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Position:Home>History> FDR World War II?Question: FDR World War II!? How did FDR contribute to WWII!? I obviously know he was commander in chief and that he declared the war but what other details are there!?
(please don't call me stupid or something, this is a place for answers!. if i could find it on the internet, i wouldn't be asking this question) thank you!Www@QuestionHome@Com Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: What do you mean "contribute"!? FDR basically took all the information from the generals and decided "general course of action" but did not get into specific strategies!. Unlike some conflicts the US has had in the past - the generals FDR had were the real deal!. Gen!. George Marshall was a brilliant man (and in my opinion does not get the due he deserves in American history) and gave FDR very good advise!. It was FDR that decided the immediate threat was actually Germany, and not Japan!. So the majority of the war effort would be directed in Europe then the Pacific!. FDR was also the last person to OK the Manhattan Project - which we know ended the war in 1945!. FDR was very much involved politically with Stalin and Churchill and was involved in the overall strategy of the war!. However from everything I studied, FDR generally left the strategy of war to generals!. I would say his main contribution to the war effort was simply that he acted "Presidential" for the American people!. He was seen as a positive figure in American society - since it was his New Deal that led the US out of the Great Depression!. I think the technology back then played a large part in how the war was fought!. FDR didn't have the instant access of information that we have today!. Ultimately many of the decisions in World War 2 were done by the generals in the theater!. If was Eisenhower who ultimately developed the plan and decided when the invasion into Normandy was going to happen!. Same thing in the Pacific - Admiral Nimitz decided to go after the Japanese fleet at Midway!. To prove the point further - the victory of the US at Midway had a lot to do with the commanders at the battle!. This philosophy was much different then the Germans and the Japanese - I mean Germany's armed forces wouldn't do anything without Hitlers approval - in fact that inability to get the reserve German Panzer Divisions to Normandy on June 6,7 had a major effect on the Allied success!. He didn't share much with anyone else - matter of fact Harry Truman didn't even know the existence of the Atomic Bomb project until he became President - that should tell you something about him right there!. There have been many who say that FDR was aware of the impending Japanese attack on Peal Harbor!. The idea was that FDR wanted to get into the war but due to the political pressures to remain neutral - he could not declare war against Germany!. I do think there is some merit in that thinking!. There is no question that the American intelligence services knew something was going to happen, some reports had to down to the correct time and date!. Here's a better question (and I did put it up on Yahoo) - what if Adolf Hitler did NOT delcare war on the United States on December 11, 1941!. I mean it was clear that we were at war with Japan after Pearl Harbor - but if wasn't Germany that attack us, it was Japan!. I'm not saying we would of never gone to war with Germany but I do think Hitler made a huge blunder doing it!. There is a real possibility FDR wouldn't of been able to declare until 6 month to a year later (you would have to assume there would of been something to happen where the Germany helped Japan and forced our hand to declare)!. Lets face it, Germany declaring war on the US, essentially was the ultimate defeat of Germany - Germany had war on 2 fronts and now just declare war the country with greatest production capability the world as ever seen (until possibly China became into the picture)!.Www@QuestionHome@Com he was the president of the us at the time!. and so people believe that he knew about the attack on pearl harbor!. and that he wanted it to happen so we could go in to war!. and get out of the depression!. but that could just be a conspiracy theory he also knew all about the atomic bombs being made!. and when he died the vice president truman took over the oval office and truman was not even aware of the bomb that was being constructed because it was that big of a secret!. and then truman made the decision to drop the bomb in hiroshima, japan in august 1945 and then japan surrendered and then wwII endedWww@QuestionHome@Com He did not declare war, only the Congress of the United States can declare war!. He went before a joint session of Congress and asked that they declare war (a lot of other presidents have forgotten this part of the constitution in the years since)!. His main contributions to the war besides being Commander in Chief of the US military were in helping to set the objectives of the Allies in meetings with Churchill and Stalin!. He also helped to establish priorities at home which helped to produce the most massive war production machine ever seen!.Www@QuestionHome@Com I think you pretty much answered your own question when you said he was Commander in Chief and declared war on Japan!. You do realize that a war is fought with a military right!? And as Commander in Chief, he has a pretty big input on the war!.Www@QuestionHome@Com What kind of internet do you have!? http://en!.wikipedia!.org/wiki/FdrWww@QuestionHome@Com |