Role of the united states during wwii editting

Running head: ROLE OF USA DURING WORLD WAR II
Role of the United States during World War II
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Role of the United States during WWII
The aim of the World War II was to create neutrality among all the countries involved in
the war. During the World War II era, the majority of the American civilians were against the
war as opposed to their leaders. Notably, America would remain neutral in law, and their
participation would be indirect (Berinsky, 2009. According to Berinsky (2009), USA joined war
after the bombing of the US Pacific fleet in the Pearl Harbor. America formed an allied force
with Britain, Russia, and France. Keenly, America and its allies won the war. The role played by
the USA during the war cannot be underestimated. This paper focuses on the role of USA in the
World War II and the kind of support they gave to their allies in their efforts to fight.
America role before joining the war
America offered economic help to the allies before their declaration to accede to the War.
According to Berinsky (2009) since the start of the war, the US President Franklin Roosevelt felt
that the conflict threatened US security. As a result, the Board of Governors announced that the
federal reserve system of the United States was more than ready to use its power to ensure that
there was a continuous supply of funds that would help to support the war. Though the United
States’ mission before the war was to finance the war mission, this mission changed after the
war.
According to Hill (2007), the United States through an innovative program called LendLease fully committed themselves to support during the war. The financial assistance offered by
the Americans flowed to the UK and other nations that were already at war with Japan and
Germany. Notably, Lend-Lease was provided in the early years of the World War II where the
United States entered into binding contracts with the United Kingdom and dispensed billions of
money in support of the war. It is important to mention that the contract was mainly intended to
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serve the America’s interest in defeating Nazi Germany indirectly without being into war. This
implied that despite the fact that majority of the American civilians were opposing participation
in the war, Lend-Lease represented them fully and it acted as a base for the creation of what was
commonly referred to as the world economic order in the post-war world.
Moreover, of the total funds lend through Lend-Lease program, the United Kingdom
received 31 Billion dollars’ worth of supplies from the United States. The United States also
supported the Soviet Union with trucks, tanks, aircraft, and artillery pieces with a value
exceeding $ 11 billion (Gates, 2010). In addition to the financial support offered, the US also
deployed numerous military officers who actively fought alongside the allied forces.
Consequently, it would be justifiable to deduce that the US played a significant role in ensuring
that the allied forces won the World War II.
The United States also offered diplomatic support to British and some of her allies.
Ideally, this was a great role since it involved intercessions resulting in military and material
support, necessary for war. For instance, the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union in 1940
received ammunition and other material supplies that significantly helped in their victory.
Through the Lend-Lease program, the USA was able to offer material support to the Soviet
Union during its war against the Nazi Germany, which was relatively more endowed with such
resources (Gates, 2010). During the World War II, the United States of America launched the
Operation Overload whose main aim was to invade North West Europe. After the attacks on
Pearl Harbor by the Japanese, the United States joined the war. The war between Italy and
Germany in 1943 influenced other European countries to join the World War II.
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American continuing support after the declaration of war
The role of United States in the World War II was still evident even after joining the war.
The US indulged in trade and support of warring countries with the aim of expanding its
economies. It was their role to ensure that they maintained the world economy through their aid
to the allied forces. Gates (2010) states that during the World War II, the United States supplied
sophisticated weapons and technical support for defense, amounting to $46 billion to all the
allied countries. During the World War II era, the US spent heavily on military. 13% of the US
budget was allocated for military and defense expenses. The USA supplied ammunition and
other military materials to 42 countries. England received the lion’s share, an estimate of $ 30.3
billion of the total amount allocated for the military purpose. France received approximately $
1.4 billion whereas China received an average of $ 631 million. Additionally, the Soviet Union
received technological aid from the US inform of military training and operation of sophisticated
military equipment (Gates, 2010).
The United States also played the role of intelligence gathering mainly on the American
Jews and Zionist activities. According to Bames (2006), there was an immediate need for
intelligence during the World War II leading to the invention of communication and intelligence
technology that American spies used to monitor the activities of the Jewish organizations.
Although the Navy and Army sustained their intelligence capabilities, it is evident that none of
them was fully prepared to provide all the information resources needed to facilitate their
victory. The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was created in June 1942 to assist in achieving
all the military goals set by the allied forces. This office was established under the Joint Chiefs of
Staff to succeed the Coordinator of Information.
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Upon the inception of the OSS, the United States began engaged in spying operations.
This involved domestic spying where the American spies paid informants to disclose valuable
information concerning the plans of their enemies in the war. The activities conducted by the
OSS included intelligence collecting by spying, waging propaganda war, execution of acts such
as sabotage, coordinating anti-Nazi resistance groups that were in Europe and military training
provision for anti-Japanese guerrilla movement in Asia. One of their greatest accomplishment
was its penetration of Nazi Germany during the war World War II. The OSS officials of German
and Austrian origin gathered intelligence information and shared it with their allies (Barnes,
2006).
A serious partnership existed between the OSS and the resistance movements in occupied
Europe, with the aim of conducting espionages. A good example was when the Office of
Strategic Services offered their assistance to the main campaign in Italy (Bames, 2006).
Notably, the resulting resistance maintained as many as seven German divisions out of the line.
Additionally, it was clear that OSS was effective after its operations surrendered critical,
intelligent information that facilitated the collapse of the German forces in and around Genoa,
Turin, and Milan despite their efforts that they had shown all through since the war started.
The role played by America during the World War II cannot be underestimated. Their
involvement before and after the war offered strong support, ranging from material, financial,
diplomatic and military support, which played a critical role in the victory of the Allied forces.
This support facilitated their victory as opposed to their opponents who had very little support.
Bloch (2011) stated that when Joachim von Ribbentrop, Hitler’s foreign minister conducted an
investigation as to why they were defeated, it became apparent that the substantial support
offered by the US was responsible for their failure. He also wrote a brief memoir highlighting the
ROLE OF USA DURING WORLD WAR II
reasons he thought contributed to Germany’s defeat. The minister picked out three factors that
he considered were key to Germany’s defeat. These included the unexpected resistance of the
Red Army, the Allied air power and the vast supply of American armaments. Notably, it can be
seen that even though the United States of America deployed its army to Europe and North
Africa to fight the Axis powers, the most important role they played during the war was the
indirect support of the allied forces through the supply of weapons and other scarce resources.
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References
Barnes, T. J. (2006). Geographical intelligence: American geographers and research and analysis
in the Office of Strategic Services 1941–1945. Journal of Historical Geography, 32(1),
149-168.
Barrett, J. M. (2005). An Analysis of the Causal Factors behind the United States Navy’s
Warship-Building Programs from 1933-1941. Army Command and General Staff Coll
Fort Leavenworth Ks.
Berinsky, A. J. (2009). In time of War: Understanding American public opinion from World War
II to Iraq. University of Chicago Press.
Bloch, M. (2011). Ribbentrop. Hachette UK.
Gates, R. M. (2010). Helping others defend themselves: the future of US security assistance.
Foreign Affairs, 2-6.
Hill, A. (2007). British Lend-Lease Aid and the Soviet War Effort, June 1941–June 1942. The
Journal of Military History, 71(3), 773-808.
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