Lesson 2: Moving Closer to War

Lesson Focus

As war consumed Europe, America was torn. This lesson explores the great debate between isolationists and internationalists, showing how the U.S. gradually shifted from neutrality to actively aiding the Allies against Axis aggression.

People to Know

Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Adolf Hitler, Hideki Tojo

Learning Objectives

• Trace Germany's early military conquests in Europe, from the invasion of Poland to the Battle of Britain.
• Identify President Roosevelt's actions, like Lend-Lease, that moved the U.S. from neutrality to becoming an "arsenal of democracy."

After securing a nonaggression pact with the Soviet Union in August 1939, Germany invaded Poland.
This unleashed a new tactic called blitzkrieg, or “lightning war,” which quickly overwhelmed European defenses and led Britain and France to declare war.
By June 1940, France had fallen, leaving Great Britain, under the defiant leadership of Prime Minister Winston Churchill, to stand alone against Hitler’s forces, which now dominated the continent.

As war spread, Americans were deeply divided on what to do.
Isolationists, supported by figures like Charles Lindbergh and groups such as the America First Committee, argued that staying out of the war was the only way to protect the nation.
On the other side, Internationalists believed America’s security was directly tied to an Allied victory and urged President Roosevelt to provide support against Hitler’s aggression.

Recognizing Britain’s desperate situation, President Roosevelt cautiously moved the U.S. away from strict neutrality.
He first enacted a “cash and carry” policy for arms sales, then bypassed Congress in September 1940 with the destroyers-for-bases deal.
Soon after, Congress passed the Selective Service Act, the first peacetime draft in U.S. history. Note that these steps showed America was preparing for war while still officially remaining neutral.

After his 1940 reelection, Roosevelt declared America must become the “arsenal of democracy.”
This led to the Lend-Lease Act in March 1941, which authorized him to send supplies to nations vital to U.S. defense, primarily Great Britain.
When Hitler invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941, Roosevelt extended Lend-Lease aid to them as well, cementing America's role as the key supplier for the anti-Hitler alliance.

While tensions rose in the Atlantic, Japan expanded its empire in Asia, creating a new crisis.
The U.S. responded to Japanese aggression by cutting off vital oil and scrap metal exports.
This action led to the rise of a pro-war government under General Hideki Tojo in October 1941. When diplomacy failed, Japan decided to attack the U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor, making war in the Pacific unavoidable.