Gearhart 1

Oliviah Gearhart

Professor Bedell

CAS137H

November 11, 2019

A Paradigm Shift: American Isolationism to Internationalism

The United States has been a country to watch since escaping England’s rule and

subsequently adopting democracy. There have been rises and falls of American greatness, but the

United State remains a country under the eyes of others. Despite the current state of the country

as a global power, at a specific time in American history, the United States favored isolationism

and rejected the idea of working with or for other countries. This was primarily the post-World

War I era. The American public did not want to be working and fighting for someone else,

fearing the repercussions. However, this ideology quickly shifts throughout World War II,

establishing the United States as a world leader and superpower. Participation in World War II

through American involvement after Pearl Harbor, establishment of foreign economic power,

and creation of international institutions led to the shift from American isolationism to

internationalism that propelled the North Atlantic Trade Agreement, domestic economic growth,

military readiness, and suburban middle-class advancement.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT

After World War I, the United States favored isolationism greatly. The war destroyed the desire

for Americans to participate in global issues. This remained throughout the years leading up to

World War II. The United States felt as if they had enough of their own issues to solve and

getting involved in other countries’ problems was problematic for the country to do at the time.
 Gearhart 2

A cause of this was the lives lost during World War I and the economic crisis of the Great

Depression, resulting in Neutrality Acts that were put in place to define the United States’

impartiality. These events caused the American ideology of isolationism which resulted in the

United States’ neutrality in the world in the years leading up to World War II.

World War I and the Great Depression. After World War I, the United States—both citizens and

government—had no desire to become a world superpower. Most Americans were dealing with

loss and grief after the war. They had lost so much already, and they did not want to be put in

another position to lose more. Many people argued that “America should not feel a moral

obligation to involve herself in world affairs on the side of democracy against military and

autocracy” (Boyle, 43). This was the error that Americans felt like they made in World War I

and did not want to repeat this mistake. The nation-wide view that America made a disastrous

mistake by getting involved in World War I created a large appreciation for isolationism.

During the time period between the end of World War I and the start of World War II, the

United States was occupied with their own crisis. The Great Depression—a major economic

depression that lasted from 1929 to 1939—created a myriad of problems for the United States

government and public to fix. The United States had to focus and resolve domestic issues and

felt no responsibility to prevent another war from occurring. The public programs and economy-

boosting practices the United States government had to create in this time period left them in no

position to contribute as a world power. America at this time had little “power to determine

events in other nations and to reshape the world to her own liking” (Boyle, 43). Because of the

economic crises the United States was in, it barely had the power to rebuild itself, let alone

contribute economically or militarily on a global scale. Americans understood this, leading them

to produce the national ideology of isolationism.

 Gearhart 3

The Neutrality Acts. In the 1930s, the United States issued multiple acts in order to define

America’s neutrality. These acts were the government’s commendation of the public’s

isolationist ideology. They aimed to keep America out of global issues by stating specifically

how America would display neutrality. In simple terms, the Neutrality Act of 1935 “banned

exporting arms, ammunition, and implements of war.” The Neutrality Act of 1937 banned

Americans from “traveling on belligerent ships, transporting arms to belligerents,” and it banned

belligerent ships from being on US waters. The Act established in 1939—the last of the

Neutrality Acts—barred American ships from transporting goods to belligerent ports (“The

Neutrality Acts”). These acts were the government’s response and appraisal of Americans

establishing national isolationism.

INPUTS TO THE SHIFT

World War II and the US military. Throughout the beginning of World War II, Americans

remained loyal to their isolationist ideology; however, that changed for a large majority of

Americans after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. A day after the attack that killed 2400

American soldiers, President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave a speech that established the shift from

isolationism to interventionism. President Roosevelt said, “I ask that the Congress declare that

since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7th, 1941, a state of

war has existed between the United States and the Japanese empire” (Roosevelt). Despite

previous speeches from the President that spoke of remaining neutral, the President took the step

to declare America as an active participant in the war.

