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Actually, they did as much to save ours by fighting long enough for fat, happy and stupid Americans to pull their heads out of their isolationist asses - by way of Pearl Harbor. Britain provided the staging and launch point for the assault on Europe.
Not as long as the French are still extant.
The America First Committee launched a petition aimed at enforcing the 1939 Neutrality Act and forcing President Franklin D. Roosevelt to keep his pledge to keep America out of the war. They strongly distrusted Roosevelt, arguing that he was lying to the American people.
On the day after Roosevelt's lend-lease bill was submitted to the United States Congress, Wood promised AFC opposition "with all the vigor it can exert." America First staunchly opposed the convoying of ships, the Atlantic Charter, and the placing of economic pressure on Japan. In order to achieve the defeat of lend-lease and the perpetuation of American neutrality, the AFC advocated four basic principles:
The United States must build an impregnable defense for America.
No foreign power, nor group of powers, can successfully attack a prepared America.
American democracy can be preserved only by keeping out of the European war.
"Aid short of war" weakens national defense at home and threatens to involve America in war abroad.
Despite the onset of war in Europe, an overwhelming majority of the American people wanted to stay out of the new war if they could.[CMH, Chapter 19]. The AFC tapped into this widespread anti-war feeling in the years leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor and the U.S. entry into the war.
Conservative commentator Pat Buchanan has frequently praised America First and often uses its name as a slogan. "The achievements of that organization are monumental," writes Buchanan, "By keeping America out of World War II until Hitler attacked Stalin in June of 1941, Soviet Russia, not America, bore the brunt of the fighting, bleeding and dying to defeat Nazi Germany."[1] For this reason the movement is still an icon to paleoconservatives and other Americans who wish to return to a foreign policy of non-intervention.
We were not fat, happy - and stupid. We were in the middle of a depression. And any problems over in Europe were just that - European problems, not ours. People in 1939 did not want to go to war in Europe - again. They had already done that in 1918 and planted almost 117,000 American soldiers in the ground in around a year and a half. Plus 3 million something Americans were DRAFTED (something unheard of since the civil war) to go fight in a European war.
Wilson had said he would keep us out of the war. He lied - he wanted the US in the war because he wanted the US to have a seat at the table with the "Great Powers" of Europe. The US went down the road of big govt. socialism because of Woodrow Wilson. Gun control and all the other liberal crap that we have had to deal with over the last century or so has many of it's roots in that period of time.
The founding fathers warned us to stay out of European wars - look where it has gotten us by ignoring that advice.
Pat Buchanan has recently written an entire book about how the US involvement in WW1 may have actually paved the way for the rise of Hitler and Communism because we tilted the balance of power when we got involved in their war - and the Europeans on the victorious side basically punished the Germans - when it was both sides' fault for the war.
The beginnings of WW2 have their roots in the same European political bullshit that started WW1. Britain for instance had treaties with countries like Poland, whom it was pledged to defend, even though that was realistically impossible for Britain to carry out.
The likelihood that Germany could have invaded the United States was slim to none - they couldn't even get across the English Channel to invade Britain for christ sake.
Stop reducing history down to the level of crap we were taught in 5th grade in public school - it is a good part of the reason why there are so many people in this country who are so ignorant of the way historical events have really happened.
Once again: the word "isolationist" is not what the US was. The US has pretty much NEVER been isolationist. We have always traded with the world. We have always welcomed people here from all over the world. What we were for a long time was non-interventionist (translation: stay the f*** out of other people's business). The rise of "non-isolationism" pretty much parallels the rise of liberalism in this country - and for good reason. Because liberals are always sticking their nose into other peoples business. Whether it is on a personal scale by banning trans fats - or on an international scale by getting involved in other countries' business or going in search of monsters to destroy or countries to save. It's all pretty much part of the same "I know better than you" liberal mindset.
