1. Would the United States have entered WWII had the Japanese not bombed Pearl Harbor? If yes, when do you feel they would have entered? If no, explain why.
I don't think America would've entered the war if it was not for the attack on Pearl Harbor because until then the country had no interest in fighting. America was keeping an eye on Germany but there was no need to declare war on them. ”Japanese ambitions in Asia clashed more openly with American interests and commitments…” (747) Our government clashed with theirs but they did not pose an immediate threat to us. Hitler never planned an attack on the United States but Japan did.
When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Roosevelt vowed to fight back. Japan was feeling powerful but they underestimated how quickly Americans would react, and how badly they would want revenge. “Roosevelt vowed that ‘ this form of treachery she'll never endanger us again’”(748) Roosevelt gave a moving and powerful speech to Congress and they endorsed the president's declaration of war. This declaration is what brought America into the war because immediately after Hitler and Mussolini declared war on the U.S. Without America declaring war on Japan, America would've never joined WWll because Germany and Italy would never have declared war on America, and I don't think America would've joined the war without that happening.
2. How would the war have progressed, changed, or been different if the United States had not entered? How would Roosevelt’s legacy have changed if the United States never entered/won the war?
If America did not enter the war, it would’ve been much harder for the allies to win, and it would've taken much longer. America dispatched millions of soldiers into Asia and Europe, and once that happened it was over for the Axis powers. America was fresh, young, and angry. If America did not enter this is a chance that the Allies would not have won.
If America did not enter or win the war I think Roosevelt would've been a less memorable president. He created the New Deal but there were mass amounts of backlash surrounding it. Deciding to join the war, was a very popular decision and it helped become one of the things that he is most known for. “...but he was determined to remain president until the war ended.”(759) Fighting and winning the war gave Roosevelt one last good trait before he passed away.
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