Franklin Roosevelt was consistent on his views on intervention his aims were to support democracies abroad against the fascist threat but not too far in advance of public opinion. His policies and speeches at the beginning of this period, though seemingly isolationist, were very much a form of internationalism that he could safely pursue in the United States without losing support, and thus future elections2. During the period of 1933 to 1941, he had to fight a public mood of severe isolationism1, despite knowing full well the extent of the threat looming in Europe and Asia. This did not necessarily make the world a safer place it did however give both sides a greater capacity to avoid misunderstandings – with immediate query being possible in either direction (which the Cuban missile crisis demonstrates very well).įranklin Roosevelt was a president constrained. Also, new systems made instant international communications ubiquitous for the first time in human history. During FDR's time in office, actual warfare between states was obviously a much more forgiving practice with regard to state survival. In addition, the unprecedented speed of delivery systems for these weapons meant that once begun, war between the superpowers would be almost impossible to end peacefully. The most important of these are technological the advent of nuclear weapons made diplomacy directly between the superpowers the only viable option for international discourse without mutual destruction ensuing. Comparing FDR's and JFK's foreign policies starkly demonstrates the changes brought about in global politics during the second world war and immediately afterwards. Firstly, it's really quite necessary to highlight the most important differences in the world between FDR's time in office and JFK's. Interestingly enough, JFK himself wanted to recapture “the blend of idealism and pragmatism that had stamped FDR's leadership in WWII.1” This essay will compare each leader's history the similarities and differences between each President's approach to foreign policy, their interactions with foreign leaders, what they deemed the U.S.'s role to be in the international sphere and how successful they were when faced with serious diplomatic challenges. For JFK it was the communist USSR and its nuclear arsenal. For FDR it was the fascist threats in Europe and Japanese Imperialism in the Pacific. Kennedy was a huge ideological and militaristic threat that both stated would be detrimental to American freedom and democracy. Contained within the foreign policy landscapes of Franklin Roosevelt and John F.
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