FDR and WWII Involvement American Involvement in

FDR and WWII involvement American involvement in armed conflict is a messy topic; since the Civil War the nation has a history of being divided about wars. Today, many Americans question our nation's involvement in the Middle East; in the 1960s and 70s, the Vietnam war created a huge schism in the country. What many do not realize, however, is that disputes over American involvement in overseas wars dates back much further than September 11 or even Vietnam.

The country did have conflicts about our involvement in World War II, a supposedly halcyon era of national unity and support for overseas intervention. In fact, the nation was undergoing a significant controversy about entrance into World War II. I will examine Roosevelt's motives for declaring war on Japan as well as the possible motives of Japan in attacking the United States, which was not a declared enemy of Japan at the time of the attack.

In this examination, I plan to demonstrate that Roosevelt did intend on aiding the allies in their struggle against the Nazis. The drawbacks to entering the war include Roosevelt's campaign promise not to, while the influences toward entering the conflict include the threat posed by a strong Japan (both physical and as a part of the greater Axis powers) as well as Roosevelt's belief in the Allied cause and desire to join the struggle for democracy against Hitler's Nazis.

Despite the fact that the Japanese attacked United States soil, the motives for the United States' declaration of war on Japan are not as clear as they might seem at first glance. Since Franklin D. Roosevelt was re-elected on a platform of not entering the war, many citizens were opposed to entering the conflict. This influence undoubtedly weighed on his mind as well as the minds of his major policy-makers when considering entering the war.

Majority rule is not, however, a perfect form of governance, and Roosevelt was certainly aware of the danger to the United States which would be posed by a strong, victorious Germany (which was reinforced by Japan). Factors influencing Roosevelt to respond with military force to the Japanese threat include Japan's geographic proximity to the United States. The physical threat from Germany and Italy, European nations, was much less immediate than that posed by Japan, a Pacific nation with proximity to Hawaii and the West Coast.

The attack on Pearl Harbor most definitely proved these fears to be true, showing that from the Pacific, the Japanese could attack the United States soil. Ideological factors were also a factor in weighing the threat from a Nazi/Axis victory; Roosevelt knew that a victorious, Nazi-affiliated Japan would be not only a physical threat to the U.S. But an opponent to democracy as a whole; the fascism propagated by the Nazi powers possibly frightened Roosevelt more than the immediate physical threat from Japan, as it posed a threat.