The bombing of Pearl Harbor required action from the United States. It was no longer a

European problem that the country could ignore. “Within a week of Pearl Harbor, the United

States mobilized 130,000 troops in the Philippines, including Filipino troops, to defend the

islands against a Japanese invasion” (Lyons). This was the first time the world could see the
 Gearhart 4

United States becoming a powerful global state that was capable of tremendous acts. Once the

United States militarized, there was no stopping the country from becoming a world leader in

this war. The bombing of Pearl Harbor initiated a spark in the United States that was followed

with atomic bombs being dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This act made it clear to

Americans that they were no longer an isolated state. Former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt said,

“we came into a new world—a world in which we had to learn to live in friendship with our

neighbors of every race and creed and color, or face the fact that we might be wiped off the face

of the earth.” (Glendon, 24). Americans no longer valued remaining neutral. They were ready to

fight to protect themselves against future threats and develop into a global superpower, becoming

an interventionist country.

Foreign Economic Superiority. After the conclusion of World War II, the European economy

was in shambles. The United States decided to take the opportunity to expand their global

outreach. Instead of resorting to previous ideological decisions of going back to the US and

continuing to ignore problems outside of the borders, the United States initiated institutions and

programs that would help rebuild the European economy. In doing so, the United States

established potential to become a global superpower through interventionist practices.

One of the plans that the United States created was the Marshall Plan, also called the

European Recovery Plan. The goal of this plan was to rebuild the European economy to a point

of stability, while also developing allies for the United States. The Marshall Plan “provided $13

billion between 1948 and 1951 to help rebuild war-torn Europe” (Wanlund). The US was able to

provide this money because of the enormous profit the country made from weapon production

during the war. One condition to the Marshall Plan was that recipient countries had to “exclude

communists from their governments and purchase supplies from U.S. manufacturers whenever

possible (Wanlund). The success of this plan was seen when the “total gross national product
 Gearhart 5

among recipient nations increased by 32 percent during the 4 years the plan was in effect”

(Wanlund). This plan established the prominent role that the US would play in rebuilding the

world after the war, displaying the interventionist ideology the country would use in order to

become a global superpower.

While the Marshall plan focused on rebuilding the European economy, the United States

also passed an act that focused on sending monetary aid to rebuild the European defense system.

This was called the Mutual Defense Assistance Act of 1949, and it appropriated “$1.4 billion

dollars for the purpose of building Western European defenses” (“North Atlantic Treaty

Agreement”). America no longer valued isolating herself as a protection. The United States saw

the benefits of becoming involved in foreign relations. By rebuilding not only the European

economy, but also the European military, the United States established its presence in global

terms. This appearance on the global scale highlighted the shift that occurred in American

ideology from isolationism to interventionism.

The establishment of international institutions. The United States developed international

institutions in order to shift from an isolated society to one that is ready to intervene in global

issues. One of the greatest institutions created as the United States made this shift was the United

Nations. The blueprint for the United Nations was the League of Nations that was meant to

promote world peace after World War I, but because the United States was still isolationist, it

failed due to the lack of U.S. involvement. In contrast, the United Nations with the United States’

constant contribution is still thriving today. The United Nations started with the Atlantic Charter

in 1941, when President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill proposed principles for

“international collaboration to maintain peace and security” (“Milestones”). After the Atlantic

Charter was established, two phases of meetings took place in the span of a month. The United

States, the United Kingdom, the USSR, and China—the countries that would become permanent
 Gearhart 6

members on the security council—met and agreed on “aims, structure, and functioning of a

world organization” (“Milestones”). Finally, in 1945 the United Nations was created after the

permanent members and a majority of other signatories ratified the charter. Because the United

Nations has the “power to intervene in disputes between nations” by “imposing economic

sanctions and taking military action,” and because the United States is a permanent member that

has an indefinite voice in these matters, the US was able to practice the newly adopted

interventionist ideology (Sarooshi).

