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Chapter 34
Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Shadow of War, 1933–1941
CHAPTER THEMES
Theme: In the early and mid-1930s, the United States attempted to isolate itself from foreign involvements and wars. But
by the end of the decade, the spread of totalitarianism and war in Europe forced Roosevelt to provide more and more
assistance to desperate Britain, despite strong isolationist opposition.
CHAPTER SUMMARY
Roosevelt’s early foreign policies, such as wrecking the London economic conference and establishing the Good
Neighbor policy in Latin America, were governed by concern for domestic recovery and reflected America’s desire for a
less active role in the world. America virtually withdrew from all European affairs, and promised independence to the
Philippines as an attempt to avoid Asian commitments.
Depression-spawned chaos in Europe and Asia strengthened the isolationist impulse, as Congress passed a series of
Neutrality Acts designed to prevent America from being drawn into foreign wars. The United States adhered to the policy
for a time, despite the aggression of Italy, Germany, and Japan. But after the outbreak of World War II in Europe,
Roosevelt began to provide some aid to the Allies.
After the fall of France, Roosevelt gave greater assistance to desperate Britain in the destroyers-for-bases deal and in lendlease. Still-powerful isolationists protested these measures, but Wendall Willkie refrained from attacking Roosevelt’s
foreign policy in the 1940 campaign.
Roosevelt and Winston Churchill issued the Atlantic Charter, and by the summer of 1941, the United States was fighting
an undeclared naval war with Germany in the North Atlantic. After negotiations with Japan failed, the surprise attack on
Pearl Harbor plunged the United States into World War II.
Extra Credit Opportunities: 1) Note Cards: Analyze the following terms; include historical context,
chronology, drawing conclusions, and cause/effect where appropriate. Each note card you complete is worth
one extra credit point; pick the terms you need the most help with to understand.
1. London Economic
Conference
2. Tydings-McDuffie Act in
1934
3. Good Neighbor Policy
4. Cordell Hull
5. Reciprocal Trade
Agreements Act in 1934
6. Joseph Stalin
7. Benito Mussolini
8. Adolf Hitler
9. Nazi Party
10. Rome-Berlin Axis
11. Washington Naval Treaty
12. Tripartite Pact
13. Ethiopia in 1935
14. Johnson Debt Default Act
15. Senator Gerald Nye
16. Neutrality Acts of 1935,
1936, 1937
17. Spanish Civil War
18. Francisco Franco
19. Loyalist Regime
20. Arms embargo
21. “Quarantine Speech”
22. The Panay
23. Rhineland
24. Austria
25. Sudetenland
26. Munich
27. Appeasement
28. nonaggression treaty
29. September 1, 1939
30. “cash and carry basis”
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
Dunkirk
Winston Churchill
Conscription law
Battle of Britain
Committee to Defend
America by Aiding the
Allies
America First Committee
Destroyers for Bases
Wendell L. Wilkie
Lend-Lease Bill
Robin Moor
Atlantic Charter
Greer
Kearny
Reuben James
Pearl Harbor
Homework Directions: Read the chapter and complete the following:
1. Complete American Pageant Study Guide.
Chapter 34 Study Guide
The London Conference
1.
What were the results of Roosevelt's decision not to help stabilize currencies?
Freedom for (from?) the Filipinos and Recognition for the Russians
2.
What was the reason for America's decision to free the Philippines?
Becoming a Good Neighbor
3.
Was the United States serious about the Good Neighbor policy? Explain.
Secretary Hull's Reciprocal Trade Agreements
4.
Were reciprocal trade agreements a good idea? Explain.
Storm-Cellar Isolationism
5.
What were the reasons for American isolationism?
Congress Legislates Neutrality
6.
How did the Neutrality Acts attempt to keep the U.S. out of war?
America Dooms Loyalist Spain
7.
How did the Spanish Civil War contribute to WWII?
Appeasing Japan and Germany
8.
What actions were taken by fascist governments that showed that they were a threat?
Hitler's Belligerency and U.S. Neutrality
9.
How did the United States respond to the start of WWII in Europe?
The Fall of France
10.
What further steps did the United States take after the fall of France?
Makers of America: Refugees from the Holocaust
11.
Why did America not make more room for European Jews in the 1930's? Why did America have difficulty
recognizing the reality of the Holocaust? Explain.
Bolstering Britain with the Destroyer Deal (1940)
12.
Describe the conflict between interventionists and isolationists in America in 1940.
FDR Shatters the Two-Term Tradition (1940)
13.
Write the story of the 1940 election.
Congress Passes the Landmark Lend-Lease Law
14.
What was so controversial about Lend-Lease?
Hitler's Assault on the Soviet Union Spawns the Atlantic Charter
15.
What was the reaction in America to the Nazi attack on the Soviet Union?
U.S. Destroyers and Hitler's U-Boats Clash
16.
How did America's implementation of the Lend-Lease policy bring us closer to war?
Surprise Assault at Pearl Harbor
17.
How did American actions contribute to Japan's decision to attack Pearl Harbor?
America's Transformation from Bystander to Belligerent
18.
Was United States entry into WWII sudden or gradual? Explain.
GREAT DEBATES IN AMERICAN HISTORY: GREAT DEBATE (1939–1941)
19. Isolationism versus internationalism. Should the United States move away from isolationist neutrality
and toward aiding the Allies in the fight against Hitler? Explain.
Yes:
No:
20. ISSUE #1: Isolation. Should the United States have any interest in events overseas? Explain.
Yes:
No:
21. ISSUE #2: Democracy. Are the Allies fighting for the democratic principles America believes in?
Explain.
Yes:
No:
22. ISSUE #3: War. Will aiding the Allies inevitably lead the United States into war? Explain.
No:
Yes:
23. ISSUE #4: War and democracy. Would another war require dictatorial methods and destroy
democracy within the United States? Explain.
No:
Yes:
REFERENCES: William Langer and S. Everett Gleason, The Challenge to Isolation, 1937–1940 (1952); Kenneth Davis,
FDR: Into the Storm, 1937–1940 (1993); Wayne Cole, Charles Lindbergh and the Battle Against American Intervention
in World War II (1974).
HISTORIC NOTES

