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The Nye Committee Ruling
A series of hearings that revealed that arms factories profited greatly off of World War I. Many Americans took this to mean that these companies pushed the country into the war, which drove these people to isolationism. -
The Neutrality Acts
A series of acts that banned the United States from selling weapons and offering loans to any countries at war. The acts also established a strict "cash-and-carry" policy, which meant that any nations at war had to send their own ships and pay in cash in order to acquire American goods. -
Start of WWII
The start of the second world war, which was caused by the German invasion of Poland. Great Britain and France swiftly declared war on Germany following this development. -
The Destroyers-For-Bases Deal
A loophole that President Roosevelt found in the Neutrality Acts, which allowed him to give Great Britain 50 war ships in return for access to British naval bases. -
The Atlantic Charter
A charter created by Roosevelt and Churchill that preemptively committed their countries to the postwar policies of democracy, nonaggression, free trade, freedom of the seas, and economic advancement. -
The Hemisphere Defense Zone
Similarly to the Destroyers-For-Bases deal, this was another method Roosevelt used to aid Great Britain. By declaring that the western half of the Atlantic was neutral, the United States was able to combat German submarines outside of this zone. -
The Lend-Lease Act
An act that let the United States lend or lease weapons to nations that were considered vital to the defense of America. -
Pearl Harbor
A surprise Japanese attack on a Hawaiian naval base in Pearl Harbor, in which about 18 ships and 180 aircraft were destroyed. It also resulted in thousands of American casualties. The United States immediately declared war on Japan and entered WWII in response to this ambush.