The U.S. and Its Involvement in The World Wars Essay Example

For both of the world wars, the Unites States joined after the conflict had already begun to take place in the rest of the world. Each time, the U.S. had a variety of reasons to do so. Whether they were forced into intervening or had personal motivations to do so, at the end of the day they still ended up becoming an incredibly important and influential part of the winning sides in both World Wars I and II; without their involvement, the course of history may have been significantly altered in comparison to how it is now, whether for the better or for the worse.

As World War I began, the United States had been well-known for its tradition of isolation, and seldom took part in international disputes. At first, the country’s leaders made the decision to stay neutral, since it was in the interest of the nation’s well-being to continue trading with all sides. If they were to take a side in the war, they would have to cease all trade with the nations they were opposing, therefore losing the opportunity to make a substantial amount of money. Alongside this, merchants and manufacturers feared that taking a side in the war would cause boycotts in the nation, which had the ability to severely hinder, or even outright cripple, the U.S. economy. However, this idea of neutrality was never meant to be, and eventually, Great Britain decided to impose a blockade of Germany using its powerful navy. The blockade made it impossible for the U.S. to perform any sort of trade with Germany or the other Central Powers, and instead forced them to increase trade with England and France by over 300%. This, coupled with the fact that their trade with Germany was cut by more than 90%, prompted Germany to perform submarine warfare against American vessels. And after two and a half years of neutrality and isolation, the U.S. joined World War I in 1916.

With the rise of World War II, the people of the United States were struggling to handle the challenges of the Great Depression. Rather than engaging in the bubbling conflict, the U.S. instead hoped to be able to remain separate from it, since the dangers of war could be far too stressful alongside the struggles they were already going through on their own. They clung to the idea of isolationism, even as more and more of Europe and Asia began to fall under the Axis Powers. However, as Great Britain eventually became the final pillar of freedom against Nazi-Controlled Europe, the United States began to realize that their attempts at refraining from the conflict were unrealistic and dangerous. Finally, with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, the U.S. decided once and for all to enter itself into World War II.

Originally, the United States had no intentions of being a major participant in World War I and World War II, let alone participating in either of the wars at all. However, through a separate series of events, they were eventually left with no other choices each time and ended up making the decision to take a side and fight on the front lines. These decisions to take part in these historical conflicts forever altered the course of history as we know it, and the events that took place helped to shape our world.