The primary goals of United States in the initial period of the war were to contain and defeat the totalitarian and expansionist powers of Germany and Japan, preferably without getting directly involved in the war. After its direct entry in the war, the U.S. policy was focused on achieving complete victory against the Axis powers at minimum cost. All its policies during the war, including its alliance with the Soviet Union and the use of the atomic bombs on Japan were directed to achieve these aims. As both Germany and Japan were ultimately defeated and surrendered unconditionally, the major wartime aims of the United States were achieved. On the other hand, critics of U.S. wartime diplomacy believe that "the U.S. may have won the war but lost the peace" as it failed to achieve its main aim of preventing the domination of Europe by a totalitarian power. The critics argue that the U.S. should have let Germany and Soviet Union to fight to a standstill instead of helping the Soviets defeat Germany as the policy contributed directly to the emergence of the Soviet Union as a super power and enabled it to control Eastern and parts of Central Europe after the war. The U.S. insistence on unconditional surrender of Germany is also criticized as the policy is alleged to have prolonged the war, enabling the Soviet Union to find a foothold deep into Europe. Such critics ignore the fact that it may not have been possible to defeat Nazi Germany without the combined effort of the allies including the Soviets and abandoning the Russians could have been a greater policy blunder as a lot more American lives would have been lost in defeating Germany sans Russia. It is, however, possible that Roosevelt may have misjudged his ability to "handle" Stalin due to his single-minded focus in winning the war. The U.S. decision of using the atomic bombs on Japan is also condemned by historians who believe that Japanese...
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now