World War II?

Question

did president roosevelt try as hard as he could to avoid american involvement in world war 2 or did he actually seek american involvement?

Answer 1

~Yes, by refusing to trade or sell vital materials such as oil, steel and rubber to Japan, he helped provoke the war. The attack on Pearl Harbor was a direct response by the Japanese for the US unfair trade practices with the Japanese and for the US support of the British against the Japanese. Only a fool would have been surprised by the attack. That is why the carriers were not in port on 12/7 and why Pearl had been on and off full alert for weeks. The Japanese had warned of war if US policy did not change and intercepted Japanese communications had disclosed the attack plans before the Japanese bombers were in the air. Any number of diplomatic moves could have been made to forestall Pearl and the right moves could have kept the US out of the war. Roosevelt made no secret of his desire to jump in with the Brits in both theaters. Pearl gave him the opportunity. He had already beat the Depression with his domestic plans and he needed some international coup to secure his place in history in foreign affairs. The war filled that bill nicely.

Answer 2

President Roosevelt was in a position where he knew the people would never support entering the war without provocation, but also knew that the Nazis had to be stopped for the sake of the whole world.

So while he tried to avoid any direct involvment in the war to the best of his ability he pushed the boundaries of neutrality by providing all manner of materiel aid to Britain. They sold the British ships, guns, tanks, trucks and ammunition. They even provided US Navy ships to reinforce the Home Fleet when the British needed ships else where. While these ships were never actually sent into direct action against the Germans, their presences at Scapa Flow allowed other Royal Navy vessels to be deployed away from home waters.

Once the Germans declared war on the US, after Pearl Harbor, then all pretenses of neutrality were dropped and the war was joined in earnest.

Answer 3

Based on the best available evidence, most historians would say that Roosevelt was trying to get America as involved as possible. He actively supported Britain through the Lend-Lease program, and actively cut off supplies to the axis powers. As soon as the USSR joined the war, he actively sent supplies to them, some on a sale basis, and some that were just "gifts" to fight the Nazis. He also attempted to build up our peacetime fighting forces, although there was great resistance in Congress to him doing so.

During this time, Roosevelt also used his "fireside chats" to try to swing the average American towards war. The problem he faced was that most Americans were isolationist at best. Also, for most of the first 2 years of the European part of the war, not only did right wing groups oppose the war, but Communists in America opposed it as well, because the USSR and Germany had a non-aggression pact. As soon as Germany invaded Russia, the left wing groups in America suddenly are all for war, but the large numbers of German-Americans and Italian-Americans are still in opposition to it. And then comes Pearl Harbor, as many other respondents have mentioned, and the whole picture changes!

Answer 4

America could have easily stayed neutral. By 1941, Roosevelt was indeed actively seeking a reason to join the war. The only reason Japan bombed Pearl Harbor was because the US was putting a lot of pressure on Japan to pull out of China. FRD could have appeased Japan and avoided war.

Of course, then the Axis would have won, the Holocaust would have achieved its goal, most of the world would have been ruled by oppressive dictatorships, and the US would have been isolated and weak, so I guess Roosevelt made the right call!

Answer 5

President Roosevelt was actually seeking American involvement, he believed American involvement into WWII would help make his Great Deal program successful. Our involvement would increase the amount of jobs for the American people, and would create an economic boom. In Fact, prior to declaring war on Japan, after their attack on Pearl Harbor, Roosevelt sent American airforce officers to aid the British in fighting off the invading German front. This was Roosevelt' s attempt to try to increase US involvement and persuade Americans to do more for the war effort. In August 1941, Roosevelt got what he wanted, which was full involvement, when we were attacked by the Japanese, allowing Roosevelt to draw out a declaration of war. The declaration of war was signed overwhelmingly, and we were at war with Japan. Roosevelt beleived this was a success and was a step toward war with Germany. Later in 1941, Germany would declare war on the United States, since they were allied with the Japanese. Germany and Japan's agreement, discussed who ever the United States declared war on first, they would turn around and declare war on the United States in return. This was followed by the Italians declaring war on the United States, who were also allied with Germany. This, in short, did boost the American job market, and brought us out of the Great Depression.

Answer 6

The US was involved before Pearl Harbor.

We were actively supplying the British with war materiel before our armies and navies went to war. Roosevelt's stance was that the US would be the "arsenal of democracy".

To directly answer your question, Roosevelt did not try as hard as he could to avoid involvement. If he had, we would not have been providing supplies one side and not the other.

Answer 7

He tried to aviod war, because the American people didn't want it. This meant ignoring the actions of Hitler to some degree, we did sell weapons to England, France and Russia. It also meant ignoring Japanese exspansion in Asia which was slowly creeping to the Phillipines, owned by the US. Oh, and the sinking of American merchant and fishing vessels off the east coast also was overlooked in an effort ot avoid war.

The US stooped shipping oil to Japan, and told them to stop attacking other Asian nations. Oil and other goods would have been shipped again had Japan complied, but they didn't. INstead of looking for a diplomatic way out the Japanese Empire showed their true selves and attacked Pearl Harbor.

America declared war on Japan following their de facto declaration of war; Pearl Harbor. Hitler than made a stupid move and declared war on the US. The US responded by matching Hitler's declaration and had entered WW2.

Answer 8

that really isnt a question at all. America only got involved in WW2 after Pearl Harbor, there wasn't a choice for Roosevelt to make. We, as Americans, could not sit idlely after something like that.

Answer 9

Roosevelt felt that the US had to enter the war in Europe to aid England. As far as the Paciic war is concerned he seems to have realized we would eventually be involved.

Answer 10

FDR tried to help our brothers in Britain, Lend Lease and convoy guarding, even to the extent of lying to Congress about the amount of involvement. His willingness to assist Britain in the war effort are the source of the numerous conspiracy theories that blame him for knowing about the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, which by all accounts, he did not know before hand.