Pre-Second World War Neutrality in the U.S.

This research examines the pre-Second World War neutrality controversy in the United States. The most vocal opponents of changes to the nation's position of neutrality were the isolationists; however, German-American and Irish-American groups strongly opposed changes they feared would ally the United States more closely with the United Kingdom, and commercial and industrial interests opposed changes that would impinge on their freedom to trade with willing buyers. The most visible proponents of changes to the nation's neutrality laws were those individuals and groups who denounced what they perceived to be the inherent evilness of the sitting governments in Germany, Italy, and Japan. The most effective advocates for change in the nation's neutrality status, however, were the politicians, industrialists, and academic theorists who visualized a transformation of the international political and economic environments as an evolution through which the United States could become the dominant world power. For these latter parties, Germany and Japan represented the greatest threat to a future American hegemony, and changes in the nation's neutrality laws were a necessary step in stopping these political and economic competitors.

While the primary emphasis in this research is placed on the neutrality debates that occurred in the late-1930s, earlier events set the stage fo

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as to expel all Chinese forces from Manchuria (Iriye, 1987, p. 14). With this action by the Japanese, the League of Nations denounced Japan and demanded that Japanese military forces return to the positions held in mid-September 1931 (Iriye, 1987, p. 14). In the United States, the Hoover Administration considered but did not impose sanctions against Japan, and there was little public support for such action on the part of the United States government (Iriye, 1987, p. 14). It soon became clear to the world that Japan was going to sever China's northeastern provinces from the rest of the country. The Hoover Administration in Washington announced that the United States would not recognize any agreement that Japan imposed on China through military force (Iriye, 1987, p. 14). American public opinion in 1932 supported China. The American public, however, was prepared for the United States to withdraw from the Far East rather than risk war with Japan (Divine, 1979, p. 46). In 1933, however, Japan withdrew from the League of Nations, and became isolated by the international community of nations (Iriye, 1987, p. 21). Throughout 1933, Japan consolidated its gains in Manchuria, and the Nationalist government of Chi
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Landman Wender, Peace Pact, Britain United, Roosevelt Administration, George Modelski's, Neutrality Act, Lend-Lease Act, World War, League Nations, Chiang Kai-Shek, landman wender, landman wender 1963, wender 1963, iriye 1987, world war, lend-lease act, peace pact, american public, neutrality act, kellogg-briand peace, united kingdom, kellogg-briand peace pact, wender 1963 71, american public opinion, coogan 1981 pp,
Approximate Word count = 6136
Approximate Pages = 25 (250 words per page)