Ch+28+-+Causes+of+U.S.+Involvement

=Chapter 28 - Causes of U.S. Involvement=

The main cause of United States involvement in World War II was the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. There were many other factors that caused the Japanese to attack Pearl Harbor. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, [|President Roosevelt] asked Congress to declare war on the Japanese Empire.

The Beginning of the War
World War II looked like it was ready to being when [|Hitler] broke the Munich agreement when he sent troops to occupy Czechoslovakia. When Hitler did this, it showed that he had no limits and war was going to break out. Britain and France were ready for war if Poland was attacked. They thought that the Soviets and Stalin would be an enemy of Germany and Hitler, but instead the Germans and the Soviets a nonaggression pact. Stalin and Hitler agreed to divide Poland between them. On September 1, 1939 the Germans invaded Poland. When the British and French heard about the invasion, they were ready and they declared war on Germany. Because Germany were allies with Italy and Japan, the British and the French declared war on them also. World War II had begun in Europe.

U.S. Neutrality[[image:7.jpg width="291" height="194" align="right"]]
When the war began, United States was neutral. The Americans opposed Hitler's actions but they still wanted their country to stay out of the war. Roosevelt felt it was necessary for the British to survive the war because of U.S. security. Therefore, he changed laws of [|U.S. neutrality] to make sure that they were helping out the British. "Cash and carry" the new act that ended the U.S. embargo. This could only help the British and not the Germans. President Roosevelt felt that the war was going to soon involve them, so he decided to expand the army. The Selective Training and Service Act provided for the registration of all American men between 21 and 35 and for the training of 1.2 million troops. Meanwhile, the British were struggling in the war and they needed help. Roosevelt arranged a trade that the British would get 50 destroyers and the Americans would be able to build military bases in the British islands in the Caribbean.

Disputes with Japan[[image:9.jpg width="322" height="203" align="right"]]
Japan joined Germany and Italy in the Axis powers in September 1940. Roosevelt responded by prohibiting the export of steel and iron to all countries except Britain and countries in the western hemisphere. He did this to anger the Japanese and they responded by saying that it was an unfriendly act. Then in July 1941, the Japanese troops occupied French Indochina. This angered Roosevelt and he responded by freezing all Japanese credits and he also cut off Japanese access to materials, including oil. Japan needed oil to fuel its navy and air force. Japan also violated the [|Open Door Policy] by invading China. The Americans wanted the Japanese to leave China but the Japanese wanted oil. An agreement was never made after many attempts. Roosevelt knew that an armed confrontation with the Japanese was going to take place, but he hoped that it would be delayed until the armed forces in Pacific were ready. But the Japanese believed that a quick action was necessary because of the limited oil supplies.

Pearl Harbor[[image:10.jpg width="159" height="234" align="right"]]
The U.S. fleet in the Pacific was at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. On December 7, 1941 the Japanese planes flew over Pearl Harbor and bombed the ships. The attack lasted under two hours but about 2,400 Americans were killed. Even though the government knew that an attack was coming from the Japanese, they were surprised that they chose Pearl Harbor and did the attack so quickly since the disagreements. The day after the attack on Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt addressed Congress and asked Congress to declare war on the Japanese Empire. On December 8, 1941 the same day [|Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war], Congress declared war on Japan. Because U.S. had declared war on Japan; Germany and Italy declared war on the U.S. World War II fully involved the United States now.


 * Sources:**
 * [|American History: A Survey 12th Edition]
 * [|United States History: Preparing for the Advanced Placement Examination]
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