How the election of an isolationist U.S. President affects Britain in World War II

The isolationist-interventionist debate never really came up in the actual Fall Campaign in 1940 since both FDR and Willkie were committed to aiding Great Britain short of war. However, it's conceivable that either Vandenberg or Taft, both isolationists, could have gotten the Republican nomination.

My question is more how this relates to Churchill's decision-making and the Battle of Britain. At the point of November 1940 the British had pretty much staved off any potential German invasion due to the RAF's victory over the Luftwaffe that Summer. However, without U.S. aid in the form of Lend-Lease, it's hard to see from an economic perspective how they continue with the war.

Much of Churchill's grand strategy involved Britain forming a close relationship to the U.S. and trying to encourage a greater role for the U.S. in helping the war effort.

An isolationist getting elected pretty much puts this strategy in the trashcan. Having proven Britain's resistance to invasion, does Churchill then try to negotiate with Nazi Germany from an improved position at that point? Or would Britain have relied on the possibility of Soviet entry into the war as an eventual ally?
 
Churchill will fight on, I can't see him doing anything else and Operation Barbarossa will take a lot of the strain off Britain. On the other hand, hhe isolationist President will be under a lot of pressure to stand up to the Nazis with American ships being sunk and the revelations of the holocaust. Pearl Harbour and the Anglo-American alliance in the Pacific will also strengthen the case for an alliance in Europe.

Most Americans won't be able to stoumach the idea of the Soviets reaching the Channel either.
 
An isolationist president is less likely to put an oil embargo on Japan---something that was known to be almost certain to precipitate war within 6 months. He is also likely to take a decidedly different position with respect to the submarine blockade of England and the conventional blockade of Germany.
 
Yeah, I'm guessing no attack on Pearl Harbor and no Pacific War with an isolationist president because they wouldn't be taking the steps that FDR did against Japanese aggression.


And as for submarine sinkings, the U.S. wouldn't be convoying aid to Britain in the first place in this scenario.

But Operation Barbarossa would be unaffected and would still bring some measure of relief to Britain.
 
Churchill will fight on, I can't see him doing anything else and Operation Barbarossa will take a lot of the strain off Britain. On the other hand, hhe isolationist President will be under a lot of pressure to stand up to the Nazis with American ships being sunk and the revelations of the holocaust. Pearl Harbour and the Anglo-American alliance in the Pacific will also strengthen the case for an alliance in Europe.

Most Americans won't be able to stoumach the idea of the Soviets reaching the Channel either.

American ships won't be sunk if there is no lend lease

The Germans would restrict themselves to British flagged vessles (Hitler up until pearl harbor was adamant about not engaging the US)
 
Yeah, I'm guessing no attack on Pearl Harbor and no Pacific War with an isolationist president because they wouldn't be taking the steps that FDR did against Japanese aggression.

A lot of steps taken against against Japan were done by private businessmen, the State just decided to back them up. Unless there's a massive change in the National psyche (and maybe there is if they've gotten rid of one of the greatest Presidents in US history) this is still going to happen.

And as for submarine sinkings, the U.S. wouldn't be convoying aid to Britain in the first place in this scenario.

They'll still be sending food and munitions, even if Britain is now paying for them, Hitler won't let that happen.

But Operation Barbarossa would be unaffected and would still bring some measure of relief to Britain.

Indeed.
 
Or the Nazis reaching the Urals (sans US aid to the Soviet Union).

Unlikely. AlthoughL-L was a massive factor in defeating Nazism but it only started to make a real impact after Kursk, in other words after the war had turned decisively in the Soviets favour and the USSR had begun outproducing Germany on it's own. The Germans would struggle to enforce a white peace let alone taking Perm.
 
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