American Entry to World War 2

[ibibib1022]

Hi my question is: To what extent was American entry into the Second World War a direct result of the attack on Pearl Harbour?

I can't find economic motives of American entry into the Second World War... Yes the war helped American recover from the Depression, but I don't know how to link it as a motive for entering the war...

And also... did the Americans have a desire to spread American influence throughout the world? I can't seem to find any...

If you guys can help me make the connections that would be nice

Thank you!!

EDIT: I need help proving that America had economic motives for their entry into the Second World War and that it was not just the attack on Pearl Harbour which provoked their entry...

So I know that the Great Depression caused unemployment rates, etc. to soar and that helping the war effort helped America recover from the Depression... but I need help with the link between the fact that America had economic motives for entering the war...

In other words, I don't completely understand HOW the Great Depression was an economic motive for their entry, but I know it was a big factor... I don't understand HOW they knew that the war would help them recover.. Please help! Thanks:)

Edited May 14, 2010 by ibibib1022

[ephika]

Yeah. The Americans had been pissed at the Japanese since long before the December 7 1941. Japanese advances seemed to be threatening US interests in Asia in terms of trade and natural resources etc. So the US had been thinking of stopping Japan since long before the Pearl Harbor attack which only provided the US with the direct excuse they needed to rightfully go against the Japs. Some historians claim that Roosevelt had information about the incoming attack on Pearl Harbor and that he refrained from saying anything as the attack would justify American entry into the war. And surely the Americans had a desire to spread American influence throughout the world to secure trade which would be beneficial to the US economy. Then again, the Americans wanted to remain politically isolated from the outside world, but yes, they were certainly keen on playing a major economic role in the world.

[Gerrit]

America knew that in order for them to stay a world power, Europe had to be stable. With Europe being in the middle of a global war, America under direct threat of that exact same war and America's economy already being weak due to the Depression, it was a logical and strategic move to participate in World War II. By participating, America created jobs that would eventually help the economy, secure their position as a world leader and get revenge on the Japanese. It was a win-win situation for them. Hope this might help you

[kingdomx]

America didn't like the fact that Japan had a lot of influence in Asia. America wanted to be 'the power'. Japan may have threatened that.

[Daedalus]

I'm not doing History at IB level, so take my advice with a grain of salt...

The Great Depression probably wasn't a strong reason for America's entry into the war. Why? Simple logic - would you sacrifice innocent, twenty-something soldiers for economic recovery? At the time there was the whole New Deal business... in practice, government spending - on war, on anything - helps economies recover by creating demand for goods, excess to what can be supplied at a moment, so more factories are built, people are employed, the money trickles down to consumers why purchase more, thereby increasing demand even more, and so on. It's a cycle strongly dependent on consumer confidence... I'm taking Econ, so this part is (hopefully) true.

The other motivations, I hope, had something to do with the threat from Hitler - Germany seemed to be winning the war for a while, Russia was on their side, and Fascist Europe would not have looked good, even from the other side of the ocean.

[Center Field]

Here are some things to consider and analyze, they should lead you to valuable conclusions.

America had economic incentive to enter the war beacues of the great depression, but it was not the only issue. Consider that the economy was under pressure to produce and that military spending increased capacity. Furthermore, note that the U.S. was the main trade partner of Britain. If Britain fell, its trade would be cut.

Hitler was a main factor (his threat-read Mein Kampf and his other writings on Lebensraum)

Japanese threat in the Pacific (examine their trade and military policies)

At the time, the U.S. was isolationist. Public opinion was only swayed by Pearl Harbor.

In my opinion, these four main topics are interconnected and supplemented by smaller topics that are too numerous to list