The US withdrawal from the London Economic conference illustrates FDR’s determination not to associate his New
Deal (inflationary) agenda with an international attempt to combat the effects of global depression by stabilizing
international currencies.

The Spanish Civil War is a prelude to WWII in that the two major fascist powers, Germany and Italy, provide
economic and military aid to help General Franco defeat Spain’s Loyalists. The Loyalists get assistance from the
Soviet Union and volunteers from many countries. Western governments, however, remains aloof to the plight of
the antifascist forces.

To forestall another bloodbath like WWI, Britain and France adopt a policy of appeasement in dealing with German,
Italian, and Japanese aggression and territorial expansion. In the summer of 1939, the world is stunned to learn the
ideological archenemies Germany and USSR have signed a nonaggression pact.

To assist Britain, which stood alone against Germany after the fall of France in 1940, FDR circumvents the
neutrality acts, giving the British destroyers in return for British military bases. The next step in providing much
needed aid to Britain is the Lend-lease Act.

Six months after the German invasion of the USSR, Japan launches a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor bringing the
US into the war.

Many historians maintain that the US adopted an isolationist policy or, at the very least, a policy of neutrality in the
interwar years, pointing to the refusal to join the League of Nations and to support the Loyalist forces in the Spanish
Civil War. Other historians challenge this interpretation and cite the numerous cases of US intervention in the postWWI era as well as the economic and political agreements and treaties made with foreign governments.

In 1940, FDR sought an unprecedented thirds term as president. The Constitution placed no limits on how many
terms one could serve, but George Washington had, set a tradition that had been followed ever since.
Advanced Placement United States History Topic Outline
21. The Second World War
A. The rise of fascism and militarism in Japan, Italy, and Germany
B. Prelude to war: policy of neutrality
C. The attack on Pearl Harbor and United States declaration of war
D. Fighting a multifront war
E. Diplomacy, war aims, and wartime conferences
F. The United States as a global power in the Atomic Age
22. The Home Front During the War
A. Wartime mobilization of the economy
B. Urban migration and demographic changes
C. Women, work, and family during the war
D. Civil liberties and civil rights during wartime
E. War and regional development
F. Expansion of government power