The Role Of Isolationism In The 1930's

Throughout the 1930’s, America started slipping from its go to foreign policy: isolationism. America had always favored being isolationists up until the late 1930’s. They stayed out of European conflicts at all costs, and they quickly returned to isolationism after World War I. In 1933, new President Franklin Roosevelt took over the White House and continued this isolationism policy. During this time Americans were focused on fixing the economy, and so was Roosevelt. According to the article, Toward War: U.S. Foreign Policy and Isolationism, “at the beginning of his administration domestic issues were more important than foreign policy.” Americans were in the Great Depression and felt no need to deal with other countries while their economy was failing. Roosevelt knew this and worked on these

Even with this military build up, and Europe being close to war, Americans wanted nothing to do with it. In fact, according to the article, The 1930’s: Government and Politics: Overview, “ One poll revealed that 64 percent of Americans supported isolationist policies as late as 1937.” Americans still did not want to entangle themselves in European affairs and wars. If America were to get their way, Europe was going to have to deal with the war themselves. However, as tensions grew in Europe, America felt more pressure to help. The allies wanted America to help them and take on a global role. This pressure caused, “the isolationist mood in the United States to wan. By the end of the decade…the United States had begun to prepare for war” (The 1930’s). The United States was discovering that they could not always fall back into isolationism. They were becoming a global power, forcing them to take action on the world stage. This new global idea helped change American society and the American Dream.

Furthermore, this shift to globalism changed the way Americans viewed themselves in the world. It changed America’s society because they were now