Could the US have stayed out of World War II and still survived?

Question

I think it might have been possible. I'm not necessarily entirely opposed to US in WWII but I think the US may have been able to avoid it considering the reason the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor was because of the oil embargo the US placed on them. When the US declared war on Japan, Germany backed up its ally and declared war on the US. Now if the US had used diplomacy with Japan they could've possibly ended the embargo and eased Japanese aggression without a fight. I don't believe the theory that Japan wanted to conquer the US. Hirohito was wary about attacking the US. Then Germany would likely not have declared war on the US because the US could therefore become neutral. This would mean not implementing the Lend-Lease Act. I think this strategy could've saved over 500,000 American lives and over billions of dollars (considering the US was just coming out of a depression). I think the UK and USSR could've held out against Germany (look at Stalingrad) and eventually Japan.

Answer 1

Certainly we could have. FDR imposed an oil boycott of Japan. That is an act of war. Japan could have either complied with FDR's wishes (in which case he would have found some other pretext to get us into the war), or attack us. They chose to attack Pearl Harbor.

Nazi Germany had no aircraft capable of reaching the US. He would never have dared to attack the US anyway, as he must have been aware of our industrial output (before our politicians sent our manufacturing jobs to China). We should have let Hitler and Stalin kill each other.

We need to stay out of other people's wars. It's politicians who start wars. They, and their contributors are the ones who profit from war. Everyone else looses.

We should never go to war because another nation is attacked. The purpose of our military is to defend the United States. Foreign entanglements only weaken us and make us hated among other nations.

Answer 2

Ironically it was diplomacy that led to the oil embargo. the oil embargo was the last thing of a long process for Japan that actually started back in the Sino-Japanese war back in 1894-5. You must also consider what was going on in Japan at the time period of 1930-41. Japan had again invaded China in 1932, leading to a war there that didn't end until the end of WW2. China allowed, and accepted the US help in trying to diplomatically end the war while forcing Japan off China's soil. Japan wouldn't agree with the terms fearing a revolt against the government if they agreed. (This is just a very brief, quick overview of this situation between the US and Japan)

Also keep in mind that just because Japan went to war with the US did not mean that the US would become involved in war against Germany. Many top officials in Japan thought that Germany wouldn't declare war on the US. The thought being that by having Japan at war against the US would redirect attention away from Europe allowing Germany to defeat the Allies there before taking on the US.

Also if you actually studied history a bit you'd learn that the war is what brought the US out of the depression finally. You also forget that possibly without the Lend-Lease Act Britain might not have survived. Britain had spirit but spirit doesn't build merchant ships to transport vital war materials, food, etc, escorts to protect the ships, the material to build the fighter planes that helped win the Battle of Britain. By the US not being involved it might have saved 500,000 US lives, but it could have cost much more in human life in other places in the world.

Answer 3

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Answer 4

Hallelujah! At last people are starting to look at the situation in the Middle East with a critical eye. The Western world thought the creation of Israel was a good idea, due to our misplaced guilt over the Holocaust. (Not that we could have done much about it) But the remedy is worse than the illness. Before the establishment of the State of Israel, Jews lived in the region (Palestine) in relative peace with their neighbours. (Arabs) The problem started when they (Israelis) became the majority. Their inherent arrogance (all this baloney about being the 'Chosen People') quickly polarised the region, and there hasn't been peace since. Let's be honest, if a people (the 'Palestinians') have been living in a land for 2,000 years it is theirs. And if 'foreign powers' then give your land to a minority, (to salve their collective consciences') you fight to regain what is yours! Israel has been provoking it's neighbours for decades, and when they retaliate, the Israelis shout: Look what these damn 'terrorists' are doing to us! (with the loudest screamers in the halls of power of the US) This 'problem' will not go away until the whole world looks at, and solves the central problem in the Middle East, which is the 'imposition' of Israel on the region. I am not suggesting the destruction of Israel, we cannot turn back history, but Israel must be made to stop it's subversion in the area. To the answerer above: Quote: The analogy is more like if you are a property owner and grant your property to someone, but the people living in the house decided they didn't like your decision, whether you owned the property legally or not, and decided to fight the new owners. This was the situation the new owners of Palestine found themselves in and have found themselves in since their independence in 1948. Unquote. The British were also the 'owners' of many other countries, e.g. Nigeria, Australia, South Africa, India, New Zealand, et al. Imagine what would have happened if they decided to 'grant' a portion of these countries to the Jews? I'll tell you, exactly the same as what is happening in the Middle East now! Instead, these countries are independent. One country cannot 'own' another, much less 'grant' it to a people! It's been tried throughout history, (The Roman and British Empires, The USSR, etc) and has always failed!