America First tried to keep us out of the war. It is interesting to read what their platform was and then see what has become of us (American democracy can be preserved only by keeping out of the European war. ) in the present day :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America_First_Committee
And if any of those reasons are not good enough for you there is this. As long as we waited to get involved in WW2 - we still got our ass handed to us pretty good in the first year or so of the war. And this is even when a lot of the new planes, tanks and ships were just coming online. IF we had gotten involved in WW2 any earlier than we did - we may well have had our butts handed to use even worse. By staying out of the we let the Germans and the Russians beat the crap out of each other for a good 6 months before the US was involved.
We were not fat, happy - and stupid. We were in the middle of a depression. And any problems over in Europe were just that - European problems, not ours. People in 1939 did not want to go to war in Europe - again. They had already done that in 1918 and planted almost 117,000 American soldiers in the ground in around a year and a half. Plus 3 million something Americans were DRAFTED (something unheard of since the civil war) to go fight in a European war.
Wilson had said he would keep us out of the war. He lied - he wanted the US in the war because he wanted the US to have a seat at the table with the "Great Powers" of Europe. The US went down the road of big govt. socialism because of Woodrow Wilson. Gun control and all the other liberal crap that we have had to deal with over the last century or so has many of it's roots in that period of time.
The founding fathers warned us to stay out of European wars - look where it has gotten us by ignoring that advice.
i hope some people here arent bashing other countries armed forces when they didnt server in any form of one...
i hope some people here arent bashing other countries armed forces when they didnt server in any form of one...
You don't have to have served in the military to be able to critizize the military (ours or another country's).
go join the foreign legion and ill [sic] go take some 5th grade english lessons. then were [sic] both happy.
Will they let you skip a grade?
critsize no, but calling people cowards like hes done to the french on numerous occasions is a no-go. a lot of those "cowards" were killed by a drasticly stronger military, and the massive generalisations are pure bullshit. the entire french military didnt throw its rifles down and run for the hills the day the germans walked into france.
if you dont have the f***ing balls to serve during anytime, wether its war or peace, then you dont have the right to call other soldiers who did serve cowards because of their nationality. f***ing arm chair qtr backs. if scriv where there he would of been the guy that had not only ran away but shit and pissed in his pants in the process. go man up first buddy, then talk shit about something you were never, and will never be apart of.
I still disagree with you. The french are pussies. I have never served in the armed forces. I have my reasons for not serving, none of them being that I'm afraid. Just because people don't, didn't or won't serve doesn mean they "don't have the balls to serve". That is an ignorant assumption to make. There are tons of different variables in one's life that could cause them to serve or not.
I think a lot of the talking shit about the French is hyperbole to an extent but all stereotypes (like it or not) have some basis in factual reality.
" People who have never worn a uniform in their life are in no position to call soldiers cowards " Well, from 1800 miles away it seems like a reasonable statement to me.
You don't have to have served in the military to be able to critizize the military (ours or another country's).
Reality check: While the Depression did not end until war production and the draft began, we were out of the depths of it in 1939.
What you call "European problems" were, in fact, global. HINT: It was called WORLD War II for a reason. It has apparently escaped your clearly limited awareness that Japan was one of the three Axis powers and was busily conquoring most of the Pacific Rim, from China to Malaysia. Look at a globe sometime - turn it around and you'll find the rest of the world.
Really? Guess FDR was just a Wilson wanna-be.
Addressing more of your drivel, gun control began in the South in the 1850's to keep blacks disarmed; it hit the Northeast in the early 1900's to disarm the immigrants. Your assertion that "Wilson socialism" is responsible is bunk. There was nothing socialist about Wilson.
As for his conspiring to get us "a seat at the table," you are looking on the wrong shore of the Atlantic. It was a German sub that sank Lusitania, which almost brought us into the war, and the revelation of the Zimmerman telegram which did finally trigger our declaration. How is Wilson responsible for either event?
It made us the premier superpower of the 20th century, allowed us to check the incursions of the one other superpower and left us as THE such power today.
What's your problem?
Excellant article Calsdad!
You must do a killer crossword.
The combination of WW1 and WW2 broke the British Empire and propelled Britain into the socialist wonderland that it is today. It has been argued by a number of historians the entry of the US into WW1 was what helped to lay the groundwork for Communism to take over in Russia in the first place and for Hitler to take power. The entry of the US into the war tipped the scaled in a war in which both sides were nearing exhaustion and might have come to terms amenable to BOTH parties. Instead - with the vengeful terms of the Versaille Treaty imposed on Germany by the French and British - Germany was driven into the ground to the point where the German people would support a person like Hitler in the first place.
