FDR and World War II (article) | Khan Academy (2024)

After leading the United States through nearly a decade of Depression, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt took on the role of Commander-in-Chief when the United States entered the Second World War.

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  • NoahRehberg

    7 years agoPosted 7 years ago. Direct link to NoahRehberg's post “Why did Japan join the al...”

    Why did Japan join the allies in world war 1 but the Nazis in world war 2?

    (21 votes)

    • StarBoy4

      6 years agoPosted 6 years ago. Direct link to StarBoy4's post “Because the allies were m...”

      FDR and World War II (article) | Khan Academy (4)

      Because the allies were mostly against the push japan was taking. Japan was a small nation lacking in "elbow space", so they seeked more land and invaded china. Since the Germans were more friendly, they joined the axis. They joined the allies in ww1 because they wanted to be acknowledged as a world power. Their invasion of Germans in africa proved military might.

      (22 votes)

  • amuschel

    a year agoPosted a year ago. Direct link to amuschel's post “why was hitler against je...”

    why was hitler against jews

    (6 votes)

    • David Alexander

      a year agoPosted a year ago. Direct link to David Alexander's post “1) Hitler was a poor man ...”

      FDR and World War II (article) | Khan Academy (8)

      1) Hitler was a poor man of his times.
      2) Hitler was also a man with a tremendous ambition to be in power.
      3) When he looked at the political possibilities to attain that power, he concluded that rising by hatred was a pretty safe bet.
      4) In Middle Europe, there was already a strong anti-jewish sentiment among some sectors of gthe society. This sentiment went back centuries. It was wrong, it was terrible, but it was there. Hitler made use of that anti-jewish sentiment on his way up the political ladder.
      5) Jewish people, as individuals, as a distinct ethinic group, and as a religious group, had done nothing at all to "earn" the hatred of others.
      6) My own conclusion is that Hitler was a very bad man who rose to power by exploiting class and race hatred in a people (the ethnic Germans) at a time when they were feeling down and oppressed. I emphasize that Hitler was a very bad man. Those who blindly followed him shared in his badness.

      (10 votes)

  • ds35058

    8 years agoPosted 8 years ago. Direct link to ds35058's post “Why did they attack Pearl...”

    Why did they attack Pearl Harbor?

    (3 votes)

    • robersonjosef

      6 years agoPosted 6 years ago. Direct link to robersonjosef's post “The Japanese wanted to in...”

      FDR and World War II (article) | Khan Academy (12)

      The Japanese wanted to intimidate the US into lifting the embargo of oil and gas and destroy some fleets along the way. Which we found out didn't work and Japan woke up a sleeping giant the United States

      (16 votes)

  • SJ MW

    5 years agoPosted 5 years ago. Direct link to SJ MW's post “why was Hitler against pe...”

    why was Hitler against people that were Jewish?

    (2 votes)

    • AJ Jones❤️

      5 years agoPosted 5 years ago. Direct link to AJ Jones❤️'s post “*Theory of Superior Race*...”

      FDR and World War II (article) | Khan Academy (16)

      Theory of Superior Race.
      One of the most important reasons for Hitler’s deep seated aversion for the Jews was that he thought of them as an inferior race. In his speeches and conversations, Hitler passionately stated his belief that the Germans were the descendants of the mighty Aryan race.

      (12 votes)

  • chhuon.menglin

    a year agoPosted a year ago. Direct link to chhuon.menglin's post “In my point of view, I ag...”

    In my point of view, I agree with the historians who rated FDR one of the greatest presidents in US history to a greater extent. In sooth, he did not pay lip service, taking action here and there to help the American nation. Simply put, he was a great president in terms of his presidency. When The Japanese launched a surprise attack on the US navy base, he spontaneously responded to the attack by proposing his idea to the constitution to grant the right to encounter the ferocious attack.

    (4 votes)

    • L. E.

      a year agoPosted a year ago. Direct link to L. E.'s post “I agree, for the most par...”

