The Transformation of U.S. Isolationism During the 1930s

Name:
Date:
Tutor:
The Transformation of U.S. isolationism during the 1930s.
Introduction
As from the 1970s to the mid of the 20th century, the US gradually became a world power, both economically and politically. There were many factors that facilitated the rise of the United States. Isolationism and Globalism are two significant foreign policies in the United States that greatly contributed to this rise.[Cooper, John Milton, Jr. The Vanity of Power: American Isolationism and the First World War, 1914–1917. Westport, Conn., 1969.]
Isolationism occurred during the precolonial period. The policy ensured that there were no political, military commitments or alliances with the other foreign powers such as Europe. It occurred between the two world wars. During the colonial period, there was a great isolationist sentiment in the United States (Donecke, p.56). Isolationism made the long-term accumulation of culture and mentality from the colonial era. It was also an inevitable choice during the period when the United States was facing many problems as a result of the World War I that was threatening the international environment and national interests of Americans. Isolationism, as the United States basic foreign policy principle in the early period, had a deep historical origin.[Doenecke, Justus D. Not to the Swift: The Old Isolationists and the Cold War. Lewisburg, Pa., 1979.]
The main aim of using the policy was to protect the United States away from European conflicts. It was, however, not intended to completely seal America from the outside world. Isolationism wanted to make American interests not be influenced by political conflicts. Therefore, though the United States would maintain a political isolation from Europe, it would still enjoy the freedom for economic expansions in both the Latin American and also the overseas colonies. However, with the many changes that have taken place in the capitalist countries’ power and its growing of the economic strength, isolationism cannot meet the needs of the U.S. economic development. Immediately after the World War II, U.S. foreign policy completed its transformation from isolationism into globalism. Isolationism came to an end for it could not conform to the U.S. actual conditions, President Roosevelt played a major role (Doenecke, p.90). This transformation of foreign policy had the non-negligible influence on itself and international situation.
The research paper will focus on the transformation of the foreign policy of isolationism to globalism. In the paper, I will analyze the history and the development of the isolationism policy, the reasons that made the United States abandon the policy. I will view the factors from the political and economic perspectives in relation to diplomacy and military affairs of the United States.
Formation of Isolationism Ideology
In American history, isolationism was one of the most significant foreign policies that were adopted. Isolationism policy has a very significant position in the diplomatic history of both Britain and America (Weinberg, p.89). It is also good to take note of the fact that the policy still exerts some influence on the two nations. The word “isolationism" has been used most often in reference to the various attitudes and policies of the American Citizens who decided to ensure the continued adherence of the key element of the foreign policy of avoiding political or military commitments or alliances with the other foreign powers especially those that were found in Europe. Any emergence of ideological has its historical roots.[Weinberg, Albert K. "The Historical Meaning of the American Doctrine of Isolationism." American Political Science Review 34 (1940).]
Background of isolationism policy
Isolationism policy was very predominant in the U.S. internal and foreign affairs for almost 150 years. Therefore, the ideology of isolationism began during the colonial period. Isolationism is deeply rooted in the nation's colonial past. With the discovery made on the new world, the land of the North Americans became the object of the plunder among the European powers the foreign policy of the United States (Bear, p.352). Jefferson also gave the same advice and insisted that the American principle should be founded on the principle of peace, commercial relationships and also honest friendship with all the nations surrounding the US and there were no alliances to be signed.
Both Jefferson and Washington always worked hard to ensure that the new independence of America was safeguarded by doing away with the involvement of the US in military and political affairs of the other major powers. They focused on the expansion of trade and commercial activities in the US as a way of ensuring that there is national development. During the remainder of the 1930s, the idea of isolationism became widespread until it began being undermined by the various world events that had promoted it. Isolationism began from a world situation in which the states like Germany, Italy and Japan challenged the power and also position of the US in security matters.[Doenecke, Justus D. Not to the Swift: The Old Isolationists and the Cold War. Lewisburg, Pa., 1979.]
The previous American policies had always rested on an assumption that the US was safe from all the types of attack and the American ideas on matters of trade would always find a place in the other parts of the world. However, the assumption diminished with time. It, therefore, became more important for the US to try and protect itself from attacks from the surrounding powers as there was a threat of war. With the reality of a worldwide economic depression and also the increased attention to US domestic matters, the US wanted to avoid a lot of involvement in troubling events that were taking place in Europe at that time. As a response to the international questions, the US decided to use non-entanglement policy over participation or intervention during the First World War (Doenecke & Justus, p.120).
