Roosevelt's Wartime Diplomacy
There were many successes and failures in Franklin Delano Roosevelt's wartime diplomacy. His policies were successful in that they led to the end of the war with Germany and Japan. However, they failed in that his actions led to an overall mistrust of Russia and Stalin and the postwar conflict that followed known as the Cold War.
Roosevelt could see no way to prevent the Russians from dominating Europe. His 4 Policemen strategy would act as trustees for colonial societies not ready for full independence and that the great powers were the only ones who could "police" Europe after the war was over. FDR was determined that "something 'big' would come out of this war; a new heaven and a new earth." He was convinced that only the United States could offer any innovative thinking in intervention. He presumed that the Soviet Union's need for postwar economic aid would give the United States continued leverage. Although he didn't factor in the Soviet Union's industrial performance. Also, he could not find a way to prevent the Russians from dominating Eastern Europe after the war. One thing that was agreed on by all three powers was that they would only accept the unconditional surrender of Germany and of Japan. FDR avoided the specifics about what reparations that would be applied to post war German because he was unsure of what to do. His strategy in dealing with Stalin was to avoid tension and confrontation. The resulting Yalta peace summit created an era of peace that lasted for the next 50 years. This is why his diplomacy is viewed as successful.
Many view FDR's policies are a failure. His ideal post-war Europe was a fragmented continent divided between Great Britain and the Soviet Union. His secret dealings with Churchill demonstrated his lack of trust for Stalin. While in reality, Churchill and Roosevelt weren't as close as they appeared to be. In addition, there was a lot of confusion surrounding the 4 policemen and their decision making capabilities. Also, his decision to not inform Stalin of the atomic bomb further demonstrates his mistrust of the Soviet Union. In actuality, FDR wanted the United States to have the monopoly in the atomic bomb knowledge. It was this mistrust and lack of cooperation that led to the confusion that turned into the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union.
Woodrow Wilson, our 23rd president, became involved in a war that he did not want any part of. Wilson wanted to remain neutral and have peace as in his first term of office. During World War I Wilson’s roles in the war became well known in all countries. Wilson wanted peace more than anything else. In seeking for peace Wilson asked Congress for the U.S. to enter World War I. which may not sound like a peace strategy but Wilson felt it was the only way to stop Germany and gain peace. Wilson wrote his speech for world peace, Fourteen Points, that he was probably most famous for. He attended and played an integral part in The Treaty of Versailles. He was the founder of the League of Nations, which he talked about in his Fourteen Points speech. .
Theodore Roosevelt was one of the most influential people in the early 20th century. His leadership style, his reforms, and his personality shaped an America that was rapidly becoming a world power. Theodore Roosevelt is admirably remembered for his energetic persona, his range of interests and achievements, his leadership of the Progressive Movement, his model of masculinity and his “cowboy” image (). He was a leader of the Republican Party and founder of the short-lived Progressive Party of 1912 (). Before becoming President, he held offices at the municipal, state, and federal level of government (). Roosevelt’s achievements as a naturalist, explorer, hunter, author, and soldier are as much a part of his fame as any office he held as a politician. His legacy lives on as one of greatest leaders in American history.
American taking part in imperialism gained its motion from both economic and cultural justifications that stemmed from America's history of expansion; American imperialism only varied slightly in the first few generations of presidents as we will explore sampling from Theodore Roosevelt's presidency on into Woodrow Wilson's presidency. American's previous western expansion became the breeding grounds for American imperialistic justification. Though cultural justifications were used to keep the public interest in support of imperialism economic justifications were viewed as more important throughout the history of imperialism, even in uniting the similarities of Theodore Roosevelt's and Woodrow Wilson's imperial agendas.
The Roosevelt Corollary greatly affected American foreign policy. It was in sharp contrast to the Monroe Doctrine, put in place to stop foreign intervention with the American continents. In 1823 President Monroe implemented US policy that stated European powers were not allowed to colonize or interfere with the newly budding United States or the Americas. In 1904 President Roosevelt expanded upon this policy in response to European intervention with Latin America. This policy became known as the Roosevelt Corollary. The document echoed the style of leadership President Roosevelt became synonymous with. This more aggressive form of policy became known as Big Stick Diplomacy. Foreign policy in the United States would forever be changed by President Roosevelt’s reinterpretation of the Monroe Document. The Roosevelt Corollary would later go on to affect decisions the United States made in regards to the Cold War, Cuba, The Middle East and many more. To understand the impact of this, we must look back to the Monroe Doctrine.