Part of the United Nations where the United States truly took control was in the

establishment of the Declaration of Human Rights. Eleanor Roosevelt became the chairman of

the United Commissions of Human Rights. In developing this declaration, she said the “lack of

standards for human rights over the world was one of the greatest causes of friction among the

nations (Glendon, 31). By having a former First Lady as the chairman of the human rights

commission, the United States was able to define what human rights standards the world was

going to abide by, and if countries did not abide by them, the United States would have the

authority to step in. This establishment of ability to intervene set the United States on a path

away from isolationism.

Another international institution that the United States created that allowed them to

participate in internationalism was the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. The

World Bank provides aid to less developed nations, while the International Monetary Fund lends

“funds to help countries out of short-term currency crises” (Wanlund). These institutions provide

resources for countries that are in poor circumstances. Instead of focusing solely on domestic

institutions, the United States worked to provide a better future and more stable environment for

other countries, thus becoming an interventionist country rather than isolationist.

RESISTANCE TO THE SHIFT

 Gearhart 7

As discussed at the beginning of this paper, most Americans were against the idea of getting

involved in foreign issues after World War I. For example, “70% of Americans polled believed

that American participation in the war had been a mistake” (“The United States: Isolation-

Intervention"). There were specific groups of people that did not want to become involved in

global issues. There was the America First Committee, which was the largest anti-war

organization in American history. The founder of this organization said that “the disastrous entry

of the U.S. into the slaughter-house of World War I was his motivation in founding the AFC”

because war became the “permanent American condition” (Kauffman, 39). There were other

organizations as well such as Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, peace

churches, and conscientious objectors (Bennett, 260). These organizations argued for strong

national defense but did not want to become involved in other countries’ conflicts. They

protested “peaceful military draft” and the Lend-Lease (“The United States: Isolation-

Intervention"). However, after Pearl Harbor, many of these resistance groups disbanded, as they

understood America’s responsibility to protect herself and participate in the world war.

OUTPUTS OF THE SHIFT

The United States’ shift from isolation to intervention produced many benefits for the country.

One of these benefits is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. In this agreement, the United

States along with multiple other countries in North America and Europe band together and

consider “attack against one an attack against all,” and they agree to discuss potential threats and

all defense matters with each other (“North Atlantic Treaty Organization”). This means that all

the countries in NATO are involved in the other’s affairs. This is a very different ideology than

what was present at the beginning of the war, when the U.S. did not want to get involved in any

country’s business. If the shift away from isolationism did not take place, NATO would not have

been established.
 Gearhart 8

Domestic Benefits. The United States reaped the benefits of interventionism not only through

foreign affairs like NATO, but also through domestic growth. For example the U.S. experienced

significant domestic economic prosperity after accepting an interventionist ideology. The U.S.

became the world’s wealthiest country, jumping from “$200 thousand-million in 1940 to $300

thousand-million in 1960” (“The Post-War Economy”). This economic success could be largely

attributed to the interfusion of military and industry. Because the U.S. became involved in World

War II, factories made a change to manufacture war weapons for other countries and for our own

military. This raised the National GDP and dropped unemployment rates. During the Great

Depression, unemployment rates reached 25%, according to the graph below from the Bureau of

Labor Statistics. However, as seen in the second graph by the same bureau, unemployment in

1948 did not exceed 4%.

 Gearhart 9

If the U.S. had not experienced a shift in ideologies from isolationism to interventionism, the

Great Depression could have potentially lasted much longer, and the U.S. economy could have

remained stagnant for a longer time if these work and manufacturing opportunities had not

become available.

Because of the manufacturing of war weapons and the United States’ military

participation in World War II, the U.S. became a state that was constantly militarily prepared.

After being attacked at Pearl Harbor, the U.S. was not going to let another attack like that happen

because of their lack of defense. The country recognized its role as a world leader post World

War II and created military bases around the world in both ally and previous enemy countries.

