Research Paper

         World War 2 had been going on for two years until the United States entered the war. The American public viewed the war as a foreign affair and didn't want anything to do with it, until the invasion of Pearl Harbor. During the course of its history, the United States has taken foreign policy actions that have been consistent with the national interest. There are many things that led the United States to join in the war in the last four years of the war.
          During the 1930s, the combination of the Great Depression and the memory of tragic losses in World War I contributed to pushing American public opinion and policy toward isolationism. America was isolated from any foreign affairs simply because they thought it was best for country. They were isolated for 20 years until the bombing of Pearl Harbor. America's isolation from war ended on December 7, 1941, when Japan staged a surprise attack on American military installations in the Pacific. The most devastating strike came at Pearl Harbor, the Hawaiian naval base where much of the US Pacific Fleet was moored. In a two-hour attack, Japanese warplanes sank or damaged 18 warships and destroyed 164 aircraft. Over 2,400 servicemen and civilians lost their lives. The day after the assault, President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan; Congress approved his declaration with just one dissenting vote. Three days later, Japanese allies Germany and Italy also declared war on the United States, and again Congress reciprocated. More than two years into the conflict, America had finally joined World War II.
            America fought in the war for almost 4 years but brought it to an end on August 6th 1945. On August 6, 1945, the United States detonated an atomic bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima at 8:15 AM local time. Sixteen hours later, American President Harry S. Truman called again for Japan's surrender, warning them to "expect a rain of ruin from the air, the like of which has never been seen on this earth."Late in the evening of August 8, 1945, in accordance with the Yalta agreements, but in violation of the Soviet-Japanese Neutrality pact, the Soviet Union declared war on Japan, and soon after midnight on August 9, 1945, the Soivet union invaded the imperial Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo. Later in the day, the United States dropped a second atomic bomb this time on the Japanese city of Nagasaki. Following these events, Emperor Hirohito intervened and ordered the Supreme Council for the Direction of the War to accept the terms the Allies had set down in the Potsdam declaration for ending the war. After several more days of behind-the-scenes negotiations, Emperor Hirohito gave a recorded radio address across the Empire on August 15.), he announced the surrender of Japan to the Allies.
Although the war for Europe didn't end until September 1 1945, a month after the war ended for the United States, The atomic bomb caused for the rest of the war to end. If the atomic bomb wasn't dropped the war would've continued for months. The rest of the war seen what could happened if the fighting continued so officially on September 1 1945 World War 2 ended.
Even though the United States of America have been involved with many foriegn policies that they could have stayed out of, there are a few decisions that they got right. During the course of its history, the United States has taken foreign policy actions that have been consistent with the national interest. When Japan bombed Pearl Harbor it was in Americas best intrest to join the war. Its one thing to go out looking for trouble but its another to have it float up to the shore and bomb the people of the United States. America did what was best to protect its people and that decsion help to end a 6 year battle between the nations of the world.