      I agree, for the most part. FDR was certainly a strong president who represented America well during the war. However, I believe many of the socialist-leaning welfare policies he implemented in the '30s have helped form our economic problems today.

      (1 vote)

  • NayeliH

    5 months agoPosted 5 months ago. Direct link to NayeliH's post “why was hitler against je...”

    why was hitler against jews

    (2 votes)

    • David Alexander

      5 months agoPosted 5 months ago. Direct link to David Alexander's post “He was hateful and hate-f...”

      He was hateful and hate-filled. The Jews were the convenient target. Had he been in China instead of Europe, he would have found some group there to blame. This happens all over the world. Someone hateful and hate-filled finds someone else to blame for his or her troubles.

      (7 votes)

  • 33077

    4 years agoPosted 4 years ago. Direct link to 33077's post “abby why does the us alw...”

    abby
    why does the us always help other countrys when they are in fights?

    (2 votes)

    • Bradley Reynolds

      4 years agoPosted 4 years ago. Direct link to Bradley Reynolds's post “The justification for sup...”

      The justification for supporting Britain in WWII was that its defense was crucial to the United States and democracy as a whole. However, at the time there was also the popular ideology of Isolationism in which people wanted to avoid interfering with foreign nations' conflicts.

      (6 votes)

  • schlaff, steven

    a year agoPosted a year ago. Direct link to schlaff, steven's post “Why did they need big shi...”

    Why did they need big shipments of guns for the war

    (2 votes)

    • David Alexander

      a year agoPosted a year ago. Direct link to David Alexander's post “Guns are used to shoot pe...”

      Guns are used to shoot people during wars. Guns include things from the smallest pistols to the largest artillery on battleships. Guns enable fighting and killing without having to look ones victim in the eye and kill another human being. With a gun, one is only killing a target.

      (5 votes)

  • Zev Oster

    a year agoPosted a year ago. Direct link to Zev Oster's post “Do you think Hitler hated...”

    Do you think Hitler hated the Jews, or did he want power for his own sake? Discrimination of Jews as a political maneuver has been common for almost as long as Judaism has existed, and almost all of the old world has harbored such a nation at one point or another, including in Palestine itself.

    (3 votes)

    • Ethan M

      a year agoPosted a year ago. Direct link to Ethan M's post “Most likely it was a mix ...”

      Most likely it was a mix of both. Through out his childhood he had bad experiences with those who were Jewish and learned to hate them. However it is definitely possible part of the fuel was his thirst for power, and his thirst to destroy all who weren't a part of his "Aryan" race.

      (3 votes)

  • Ashley

    a year agoPosted a year ago. Direct link to Ashley's post “i think he could have bee...”

    i think he could have been a better leader, he may have stopped some of the chaos that was going on, but he also cause some, why didn't he try harder to prevent WW2?

    (2 votes)

    • David Alexander

      a year agoPosted a year ago. Direct link to David Alexander's post “Conditions in Europe, ove...”

      Conditions in Europe, over which he had no control at all, brought on the second world war there. Conditions in the Pacific, over which he had some (but not all) control, brought on the second world war there.

      (3 votes)

FDR and World War II (article) | Khan Academy (2024)

FAQs

Why didn t FDR want to join ww2? ›

Though President Roosevelt wanted to provide assistance to the British, both American law and public fears that the United States would be drawn into the conflict blocked his plans. The Neutrality Act of 1939 allowed belligerents to purchase war materiel from the United States, but only on a “cash and carry” basis.

What was one of the justifications made by Roosevelt for getting involved in World War II? ›

Roosevelt believed that America's safety depended on the destruction of the Axis powers, which led to the U.S.'s participation in the conflict, even before the direct attack on Pearl Harbor.

What were the three R's of the New Deal? ›

The programs focused on what historians refer to as the "3 R's": relief for the unemployed and for the poor, recovery of the economy back to normal levels, and reform of the financial system to prevent a repeat depression.

Did the New Deal actually help? ›

In the short term, New Deal programs helped improve the lives of people suffering from the events of the depression. In the long run, New Deal programs set a precedent for the federal government to play a key role in the economic and social affairs of the nation.

