Analysis of US Reaction, Involvement, and Decisions in World War II

This essay analyzes the United States' reaction to World War II, drawing parallels to its response to World War I. It explores the events leading up to the US entry, including the Treaty of Versailles, economic downturns, and the rise of extremism in Europe. The essay examines the US's initial neutrality and gradual shift towards supporting the Allies, culminating in the attack on Pearl Harbor. A significant portion is dedicated to evaluating Harry Truman's decision to drop the atomic bomb, presenting arguments for and against the action, and discussing its long-term consequences, including the ethical debates surrounding it. The essay references key historical sources to support its claims.

Running Head: UNITED STATES REACTION TO WORLD WAR II
United States Reaction to World War II

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Summary
It has been observed that America reacted to the World War II in the same way it reacted to
the World War I.
The way U.S. was manipulated for participating in the war
After the World War I took place the Americans realized the fact that the participation of
their country in that war was one of their biggest mistakes. Furthermore, America entered
into the World War II two years into the war on 8th December in the year 1941. However, it
has been observed that America maintained neutrality and U.S. also have been involved in
the war for long in terms of supporting the allies.
In the first 2 years with regards to the war America remained neutral from the political
ground. The U.S. military was also deployed for replacing the British forces in the Iceland
after the invasion of the British in there. It can be said that America simply entered the World
War II after bombing the Pearl Harbour but U.S. had been moving towards the allianceship
with the Allied powers over the years (Lacey, 2011).
The events that lead towards the war in the Europe and the reason they
were in the war
It has been observed that there were some of the events that lead towards the war in the
Europe. The following are some of the main events:
The Treaty of Versailles and the desire of the Germans for the revenge- The heart-breaking
experience of the World War I left the nations that were victorious and their people for
avoiding a repeat of the same thing.

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Economic downturns- It is another event that was responsible for the war in the Europe.
There was also Hyper-inflation hit Germany in the and also facilitated the early development
in the career of Hitler.
Rise in the extremism- Europe was one of the countries that emerged from the First World
War Furthermore, Hitler choose to intervene in the Spanish Civil War for boosting the
presence in the Europe. In this particular time the friendship between the Germany and Italy
became quite strong in nature.
The appeasement failure- To the European events that took place from the year 1914-1918
one of the direct response was the American Isolationism that America was drawn into this
situation. So France and Britain became quite terrified by the war’s prospect (Bell, 2014).
Evaluating the decision of Harry Truman for dropping the atomic bomb
Harry did not want to destroy the people or culture of Japan at any cost but one of his main
goals was to destroy the ability of Japan for conducting any type of war in the future. Hence,
in the 6th August, 1945 early in the morning Enola Gay dropped this atomic bomb over the
city of Hiroshima. On the other hand, it can be argued that Harry said that in terms of
dropping the atomic bomb his decision was entirely military. This atomic bomb brought an
end towards one of the most deadly wars in the entire history.
Earlier Truman stated that he considered Japan to be extremely cruel as well as uncivilized as
a nation but because of this he did not plan to drop the bomb but there are more strong
reasons behind this act. However, as per Harry to drop or not to drop the atomic bomb was
one of the most difficult decisions in his entire life. But he also said that given the similar
circumstances along with choices he would exactly do the same thing again. Hence, it can be
said that he was evil and his decision can never be changed and people will also be hurt
again. Throwing light on the above-mentioned discussion it can be said that the act of

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Truman was completely barbaric in nature and it brought the negative consequences that
were long-term to the U.S. It was a new age of the nuclear terror that led for the dangerous
arms race. The bombings were completely unnecessary from any grounds. However, Truman
might be doing his job from getting instructions from U.S. but it was purely an evil act that
took life of the innocent people. Not only the lives of the innocent people were taken but also
a lot of soldiers lost their lives.
It can be concluded that the ethical debate with regards to decision for dropping this atomic
bomb will continue and may be no one can arrive towards a perfect conclusion ever
(Miscamble, 2011).

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References
Bell, P. M. H. (2014). The Origins of the Second World War in Europe. Routledge.
Lacey, J. (2011). Keep from All Thoughtful Men: How US Economists Won World War II.
Annapolis: Naval Institute Press.
Miscamble, W. D. (2011). The Most Controversial Decision: Truman, the Atomic Bombs,
and the Defeat of Japan. Cambridge University Press.