What did the U.S. do to contribute to the beginning of WW2?

Question

In other words, what did the US do or not do that helped to start the war, what responsibility could be pinned on US?

Please help me think of SOMETHING, it's for class. How did the US contribute to the start of it

Answer 1

nothing, really. A number of american businesses continued to do business with Hitler in the early years of the war, but that cannot be seen as "helping to start it". The US was only tangentially involved in WW2 (mostly the lend-lease program) until very late in the war.

Answer 2

Well, since an embargo(which is what the US did to Japan concerning steel, oil etc) is a diplomatic act, it is not a reason to go to war. All Japan had to do to stop the embargo from the US was to stop its aggressive colonial war in China, Manchuria, and Korea.

As to the Versailles Treaty, the Germans accepted armistice with the allies in 1918 on the basis of Wilson's 14-pts, but Wilson was enthralled with his notion of a League of Nations that he conceded to English, French and for some reason Italian leaders, to forgo all of the 14 pts accept the League of Nations. A utopian view of the world which had no chance of success.

BTW, unlike what was said in a previous answer, the USA was NOT a signatory of the Versailles Treaty. The Versailles Treaty was never ratified by the US Senate and the US made a seperate peace with Germany on 25 August 1921.


SO, the answer to your question is that the US did nothing to contribute to the beginning of WW2.

whale

Answer 3

At the beginning of the WW2 for the US (1941-2) the US battled Japan, where Britain could not and Russia was not involved. The US also had already begun organizing its massive industrial power (something that took time no matter what). Without an industrial base that couldn't be damaged by air attacks the war effort might have been lost. (Russia built their factories far enough away that German air raids couldn't reach them).

In the Pacific the US did more to stop the Japanese advance than any other country. The battles of Coral Sea and Midway helped stop the Japanese advance. There was also the Doolittle raid that while wasn't too destructive caused the battle of Midway to occur.

Answer 4

The U.S. did loan out battleships to Britain prior to their entry into WW2 via Pearl Harbor. I agree with two of the posters before me: we never started WW2 or did anything to provoke Japan to bomb us. Japan was an imperial power at the time and concerned with taking the Pacific.

The contribution of American forces in WW2 helped to seal the fate of the Axis powers primarily because they worked side-by-side with the British, Canadians, and Austrailans who were also fighting on the Allied side. The Axis, on the other hand, lost primarily because they never cooperated with each other. The Germans, the Japanese, and the Italians did fight but they never combined their forces.

According to British historian Richard Overy (in his book "The Dictators"), if the Russians (fighting on the Allied side) joined forces with Germany (had Germany not violated the Non Agression Pact), they would've taken over Europe in no time. Thankfully, this never happened.

Some people say that the U.S. was responsible for the bombings of Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Dresden, citing that it was unnecessary to take out innocent lives in such a way. However, it would've been a lot more dangerous for a total land invasion of all areas so the bombs were the lesser of the two evils. Remember, the U.S. was not trying to deliberately kill civillians; that's what separated us from the Russians and the Axis powers. The majority of the Allied powers (excluding Soviet Russia) followed the standards of the Geneva Convention.

Answer 5

I should look this up, but the US put an oil embargo on Japan--I think to try to keep the country from taking over SE Asia??? I think they were particularly after the oil in Indonesia. Japan desperately needed oil to supply it's war expansion. Also, since memories of a country's disgrace last long, I believe the Japanese held deep resent against the US when Commodore Perry forced Japan to open it's ports to trading, by firing on Edo Bay in 1854. The country had been closed to most world trade for 1000 yrs...? Pearl Harbor was payback! and a warning! But, as one of Japans' Admirals said, "The proposed attack will only serve to awaken a sleeping hornets' nest."

Answer 6

I agree with E Top.
We did NOTHING (overt) to start the War, although we did many covert things to try to prevent it as well as help those who were in it before we were forced in. (Lend Lease)
The Treaty of Versailles was one of the direct causes of the War and, we, of course, were signatories. Had we and the other Allies with whom we fought not humiliated, decimated and bankrupted Germany, together with prohibiting them from bettering themselves in the intervening years, perhaps Hitler would not have had such an enthusiastic audience to which to play.
As far as Japan goes - they were brutal Imperialists who were determined to own the East. We didn't have much to do with that until THEY bombed US.

Answer 7

We were not reposible for WW2,we were forced into it by Europe and ultimatly,Japan.We treied to stay out of it for as long as we could but the Emporor forced our hand by bombing Pearl Harbor

Answer 8

Pehaps the U.S. could have better assisted the oppostition to Hitler within Nazi Germany to help bring about his downfall either before the war started or afterwards.

Answer 9

they offered weapons and aid. until the Japenese bombed Pearl harbour, that is when they became involved in WW2 and bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Answer 10

I don't want to do TOO much work for you considering this is your assignment, but you may want to investigate the role the USA played in the Treaty of Versaille.