Lesson 1: World Affairs, 1933-1939

Lesson Focus

Explore how the Great Depression kept America focused inward. We'll see how President Roosevelt’s attention shifted to global affairs as aggressive powers in Europe and Asia threatened world peace, setting the stage for future conflict.

People to Know

Franklin D. Roosevelt, Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini

Learning Objectives

• Discuss how the Great Depression influenced American foreign policy, leading to economic isolation and the Good Neighbor Policy in Latin America.
• Explain the reasons for Japan's aggressive expansion in Asia, including its need for resources, markets, and land.

To improve relations with Latin America, President Roosevelt introduced the Good Neighbor Policy. He demonstrated this commitment by agreeing not to interfere in other nations' internal affairs, withdrawing troops from Haiti and Nicaragua, and using diplomacy instead of force with Cuba and Mexico. This policy successfully shifted the U.S. approach from military intervention to peaceful cooperation, building greater trust with its southern neighbors. Pay special attention to this shift from past policies.

The Great Depression initially forced the U.S. into economic isolation. President Roosevelt prioritized domestic recovery, even disrupting the London Economic Conference in 1933. However, as the economy improved, Secretary of State Hull promoted cooperation. The Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act of 1934 allowed the U.S. to lower tariffs with other nations. This marked a significant shift from isolationism toward rebuilding global trade to support continued recovery and international goodwill.

Japan's need for raw materials and markets drove its expansionist policy in Asia. With a growing population and industrial base, Japan's leaders looked to military conquest for resources. In 1931, the Japanese army invaded and occupied Manchuria, a mineral-rich region in China, defying the League of Nations. Note that this action was a clear violation of international agreements and demonstrated Japan's growing military aggression in the Pacific region.

In Europe, economic hardship and national anger allowed dictators to seize power. In Italy, Benito Mussolini, and in Germany, Adolf Hitler, established fascist governments. They created totalitarian states that eliminated human rights, controlled all aspects of life, and blamed social problems on minorities. These leaders glorified war and promoted national expansion, directly threatening peace and setting the stage for a new European conflict. Their rise marked a dangerous new era.

Britain and France adopted appeasement to avoid war with the rising dictators. Haunted by World War I, they gave in to aggressors' demands, hoping to satisfy them. This policy reached its peak at the Munich Conference in 1938, where they let Hitler annex Czechoslovakian territory in exchange for a promise of peace. This act of dishonor, as Winston Churchill called it, only emboldened Hitler and made a larger war inevitable.

The American public's fear of war led the U.S. to embrace isolationism. Remembering the high cost of World War I, Americans strongly opposed involvement in foreign conflicts. In response, Congress passed the Neutrality Acts between 1935 and 1937, which banned selling arms or loaning money to warring nations. Although Roosevelt disagreed, these laws officially committed the United States to neutrality, preventing it from aiding victims of aggression.