to stay out of it and let the Europeans and the Asians handle it.

That opinion changed with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Once we declared war on Japan, the next logical step was to declare war on the other two Axis powers as well.

Answer 4

The Jews tricked us into WWII. FDR was Jewish. They knew Japan was going to attack a week in advance. Not only that, but they provoked them. We had the naval fleet in San Diego, but there was no way the Japs could come all the way across the ocean and attack. So FDR had the fleet moved to Pearl Harbor. Just weeks prior to the bombing they pulled all four air craft carriers out of Pearl Harbor, because they could afford to lose them. We had no business in WWI or WWII. The Germans had won WWI and were offering peace, but Jews stepped in and pressured Wilson to enter the war and he did. The Jews were promised Palestine for this. American entry into WWI was a trick. The Germans found this out at Versailles. They learned the Jews tricked them into prolonging the war and Unconditional Surrender. At Versailles the germans had no choice but to sign a peace agreement that was starving them. They lost a lot of land. Hitler came to power and the Jews declared an economic boycott on Germany in 1933. This was before anything had happened.

Answer 5

Following the first World War there was a very strong isolationist movement in the US. Although you'll note the US started preparing by instituting a draft in 1939 and passing the "lend-lease" program in 1940.

Answer 6

Because after WW1 United States citizens didnt see that any conflict overseas involved them and even during the first war, it was the same thing ,we didnt want to get involved, we had enough problems of our own to worry about, yes during WW2 there was concerns about what Hitler was doing but not enough to go to war for, japan attack pushed us into a war that we didnt want. We arent the world police everyone says we are,

Answer 7

We were trying to maintain neutrality; the US was more concerned about the fear of another world war than about what was going on in Europe. It was probably also thought that the war would stay in Europe. Nobody expected another Great War.

Answer 8

For the same reason everyone is whining about us being in Iraq.

I mean, come on...

Germany never attacked us. Why should we get involved?

Now the roles are reversed. The US and UK are involved in Iraq and France/Germany/Russia comes up with the "they didn't attack us" posture.


I guess this same question will be posed to the rest of the EU in a few years.

Answer 9

Wikipedia can help a whole lot more than I can, with that, but a good starting point (and keywords) is America's Isolationist Policy at the time. In essence, they didn't see the war in Europe as their war.

Answer 10

FDR was making a killing selling weapons.
U.S. was pretty much isolationist and didn't want to get into world poltiics.

Limberg was for the Nazis.

But that all change on 12/7/41

Something like today dealing with Muslim terrorists.

Liberals want to stay out of it of the world war.

9/11/01 should have change that but nope they still don't think the threat it real.

Answer 11

The American people and government were pursuing an isolationist policy, much the same as the liberals are pushing for.

You would think people would learn from the past, but obviously not...