Although Germany and Japan were U.S. enemies during World War II, the common threat of

communism during the Cold War created an acceptation for U.S. military bases in these

countries. These bases displayed America’s capability to protect these countries through

“conventional and nuclear weapons” (Ohtomo). The U.S. emerged as the world’s economic and

military superpower. Because of intervention beliefs, the U.S. is constantly prepared to intervene

in foreign affairs to oppose foes, support allies, protect economic self-interest, and provide

humanitarian aid (Katel). The intervention ideology that the U.S. adopted in World War II

allowed the U.S. to develop arguably the strongest defense system in the world.
 Gearhart 10

The military action that the United States took in World War II and has valued since then,

allowed for the growth of suburbia and the middle class. The strong economy due to military

success allowed for low-cost housing that many people were able to afford (Corbett). As the

United States became a superpower through intervention in foreign affairs, veterans were coming

home from the war. The GI Bill was put in place in order to support veterans and “provide

expansion of opportunity and social uplift” (Clark, 165). It provided veterans with a college

education. The improvement of accessible education allowed for higher paying jobs, which

resulted in the growth of the middle class. While the middle class was growing, houses were

being made in factories at a low cost. This created suburbia, many which are called Levittown.

The suburbia and middle-class expansion would not have been achieved had the economy not

expanded due to the international role the U.S. adopted as a world superpower.

CONCLUSION

The United States experienced a paradigm shift from isolationism to internationalism with the

involvement in World War II militarily, economically, and institutionally, which resulted in the

North Atlantic Trade Agreement, economic growth, military readiness, and suburbia and middle-

class expansion. The United States experienced this shift in the 20th century during the World

Wars. However, this was not the first time the U.S. has experienced this shift, and it will not be

the last time. As current President of the United States cuts off immigration and increases border

control, the U.S. may see a shift back into isolationism. While the U.S. has seen a myriad of

benefits from contributing to international affairs and experienced grave consequences from

isolationism, these shifts in ideology are inevitable. Only time will tell if history will repeat

itself.
 Gearhart 11

Works Cited

Bennett, Scott H. “AMERICAN PACIFISM, THE ‘GREATEST GENERATION,’ AND

WORLD WAR II.” The United States and the Second World War: New Perspectives on

Diplomacy, War, and the Home Front, edited by G. Kurt Piehler and Sidney Pash,

Fordham University, 2010, pp. 259–292. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt13wzx9d.13.

Boyle, Peter G. “The Roots of Isolationism: A Case Study.” Journal of American Studies, vol. 6,

no. 1, 1972, pp. 41–50. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/27552971.

Corbett, P. Scott, et al. “The American Dream.” U.S. History, edited by Volker Janssen,

OpenStax, 2019.

Katel, Peter. "U.S. Global Engagement." CQ Researcher, 16 May 2014, pp. 433-56,

library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqresrre2014051603.

Kauffman, Bill. “Still America First.” American Conservative, vol. 13, no. 4, July 2014, p. 39.

EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=96791685&site=ehost-

live&scope=site.

Lyons, Christina L. "Military Readiness." CQ Researcher, 3 Nov. 2017, pp. 917-44,

library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqresrre2017110303.

“Milestones 1941-1950.” United Nations, United Nations,

www.un.org/en/sections/history/milestones-1941-1950/index.html.

“The Neutrality Acts, 1930s.” U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of State,

history.state.gov/milestones/1921-1936/neutrality-acts.
 Gearhart 12

“North Atlantic Treaty Agreement (NATO), 1949.” U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department

of State, history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/nato.

“The Postwar Economy: 1945-1960.” The Postwar Economy: 1945-1960, University of

Groningen, 2012, www.let.rug.nl/usa/outlines/history-1994/postwar-america/the-

postwar-economy-1945-1960.php.

Ohtomo, Takafumi. “Understanding U.S. Overseas Military Presence after World War II.”

Journal of International and Advanced Japanese Studies, vol. 4, Mar. 2012, pp. 17–29.

Sarooshi, Dan. “Security Council.” Security Council, Global Policy Forum, 2019,

www.globalpolicy.org/security-council/32932.html.

“The United States: Isolation-Intervention.” United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, United

States Holocaust Memorial Museum, encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/the-

united-states-isolation-intervention.

Wanlund, Bill. "U.S. Foreign Policy in Transition." CQ Researcher, 29 Mar. 2019, pp. 1-61,

library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqresrre2019032903.