All,
This is good stuff.
Julian: Are you sure US would declare war? As far as I know, the German declaration saved the day for Roosevelt insofar as a unilateral declaration would need a very strong case and Roosevelt didn't exactly have one.
US didn't have any treaty with Poland (nor with Britain in 1939/40 for that matter), so why would they or rather how could they?
Blondie: There is another thread right now on Wilkie's presidency. Would he have been more "soft" on the war issue? after all, the "no to war" squad was his background (until he changed his mind, apparantly).
The fall of France? well, maybe. It was a shock that it could happen so fast to the entire world. A more slow-moving battle might just have ended up in a stalemate, but would that in itself have fostered a non-intervention from US (Wilkie or Roosevelt)?
Internal problems. I like that idea. What were the bigger problems in the US which could have "swamped" any presidency into focusing on domestic issue rather than the war? The only one I can really see is "new deal" but, though having its own problems, were starting to work very well.
Would those have required action prior to 1939 and then have required consistent "management bandwidth" through to 1941/2?
The US naval policy is another thing in the pot.
How well was it US policy to not have one single power dominating the Continent? Freedom of the seas is obviously important but wold it be a case for war? Not so sure there.
can we elaborate on that point, because that really points to a very hardline policy from US. Who would institute it? King?
There is a critical one as well: Japan
If Japan moves up in time and is attacking PH earlier (could be some reasons, but let us not go into that for now) in say 1938, then US would be fighting Japan only and then what? no time for Europe?
Or if PH is delayed (which was a bit problematic, I know) to say 1943?
Is it important to have Roosevelt at the helm or would the basic underlying reasons for intervention still be the same?
Ivan
(sorry for posting such a long response)
This is good stuff.
Julian: Are you sure US would declare war? As far as I know, the German declaration saved the day for Roosevelt insofar as a unilateral declaration would need a very strong case and Roosevelt didn't exactly have one.
US didn't have any treaty with Poland (nor with Britain in 1939/40 for that matter), so why would they or rather how could they?
Blondie: There is another thread right now on Wilkie's presidency. Would he have been more "soft" on the war issue? after all, the "no to war" squad was his background (until he changed his mind, apparantly).
The fall of France? well, maybe. It was a shock that it could happen so fast to the entire world. A more slow-moving battle might just have ended up in a stalemate, but would that in itself have fostered a non-intervention from US (Wilkie or Roosevelt)?
Internal problems. I like that idea. What were the bigger problems in the US which could have "swamped" any presidency into focusing on domestic issue rather than the war? The only one I can really see is "new deal" but, though having its own problems, were starting to work very well.
Would those have required action prior to 1939 and then have required consistent "management bandwidth" through to 1941/2?
The US naval policy is another thing in the pot.
How well was it US policy to not have one single power dominating the Continent? Freedom of the seas is obviously important but wold it be a case for war? Not so sure there.
can we elaborate on that point, because that really points to a very hardline policy from US. Who would institute it? King?
There is a critical one as well: Japan
If Japan moves up in time and is attacking PH earlier (could be some reasons, but let us not go into that for now) in say 1938, then US would be fighting Japan only and then what? no time for Europe?
Or if PH is delayed (which was a bit problematic, I know) to say 1943?
Is it important to have Roosevelt at the helm or would the basic underlying reasons for intervention still be the same?
Ivan
(sorry for posting such a long response)