During his presidency Roosevelt had a tendency to carry the big stick then to speak softly. He got quite involved with the situation in Central and South America and also there was the controversy of the acquisition of the Philippines in the Pacific Islands. Roosevelt was also able to show the soft-spoken, sophisticated side of his diplomacy in dealing with major powers outside the Western Hemisphere. He won the Nobel Peace Prize for his negotiations with Russia and Japan, hardly the actions of a war monger. Roosevelt was just an energetic person and he wanted to civilize what he thought of as uncivilized countries.
The second big question was, was it for a good cause? Yes. I am a naysayer. Roosevelt wanted to stop Germany before World War 2 had even begun.
Woodrow Wilson lied about America’s involvement in World War I. Being president at the time, he told his people that America would not get involved in the war. America ended up getting involved in the war, because of Wilson. There are both reasons that it was ok for Wilson to lie and there are are reasons that it was not ok for him to lie. A reason for it being ok, is because he won the war with a great payout and low cost of lives. A reason for it not being ok, is because if the people do not think they are going to war, then they do not have time to prepare for it.
World War II was an exceptional war for the United States. The United States emerged from the war as a world superpower and protector of all other nations. There were many reasons why the United States entered World War II, however President Franklin Roosevelt was in some way directly connected to every reason. Roosevelt wanted to enter World War II as soon as it started for political and economic needs. However, the American people did not want to enter in another war, such as World War I, that costs so many lives and money. Therefore, Roosevelt schemed a plan to enter the United States into World War II that would change the minds of the American people, including the direct aiding of Great Britain, the German bombing of a United States warship, and the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor.
His policies were successful in that they led to the end of the war with Germany and Japan. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was relatively unknown to politics until his campaign for presidency in 1932. Another way FDR helped establish the modern presidency and his place in it was by establishing the military and taking steps toward future world alliances. In 1938, FDR'set out to align the United States with the Western democracies, embarking on a sustained effort to educate his nation to his views and build up its military capacity' (Greenstein 20). This creation of the United States as a world power helped boost the need for a more modernized presidency.
for their actions. This had to be done as Germany had lost the war and
Overall, FDR’s response to the crisis in America proved beneficial to many Americans, at least for the short term. As Document J demonstrates, it was WWII that truly solved the problem of depression and spurred America’s recovery. However, FDR’s New Deal impacted the future of America mentally. It instilled trust for FDR and his leadership which would be critical as America was heading into WWII, and FDR would have to serve three terms. As Document H states, “the government as an instrument of democratic action in the future has…been strengthened and renovated.”
Brinkley, Douglas. The wilderness warrior : Theodore Roosevelt and the crusade for America. New York : HarperCollins, 2009.
President Harry Truman came into office right at the end of World War II, after the death of President Franklin Roosevelt. Almost immediately after becoming president, Truman learned of the Manhattan Project, and had to decide whether or not to use the atomic bomb. With the advice of James Byrnes, Secretary of State, Truman decided to drop two atomic bombs on Japan, in part to demonstrate America’s power to the world and gain a political advantage in Europe (Offner 294). After World War II ended, there were negotiations about Germany, and it was decided that Germany would be split into two halves; the western half would be controlled by the United States and its allies, while the eastern half would be controlled by the Soviet Union. This situation led to increased tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union because of the two nations’ different political and economic systems. The Soviet Union began to view the United States as a threat to communism, and the United States began to view the Soviet Union as a threat to democracy. On March 12, 1947, Truman gave a speech in which he argued that the United States should support nations trying to resist Soviet imperialism. Truman and his advisors created a foreign policy that consisted of giving reconstruction aid to Europe, and preventing Russian expansionism. These foreign policy decisions, as well as his involvement in the usage of the atomic bomb, raises the question of whether or not the Cold War can be blamed on Truman.
The major strengths of Theodore Roosevelt’s Foreign Policy lied in his eager and energetic global action, his desire to involve the United States in global politics, as well as in his belief in his Big Stick diplomacy. Roosevelt’s naval intervention in Panama, which led to successful retaliation against Colombian government, allowed for the construction the Panama Canal previously stymied by a lack of cooperation on the part of Colombia. The Canal uncovered a new and valuable trade route, linking the Pacific to the Atlantic, and stimulating economic growth for both the United States as well as other countries.
The decisions made by our leaders during the world wars greatly affected our history and the worlds. President Woodrow Wilson and Franklin D. Roosevelt made great strides to protect our national security and our future. Both had similarities and differences in their strategy to combat the issue of war. Both made the United States more involved in world affairs today.