The Impact of U.S. Foreign Policy Between WWI and 1950s

 
Isolationism was a dominant foreign policy in the U.S. since George Washington’s rule. After the First World War, the American government continued its non-interventionist politics. Many Americans did not want to participate in other countries’ affairs given economic problems at home. The situation changed during World War II when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941, and Fascism started to cause fear among Americans (“The history of American foreign policy,” n.d.). The U.S. switched to the policy of interventionism and declared war on the Axis powers. The new policy brought economic prosperity and significant changes in the lives of Americans. After World War II, the U.S. continued to intervene in global affairs and wanted to contain communist supremacy during the Cold War (“The history of American foreign policy,” n.d.). The American government cared more about its international influence than internal affairs at that time. As a result, U.S. citizens experienced a period of regression in social reforms and persecution of individuals with leftist ideas (Naranjo, n.d.). Overall, the shifts from isolationism to interventionism had both positive and negative consequences for American society that will be described further in detail.