Examples Of American Isolationism

Oct 14, 2014
American Isolationism
Throughout the Great Depression, Isolationist sentiment reigned across America as a strenuous focus on the domestic economy and disillusionment left over from WWI fed opposition to foreign entanglements. It was within this context that a series of threats to world peace arose, as Japan, Italy and Germany all belligerently sought to expand their influence and territory at the expense of nearby peoples. Yet, even as these aggressors represented an increasing threat to Western Civilization the American public remained strongly isolationist.
Adolph Hitler
Adolph Hitler gained power in Germany by exploiting the psychological injuries inflicted on Germans by WWI. Tapping into an ugly strain of anti-Semitism
in German Jews. In addition, he attacked the Treaty of Versailles, which had saddled Germany with heavy reparations. According to Hitler, Germany could rise anew and reclaim her position as a world power if the nation were purged of “Jewish Traitors,” freed from arduous reparation payments, and rescued from emasculation disarmament.
WWII, PT 1
President Roosevelt responded to Hitler’s assault on Western Europe by declaring neutrality; yet, he also took a number of steps designed to help Britain.
Even so, it wasn’t until December of 1941, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, that the U.S. entered the war. as a result, all the nation’s activities- farming, manufacturing, mining, trade, labor, investment, communications, even education and cultural undertakings-were geared toward the war effort.
WWII, PT 2
In the first few months after the U.S. entered the war, the outlook for victory was bleak. Nevertheless, with the successful D-Day Invasion of France, the U.S. helped turn the tide against Nazi Germany in Europe. And, in the Pacific, the U.S. forced Japan to surrender after the dropping of two atomic bombs. Ultimately, WWII witnessed more death, cost more money, damaged more property, affected more people, and caused more far-reaching changes than any other war in history.
America’s Post-War Destiny
By using the atomic bomb to defeat Japan, the US virtually guaranteed a postwar arms race with the Soviet Union. In fact, in the post-war world, Americans imagined themselves as the global agent of freedom in lethal combat everywhere with a single, terrifying antagonist- communism. In other words, many Americans believed that the time had some for the US to mobilize and direct the forces of good vs. evil- and imagined destiny that lingers to this
day.
Oct 21, 2014
The Cold War
WWII was followed by a Cold War that pitted the US and its Allies against the Soviet Union and its supporters; and, while it was called a “cold war”, it flared into violence in Korea and Vietnam among other places.
The main sources of conflict were the political and territorial fate of Eastern Europe, the control of nuclear weapons, and post-war economic assistance. In sum, the US committed itself to providing aid to countries resisting communist aggression.
Containment
America’s containment strategy was designed to limit the expansion of soviet influence, bolster national security, and defend democracy and capitalism. Thus, US policymakers used American military and economic power around the world to strengthen weak and unstable nations that might fall prey to communism. As one historian has argued, the us found in its attempt to contain the Soviet Union, “the perfect ideology for its own peculiar kind of empire: the imperialism of anti-imperialism.”
McCarthyism
Not only did the Cold War shape US foreign policy it also had a profound effect on domestic affairs as foreign events, espionage scandals, and politics created an anti-Communist hysteria. The most vigorous anti-Communist warrior was Senator Joseph R. McCarthy, a Republican from Wisconsin who-among other things- claimed there were hundreds of Communists in the federal govt. Eventually condemned for his conduct, McCarthy represented the worst domestic excess of the Cold
War.
Post- War Affluence
In the decade and a half after WWII, the US experiences phenomenal economic growth as a rebuilding Europe was hungry for American goods. At home, conveniences that had been available only to the upper classes, such as refrigerators, automobiles, TV’s and homes, became middle-class staples. Consequently, suburbs exploded and the American Dream became a reality for some.
Rock and Roll
Rock and roll was everything the suburban 1950s were not. In fact, the phenomenon of rock and roll, whose roots lay in African-American blues and gospel, helped define the difference between youth and adulthood at this time. Thus, because the older generation loathed rock and toll and proclaimed it to be Satan’s music, rock and roll records were banned from many radio stations.
Voices Against Conformity
While many in the 1950s strove for comfort and conformity, poverty, racism, and alienation remained a staple of American society. Poverty rates for non-white minorities were typically double those of their white counterparts and segregation in schools, the lack of a political voice, ad longstanding racial prejudices stifled their economic advancement. So it was that writers, artists and social critics began condemning middle-class materialism and rampant consumerism.
Cuban Missile Crisis
Decrying “Yankee imperialism,” Fidel Castro’s regime enlisted Soviet economic and military support after WWII. Shortly thereafter, in 1962, US spy planes discovered evidence of Soviet missile bases in Cuba. A nuclear standoff occurred- an event that represented the most serious Cold War confrontation between the US and the Soviets during the Cold War.Second paper notes
Pick a major point in a chapter. Then pick a secondary source that support or disprove Adam’s argument. Use the internet.
October 28, 2014
Containment’s Failure
During the Cold War, the US aimed to confine communism and the Soviet Union to their existing boundaries. Yet, it was assumed that all nations had to be aligned with wither the US or the U.S.S.R. and that there could be no communist nation which was not also a pawn of the Soviets. Thus, the doctrine of containment made it difficult to see nations as distinct, as places with different cultures, different problems, and different histories. In this respect, we can view Vietnam as an example of containment’s failure.
Domino Theory
The fall of China, the Korean War, and McCarthyism led policymakers to see the French War in Vietnam, not as a colonial war, but as a war against international communism. Persuaded that the fall of Vietnam could lead to the fall of other Asian nations, American policymakers bought into the so-called domino theory, which argues that if one nation fell to the communists, neighboring nations would fall as well. This argument perpetuated the tendency, deeply tooted in the doctrine of containment, to see other nations as mere dominos to be knocked down or picked up by the world’s two largest powers.
Vietnam War
The policy of containment, the domino theory, the fear of international humiliation, and the widespread belief in the rightness of the American mission led the US into an undeclared war in Vietnam. Initially, the US pursued massive bombing campaigns which quickly destroyed most major military targets. Yet, the bombings also resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of civilians. This increased support for the Viet Cong in both North and South Vietnam, which forced American Soldiers to fight against guerilla forces on all sides.
Vietnam Protest
The Vietnam War galvanized opposition at home, uniting people and movements who otherwise might have had nothing in common. Initially, this opposition was closely linked to the radical cultural politics of the sixties- to rock music, to hippies and drugs, and to general critiques of “the establishment.” Yet, because of events such as the Mai Lai massacre, general support for the war wavered, as more and more Americans no longer believed that the conflict was worth the costs.
Vietnamization
Nixon’s plan to bring “peace with honor” entailed reducing American casualties by having South Vietnamese soldiers bear more of the ground fighting- a process he called “Vietnamization” – and defusing anti-war protests by ending the draft. Nevertheless, Nixon’s decision to invade Cambodia revived student protest, and in an infamous incident, four students were killed at Kent State University, when Ohio National Guard troops opened fire on unarmed pretests. The US signed a cease-fire agreement in 1973.
Vietnam’s Consequences
The Vietnam War had far-reaching consequences. It resulted in the deaths of nearly 60,000 Americans and as many as 2 million Vietnamese. This war led Congress to replace the military draft with an all-volunteer force and inspired the War Powers Act which restricted a president’s ability to send American forces into combat without explicit Congressional approval. The war also weakened US military morale and undermined, for a time, the American commitment to internationalism. Equally important, the war weakened liberal reform and made many Americans deeply suspicious of the federal government.