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Article: Moving toward war: America's official involvement in World War II began in 1941. But to fully understand the events of this conflict, it is important to understand the international situation in the years before the United States entered the war.
- Article from:
- Cobblestone
- Article date:
- September 1, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 Carus Publishing Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The United States was trying to protect itself from the trouble brewing in the rest of the world. America had its own problems in the 1930s--it was stuck in a severe economic depression. Back in 1917, the United States had joined World War I (1914-1918) and loaned billions of dollars to European countries. American citizens did not want to get involved in another "European mess." President Franklin D. Roosevelt echoed their feelings when he said, "We seek to isolate ourselves from war."
But U.S. isolationism, a policy of not getting involved in the political or economic situations of other countries, came at a dangerous time. ...