Spring Group: United States Isolationism Post-WWII: Why It's Relevant

During the 1930s, at the height of the Great Depression, the United States went into a period of isolation.¹ While they were occupied with their financial instabilities, the far-right political ideology of fascism propagated between 1919 and 1945. Critics blame the lack of response from the U.S. for the rise of fascism during the 1930s;² however, given the U.S. financial crisis, they instead opted to prioritize the welfare of their citizens over economic assistance in fighting fascism. In the post-COVID era, we face a similar dichotomy. Billions are being sent annually to support countries such as Ukraine and Israel in their endeavors, while we simultaneously allow over 600,000 people to suffer at the hands of homelessness,³ $1.6 trillion of student loan debt to reach record highs,⁴ and inflation that continues to exacerbate an already-unaffordable cost of living.⁵ If the United States has any hope of resolving internal issues, it must stop donating as much money to other countries and take a moment to care for its citizens.

Between 1929 and 1941, the Great Depression was a period of global disaster given the international stock market completely crashed following the major economic expansion of the 1920s. From the fall of 1930 to the winter of 1933, the money supply in the U.S. dropped by 30%,⁶ At the same time, military regimes in countries such as Germany and Japan came about promoting economic relief and national expansion during this critical period of the 20th century. After the U.S.’ entrance into WWII created millions of open jobs in the military industries and men were drafted to fight,⁷ the Great Depression era concluded, allowing the United States to end its isolation and combat the rising issue of fascism.⁸ Once the U.S. government wrapped up the financial crisis, they were able to defeat major fascist regimes at the end of WWII successfully. People blame the rise of fascism on the U.S. and claim that the lack of response due to its financial situation encouraged the rise of fascism in other areas of the world,⁹ ultimately leading to World War II. While this perspective is understandable, these countries were right in taking care of their entanglements before joining the war and defeating fascist powers; a country must prioritize its citizens in such a vulnerable period instead of dealing with international affairs.

While we are not in a financial situation nearly as destructive as the Great Depression, the money that the United States is giving out to other countries simply to fund wars could be used towards a much greater cause. During 2022 and 2023, the United States donated about $48.7 billion to Ukraine¹⁰ while it was at war with Russia. Yes, it certainly went to a good cause, but our government should prioritize the citizens of the United States before giving such a hefty sum to other countries. In mid-2023, the average American household required around $709 more than they had in 2021 to purchase the same goods.¹¹ The total United States military budget for 2023 was over $773 billion.¹² With that money, the U.S. can end homelessness for $20 billion,¹³ forgive a major sum of student loan debt with at least $300 billion,¹⁴ end the hunger epidemic for about $25 billion,¹⁵ and still have a large sum of money left over.

During the Great Depression, most U.S. leaders justified their decision to deal with domestic affairs before involving themselves with other countries’ entanglements. The leaders waited until their citizens' well-being was taken care of before assisting other countries. They were right then, and providing support to its citizens remains the correct path of action today. Events such as the rise of fascism, be it the Cold War or recent conflicts such as the War on Terrorism, are bound to be solved after countries take certain measures, but no matter what, a country must prioritize its people before helping others. The United States defeated fascism in the 1940s, but only after it took care of its people. The same pathway to success should apply today. Given the United States' wealth in the present, the government has more than enough money to reduce the current rate of domestic issues. We have an abundance of wealth in store with the U.S. gaining about $4.8 trillion in revenue as of 2023,¹⁶ compared with the government possessing about $57.2 billion in 1932.¹⁷ In the case of a foreign country going through a rough time and the government has more than enough money to help, then it should always donate when it can, but not at the expense of Americans. If the United States has enough money to alleviate domestic issues within its borders but does not use it for the sake of its people, then the government should not be spending billions to fund wars outside of its borders.