Public Opinion, Foreign Influences and Military Strategists: Why the United States Pursued a Europe First Strategy in World War II
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Date
2015-05
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The Ohio State University
Abstract
President Roosevelt was forced to choose between a Europe-first strategy and a Pacific-first strategy in World War II. He chose a Europe-first strategy, with three major factors heavily influencing his decision-making process. The first factor was public opinion. The American people needed to support not only entering World War II, but also the government’s decision on which Axis power to pursue first. Second, foreign representatives from all around the world met with Roosevelt and his aides in an attempt to persuade the President to follow their advice. Finally, Roosevelt’s military advisers consulted with the President and determined which war strategy made the most sense in terms of manpower, tactics, supplies, and firepower. Roosevelt had to weigh all three influences as he made the difficult decision to pursue a Europe-first strategy over a Pacific-first strategy throughout World War II.
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Keywords
WWII, Roosevelt, Military Strategy, Public Opinion, Foreign Influences