Policy toward Latin America. Being a good neighbor meant that America would not intervene in Latin America to protect American interests. It also reduced trade barriers on some goods.
With respect to the International Theater, Roosevelt had to fight against a strong tide of isolationism in the U.S. and Congress. He had little faith in efforts to stabilize currency through efforts like the World Economic Conference. Roosevelt had support for this attitude, since America was largely isolationist. He also had to fight against many neutrality acts congress had passed which barred the U.S. from shipping arms to nations at war, U.S. citizens from sailing on ships of nations at war and many other measures. These acts often hampered Roosevelt’s ability to help China and other nations under siege “Rigid neutrality acts denied the President authority to discriminate between aggressor states and their victims” (Schlesinger 4). However, the growing tensions and shift of power in Europe would undermine these acts and give Roosevelt a freer hand. Once Hitler’s troops invaded the Rhineland, a violation of the Treaty of Versailles, Congress authorized Roosevelt to send weapons shipments to Spain. Roosevelt was concerned about Hitler and the war in Europe. He claimed “Let no one imagine that America will escape, that Americ
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