World War 1 Isolationism Essay

From isolationism to interventionism, the US foreign policy altered drastically during the interwar period. In the late 1930s and early 1940s, the resurgence of militarism and fascism in Italy, Germany, and Japan, characterized by a series of events such as Nazi’s military expansion in Europe and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor ended the American isolationism and inaugurated the era of interventionism. World War I had devastating impacts globally. The aftermath of the war included enormous military casualties, civilians losses and economic burden on the major belligerents. American loans to the Allies was never fully repaid when Britain and France were unable to collect reparation payments from German satisfactorily. In addition, many Americans were disillusioned that the original intention of the war — “make the world safe for democracy,” was not achieved. The disappointment of being involved into the war motivated America to adopt an isolationist policy during the 1930s. The country rejected the
As those Fascism countries posed increasing threats to democracies around the world, American still opted for neutrality and peaceful relationship rather than war. Kellogg–Briand Pact was created by American politicians in 1928 which renunciated war as an instrument of foreign policy and supposedly protect America from the threat of war. Mussolini’s invasion of Ethiopia in 1935, Hitler’s reoccupation of Rhineland in 1936, Japanese militarists’ attacks on northern China foreshadowed the second world war. However, the isolationists argued that the United States should avoid political and military commitments to other nations. A series of three Neutrality Acts were passed by Congress between 1935 and 1937 to ban loans and the sale of arms to nations at