American Foreign Policy After The Great Depression

Between 1920 and 1941 the paradigm of American foreign policy completely shifted from the Isolationism to Interventionism for valid reasons. First the economic and socially challenging home front crisis of the Great Depression kept American citizens and politicians busy with domestic policy. Additionally the disillusionment of people with WWI caused America to avoid war at all costs. However, the rising threat of fascism in Europe forced America to defend democracy and help its allies. The first shift was seen when foreign policy in the 1920s had moved to isolationism in large part due to WWI. WWI in the eyes of the American people had been an extreme failure for they believed it was a waste of American life with very little progress towards a more democratic world. This led to disillusionment which stemmed from many things including that casualties of many soldiers which according to PBS numbered 323,018. Furthermore, Woodrow Wilson on April 2, 1917, called for a Declaration of War against Germany saying The world must be made safe for democracy.(Wilson s Speech to Congress April 2) and sold the war to the American people by claiming that it was in the name of the safety of democracy. However, this goal was not achieved and this failure was clearly seen by Americans as after the war, Wilson s League of Nations which was supposed to be created to protect democracy in the future, was not approved by the U.S. Congress.( The League of Nations, 1920. Milestones:Show MoreRelatedTheu.s. The Great Depression1548 Words   |  7 Pagesthe public and eventually the majority of the government to support the idea of the isolationists: the Great Depression. As this tragic event persisted throughout the decade, it persuaded many variety of citizens of United States to believe that Isolationism was the answer to fix this crisis. 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