Roosevelt Foreign Policy

Roosevelt's Foreign Policy

When World War II broke out in Europe in September 1939, Roosevelt called Congress into special session to revise the neutrality acts to permit Britain and France to buy American arms on a “cash-and-carry” basis (Foreign Policy). Over the objections of isolationists, the cash-and-carry policy was enacted. When France fell to the Germans in the spring and early summer of 1940, and Britain was left alone to face the Nazi war machine, Roosevelt convinced Congress to intensify defense preparations and to support Britain with “all aid short of war.” While Roosevelt remained a peacemaker in Europe, the Japanese bombings in Pearl Harbor caused him to elicit the aid of Russia and Britain for retaliation.Roosevelt dealt with potential European intervention in Venezuela and the Dominican Republic, and employed tactics in securing right to the Panama Canal (Foreign Policy).

Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor .

When Japan joined the Axis powers of Germany and Italy, Roosevelt began to restrict exports to Japan of supplies essential to making war. Throughout 1941, Japan negotiated with the United States, seeking restoration of trade in those supplies, particularly petroleum products. When the negotiations failed to produce agreement, Japanese military leaders began to plan an attack on the United States. the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on Dec. 7, 1941, destroying nearly the entire U.S. Pacific fleet and hundreds of airplanes and killing about 2,500 military personnel and civilians (World War II Figureheads). On December 8, at Roosevelt's request, Congress declared war on Japan (Foreign Policy).

Yalta Conference

-The Big Three—Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin, met in Yalta to discuss their future plans. Roosevelt secured Stalin's commitment to enter the war against Japan after Germany's surrender and to establish democratic governments in the nations of eastern Europe occupied by Soviet troops. Stalin also planned on...