US Involvement In World War II

1140 Words5 Pages
World War II consisted of a Nazi German takeover of continental Europe with a military strategy known as “blitzkrieg”, which used military strength and speed to overwhelm Europe. At the same time the Japanese empire, already controlling areas in Manchuria (Chinese territory) from a hostile takeover, looked to further its expansion into Southeast Asia. All of the major world powers were forced into another World War and in my opinion it was an absolute inevitably that the United States would be involved regardless if it wanted to or not. There were entirely to many factors both domestic and foreign that forced the US into the second Great War. World War I was viewed as an extensive and unnecessary loss of life by the American people. Following…show more content…
FDR took a different approach with Japan, he viewed the German threat more prevalent than the Japanese. He strategy was to strangle the island into submission through an economic war. Japan was completely dependent on imports and raw materials from other countries, mainly the US to keep the production of wartime materials. In 1938, Roosevelt issued an embargo against Japan, restricting the trade of steel and oil in hopes to bring Japanese expansion to a halt. With only a six month supply of oil in reserve Japan was forced to make a quick decision that would have an enormous impact on world events. Japan did not react the way FDR and the allied powers had planned. They felt forced into a corner and the only way out was to fight. Out of fear Japan invaded areas in China and Indochina to secure raw materials and resources to keep the expansion of its empire and military advancements. After this Roosevelt froze all Japanese assets in the US and restricted any access to oil or any kind of petroleum products. This was the hair that broke the camel’s back and led to the eventual attack on Peril Harbor. In the opinion of the Japanese, war with the US was not a question, it was
Open Document