What was FDR criticized for during WW2? ›

Roosevelt (1882–1945). His critics have questioned not only his policies and positions, but also accused him of trying to centralize power in his own hands by controlling both the government and the Democratic Party. Many denounced his breaking of a long-standing tradition by running for a third term in 1940.

Would the US have joined WWII without Pearl Harbor? ›

America was gearing for war; the attack on Pearl Harbor just gave the sitting U.S. president the excuse he needed to convince his country to finally get involved. Had it not come on 7 December 1941, it probably wouldn't have been long before Japanese aggression in Southeast Asia led the two into direct conflict.

How did FDR help us win ww2? ›

Roosevelt built a powerful wartime coalition with Britain and the Soviet Union, and led the nation to victory against Nazi Germany. His wartime efforts prepared the path for his successor, Harry Truman, to win the war against Japan four months after his death.

Why did FDR serve more than two terms? ›

The two-term tradition had been an unwritten rule (until the ratification of the 22nd Amendment after Roosevelt's presidency) since George Washington declined to run for a third term in 1796. Both Ulysses S. Grant and Theodore Roosevelt were attacked for trying to obtain a third non-consecutive term.

Did Franklin D. Roosevelt have two wives? ›

What was the brain trust FDR? ›

Brain trust was a term that originally described a group of close advisers to a political candidate or incumbent; these were often academics who were prized for their expertise in particular fields. The term is most associated with the group of advisers of Franklin D. Roosevelt during his presidential administration.

Does the CCC still exist today? ›

On June 30, 1942, the CCC ceased operations and began to dispose of its assets. The U.S. Congress had appropriated more than $3 billion to the CCC during its nine years of operation, of which more than $200 million was returned to the Treasury.

Who did the New Deal help the least? ›

Answer and Explanation: While the New Deal temporarily alleviated the numerous stresses caused by the Great Depression, not everyone benefitted from the new programs that were created. Primarily, African Americans as well as women experienced little relief despite the many programs created by the New Deal.

What were the criticism of the New Deal? ›

Robert A. Taft, powerful Republican Senator from Ohio from 1939 to 1953. Taft was the leader of the Republican Party's conservative wing; he consistently denounced the New Deal as "socialism" and argued that it harmed America's business interests and gave ever-greater control to the central government in Washington.

What were the weaknesses of the New Deal? ›

  • New Deal policies had gone too far toward socialism.
  • Roosevelt was unconstitutionally expanding the powers of the presidency.
  • a massive redistribution of wealth would be upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.
  • the federal government was not doing enough to deal with the Great Depression.

Was the New Deal a good or a bad program for America? ›

It restored faith in the American economic system, while at the same time it revived a sense of hope in the American people. But economically, it was less successful. Monetary policy, as Christina Romer has suggested, made the most difference. Fiscal policy didn't really work because it wasn't really tried.

Why didn't the US want to enter WWII? ›

Isolationists believed that World War II was ultimately a dispute between foreign nations and that the United States had no good reason to get involved. The best policy, they claimed, was for the United States to build up its own defenses and avoid antagonizing either side.

What was the most significant reason FDR delayed entering the US into ww2? ›

Answer: There was significant public opinion against entering the war. Explanation: What was the most significant reason why Franklin Delano Roosevelt delayed entering World War II? There was significant public opinion against entering the war.

Why did the US avoid involvement in WWII until December 1941? ›

1941? Why was the Pearl Harbor attack such a shock to the U.S.? The U.S. avoided WWII because the Congress and the President wanted to believe that the war did not affect the U.S. Pearl Harbor was such a shock to the U.S. becasue people were ignored until Dec. 7, 1941.

What did Roosevelt want after WWII? ›

Roosevelt had a vision for a post-World War II world that was characterized by peace and stability. Therefore, he proposed a plan known as the Four Freedoms, which outlined four essential human freedoms that he believed should be guaranteed to everyone in the world.

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