USA, 1865–1975 – only) Crisis of identity, 1920–1945 (A-level only): The…

The idea

American foreign policy between 1920 and 1945 transitioned from cautious non-entanglement to global leadership. Following the First World War, the USA embraced isolationism, rejecting the League of Nations and passing the Neutrality Acts of the 1930s to avoid European conflicts. However, this isolationism was never absolute, as evidenced by economic interventions like the Dawes Plan. As totalitarianism threatened global stability, President Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) gradually steered the nation away from isolationism. Through policies like Cash and Carry and Lend-Lease, FDR supported the Allies while navigating domestic opposition. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 definitively ended isolationism, plunging the USA into the Second World War.

What earns the marks

• Assess the extent of US isolationism in the 1920s and 1930s, noting the rejection of the League of Nations alongside continued economic diplomacy.
• Analyse the impact of the Neutrality Acts (1935-1939) as legislative attempts to prevent the USA from being drawn into foreign conflicts.
• Evaluate FDR's role in gradually shifting US foreign policy from strict neutrality to active support for the Allies through Cash and Carry and the Lend-Lease Act.
• Explain the significance of the Pearl Harbor attack as the catalyst that definitively ended American isolationism and initiated full entry into the Second World War.

Common mistakes and how to put them right

• Describing 1920s US policy as total isolationism.

  Put it right: Clarify that the USA remained highly active economically and diplomatically, such as through the Washington Naval Conference and the Kellogg-Briand Pact.

• Stating that FDR wanted to enter the Second World War from the beginning.

  Put it right: Explain that FDR recognised the fascist threat but had to carefully navigate strong domestic isolationist sentiment and anti-war legislation.

• Confusing the terms of Cash and Carry with Lend-Lease.

  Put it right: Distinguish that Cash and Carry required belligerents to pay in advance and transport goods themselves, whereas Lend-Lease allowed the President to lend or lease arms without immediate payment.

Exam tips

• Use the Dawes and Young Plans as evidence to argue that US isolationism in the 1920s was primarily political rather than economic.
• Trace the evolution of FDR's foreign policy by chronologically linking the Quarantine Speech, Cash and Carry, and Lend-Lease to show the gradual erosion of neutrality.
• Consider the role of domestic pressure groups, such as the America First Committee, when evaluating the challenges FDR faced in ending isolationism.