Answer 5

Huh? Sorry but I think the attack on Pearl Harbor demanded we respond with force. A good bit of the world was already at war courtesy of the Germans, if we stayed out, Japan and Germany would have eventually invaded the US, Britain would have been defeated and all of Europe would have been controlled by the Germans. Hirohito was neutralize by the young guns who all wanted war, the Emperor was even kidnapped at the end of the war so he couldn't surrender. In hindsight, we should have gotten involved sooner.

Answer 6

Yes they Made Billions out of this

http://orientalreview.org/2010/10/06/episodes-5-who-paid-for-world-war-ii/

they would have made less if the 100% supported the UK the war would have been won in 1942

No American Oil Ball Bearings Aluminum and Money to the Nazis JP Morgan sent 840 million in US dollars and Pounds Stirling to help Germany Buy goods on the world market and continued to exchange Gold for the same

Answer 7

First, you have to understand the difference between facts and propaganda. Enemies use PROPAGANDA to further their goals. You say (because you have heard) that Japan was reacting to the US oil embargo of Japan. Not true. Japan was already many years into a rampage, raping and pillaging most of Asia. Japan had already invaded and conquered most of China and many other nations. So the US decided we did not want to HELP THEM murder other human beings by supplying them with OUR oil to use for the slaughter. Is that a reason for Pearl Harbor? Not in my book. Such people will not stop simply because you are nice to them. Apparently you have never encountered BULLIES in school. Will a bully stop because you are nice to them?

Could we have survived? In the short term, yes. In the long term, no. Historical records as far back as World War I show that Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany had detailed plans for a massive invasion of the United States. In World War II, Nazi Germany proposed joining with Mexico to invade the USA and take Texas, California, and other states. Had Hitler been able to conquer and hold Europe, Russia, the Middle East, Northern Africa, etc. and spend several years consolidating his control and exploiting those resources, Hitler would have invaded the New World as well.

Answer 8

Ever consider that if Japan had used diplomacy with the United States instead of blindsiding Pearl Harbor - perhaps they could have ended the embargo and eased relations?
I doubt any civilized country in the world could have co-existed with an ideology of hatred and world domination such as the Nazis.

Answer 9

The war is what brought the US out of the Depression, otherwise we would ve kept a terrible economy and never would ve risen to Superpower status, leaving the USSR as the only world superpower, and trust me, the world may hate America but we were necessary to keep the Soviets from simply conquering weaker nations all over the world.

Answer 10

Yes, we could have stayed out of the war and survived, in fact, relations between Germany and where the real power is in America, Big Business, were very good and chummy. There was a good bit of opportunity for profit in the rebuilding of Germany, and it was strongly taken advantage of...In fact, Germany couldn't have become the industrial powerhouse it was in WW2 without investment, and aid from American business.

It was FDR who wanted to turn America into a world power, and needed to get the country out of it's isolationist stance (which the country had adopted after the horror that was WW1), so all of his foreign policy was designed around being very threatening, and intimidating, while not actually firing the first shot. He was trying to push Germany (who didn't take the bait) and Japan into doing something dumb, that he could then use as a crowbar to force America into being a world power. Japan finally fired off the first shot in Pearl Harbor, and the rest, is now history.

Japan had no intention of invading America, and neither did Germany, however, FDR did want to start Empire America, and that was what they were mostly trying to counter...