Furthermore - Buchanan has pointed out that Hitlers main concern was not France or Britain - but Communist Russia. When the Reichstag was burned - the Nazi's didn't blame it on British secret agents - they blamed it on communists. At the end of the war when Germany was defeated Patton wanted to keep going against the Russians - and multiple German Wehrmacht generals wanted to join with the Americans and British to do just that. Rudolph Hess flew to Britain to try and negotiate for peace - I don't recall any Germans trying that with Russia - because they didn't want it. Hitler himself actually admired Britain.
I am glad you are so proud of the US becoming the premier superpower of the 20th century. If past performance is any predictor of future behavior that would put is right in line to either turn into a semi third world country - like Russia (the other superpower of the 20th century), or maybe a socialist paradise where we can't own guns (like Britain the previous ultimate superpower) , or maybe a country overrun by immigrants (like France - another dead superpower) - or possibly defeated catastrophically at war (like Germany - another superpower now gone) - or maybe we will turn from being the remnants of a republic into a dictatorship - like another famous "premier superpower" from history (Rome).
If you have been paying any attention to the recent economic news - and have any clue as to the size of the US debt you might start to get a clue as to how some of this might be starting to transpire already.
Unfortunately far too few of my fellow citizens pay any attention to the founding fathers of this alleged republic said and actually have the historical comprehension to understand why one of them said the following:
Against the insidious wiles of foreign influence (I conjure you to believe me, fellow-citizens) the jealousy of a free people ought to be constantly awake, since history and experience prove that foreign influence is one of the most baneful foes of republican government. But that jealousy to be useful must be impartial; else it becomes the instrument of the very influence to be avoided, instead of a defense against it. Excessive partiality for one foreign nation and excessive dislike of another cause those whom they actuate to see danger only on one side, and serve to veil and even second the arts of influence on the other. Real patriots who may resist the intrigues of the favorite are liable to become suspected and odious, while its tools and dupes usurp the applause and confidence of the people, to surrender their interests.
The great rule of conduct for us in regard to foreign nations is in extending our commercial relations, to have with them as little political connection as possible. So far as we have already formed engagements, let them be fulfilled with perfect good faith. Here let us stop. Europe has a set of primary interests which to us have none; or a very remote relation. Hence she must be engaged in frequent controversies, the causes of which are essentially foreign to our concerns. Hence, therefore, it must be unwise in us to implicate ourselves by artificial ties in the ordinary vicissitudes of her politics, or the ordinary combinations and collisions of her friendships or enmities.
I don't want to live in failed socialist - bankrupt - defeated - overrun by immigrants - completely f***ed up country. People who are historically ignorant constantly argue for more war - which leads to more govt. spending - and more govt. power. These are all intimately linked together for those who havent been paying attention or have spent their time reading public school history books.
People need to wake the f*** up. THAT is my problem.
As to a factual defense of the French Military in WWII, how ever did I find myself having to defend the Frogs? A few observations.
1. The French fleet at Toulon was scuttled by the French themselves to keep the ships out of the hands of the Germans. This was not a peaceful process. As Martha Stewart would say " this is a good thing ", as those ships would have been used by the Kriegsmarine. Why did'nt the French sail away and hand over the fleet to Britain? A number of political and military reasons but Mers-el Kebir readily comes to mind. A knife in the back from a " friend " will still kill you.
2. Entire French Divisional sized units fought the Germans tooth and nail when those same Germans came through the frontier. Unfortunately one such Division was commanded by DeGaul, a fact which we were never allowed to forget.
3. Just who do we suppose held the German Army at bay while the alllies were evacuated at Dunkirk? The Brits, God love them, pulled off a coup and a lot of them were captured but tens of thousands of Frenchmen went to the prisoner cages with them. Those French troops were not just sitting bored at the Dunkirk perimeter.
4. The Free French. I believe they were indeed French although with historical research being what it is nowadays, who knows?