Originally posted by Angus
Stick to this though, my dear Americans.
France declared war on Germany in WW2. Ok, they got beaten, but at least they had the balls for it.
The US didn't recognize Hitler's threat in the same way as the French and English.
Not quite, I'm afraid. Hitler's threat was certainly recognized, more so as it grew. However, America was fervently isolationist after what happened in the last European war we got involved in, and the horrific suffering it brought. Where was Iceland again? Come on, Angus...not precisely a fair statement, really...
Originally posted by Momus
France still stepped up a three full years before you did.
Anything to do with the huge interests US business had in Nazi germany I wonder?
1) France didn't 'step up'. It was invaded...and crushed. I don't recall that France responded in any proactive way to stop Hitler, prior to the Wermacht rolling over the border.
2) Everybody had huge business interests in Germany, which were still in place as Fascism rather quickly took control of German politics. Then as today, Germany was a major economic player in Europe, and around the world. Trying to make some implication of financial self-interst is just cheap, as well as inaccurate.
3) I'll reiterate the thinking of the time, to try and expand your horizons; Why should the US get involved in another European War? The globalized economy of today was not the same back then, more than enough blood had been spilled the last time Europe had gone up in flames (which had only been 20 years prior), and no one in the US saw much need to get involved in another conflagration. It's not like Europe hadn't been at war, one way ot another, for hundreds of years already.
Two members of my family died defending Europe, and France, and the rest of us. In fact, they breathed their last IN FRANCE, and lay there to this day.
How quickly some forget.