However, as time went by, the effects of isolationism policy began to be felt. This time of American history was referred to as the Great Depression. The USA was confronted by domestic problems and therefore what it did was turn inward and began regarding the events that were happening outside its borders as they were beginning to become problems that threatened the solutions at home.[Brewster C. Denny. Seeing American Foreign Policy Whole. University of Illinois Press. Urbana and Chicago. 1985. 32.]
Actually, even President Franklin D. Roosevelt who was an isolationist had nothing to do but rather spurn international co-operation to do away with the problems as agreed at the London conference of 1933 (Doenecke& Justus p.123).
Great Depression
A lot of things changed during the great depression. Confidence in the power of US reduced and the ability to influence events in the other parts of the world reduced. As many Americans saw all the activities that were taking place in their country, they lost their ideal that the system of government in USA was the best and it was to be a model for the other nation.
Finally, isolationism increased the distrust between the bankers and also the other business people and thus it really affected commerce and trade which were the pillars of the American economy. Due to this problem efforts were made in order to address the issue of commerce and open friendship with all the other nations and the issue of not making alliances with the other neighbors. It was agreed that American would overcome the problem not by increasing its political involvement but rather by circumscribing the main idea which was the maintenance of commercial contacts (Bear, p. 210).[Bear F. Braumoeller. The Myth of American Isolationism. Foreign Policy Analysis. Vol.6. 349-371. 2010]
Economic Changes during the Great Depression
The economic effects of isolationism policy on America have been debated by many scholars over the years. As a result of the First World War there were many imbalances in the world financial system. Exchange rates were affected as the gold standard that was mostly used as basis for all the other national currencies and exchange rates was suspended temporarily. It was suspended so that they can recover the many loses that were made during World War I. The various countries like the United States, European Nations and Japan fought hard in order to ensure that the gold standard got back before the end of the decade. However, we should also be careful to note that this struggle by the countries to get back the gold standard caused an inflexibility in the domestic and also the international financial markets.[Cooper, John Milton, Jr. The Vanity of Power: American Isolationism and the First World War, 1914–1917. ]
In the year 1933, the various leaders of the European Nations converged at London with the aim of coming up with various policies that would increase trade and create a stability of the international currencies. However, President Franklin Roosevelt dismissed their efforts by saying that the American Dollar would not at all be tied to the gold standard.The conference therefore came to an end and the other world leaders were annoyed by the failure of cooperation by the United States.
Hawley Smoot Tariff Act of June 17, 1930 also helped in the economic recovery of the United States. Hawley Smoot Tariff Act made an increase on the duties that were charged on imports in order to protect the American business people and farmers. This act also lead to another world financial crisis. By making an increase on the average tariff by 20% many foreigngovernments were affected and therefore as a result their banks began to fail. This is because the Act set that the rates were to be charged according to the value of the product. For a period of four years when the act was in effect (1929-1932) the global trade had declined (Cooper, p.59).[Fensterwald, Bernard, Jr. "The Anatomy of American 'Isolationism' and Expansionism." Journal of Conflict Resolution 2 (1958).]
However, towards the end, the Reciprocal Trade Act of 1934 was passed to make the US policy more flexible. Under the Act, the president was given authority of negotiating the tariff rates with the individual states. This promoted liberalization in matters of trade and created cooperation with the other foreign governments. Though, someone can argue that even though the tariff caused Great Depression, it led to the rise of political extremism making leaders like Adolf Hitler of Germany to gain a lot of political strength and power.[Graebner, Norman A. The New Isolationism: A Study in Politics and Foreign Policy since 1950. ]
 Relationship between Isolationism and occurrence of World War II
The isolationism policy that prevented America from involving itself in the war can be viewed as a bipartisan policy that drew support from the social spectrum and also the political spectrum. During January 1937, an opinion poll was carried out that showed that three-fourths of the people in America really believed that USA entry into the World War I was a big mistake.[Hadley Cantril and Mildred Strunk, Public Opinion, 1935–1946 (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1951);]
It was then followed a by a rejection of the League of Nations covenant in the year 1919. This was one of the steps that were meant to move the United States much away from the economic woes of both Europe and also Asia. There were increasingly high tariffs, limited trade connections as a response to the Great Depression. A public opinion carried out in May 1939 confirmed that keeping out of the war was one of the major issues that was facing the country (Muravchik, p.67).
In 1940, President Franklin D. Roosevelt made it clear that the sons of America would not accept to be sent to another foreign war. As a result, the Axis powers then took the isolationism policy so serious that they did not consider the opposition of the United States by the use of words or any other material rather than the lend-l...