Although the Lend-Lease Act strictly adheres to the technical definition of neutrality, everyone in positions of power around the world understood it as a highly charged act, tantamount to saying, "This means war."
The unprecedented American industrial economy was about to be supercharged and transformed into, as FDR called it, "the arsenal of democracy." Yeah, the word "arsenal" sounds warlike to us, too.
Questions About Warfare
- Do popular depictions of WWII underestimate the importance of the material supply chains within and between the different factions? Is war supply a boring subject?
- What does the way the United States went to war at the end of 1941 differ from the way it has gone to war in subsequent decades? What has happened to the relationship between the Presidency and the Congress when it comes to declaring war?
- What is the proper relationship between the Presidency and the Congress when it comes to declaring war? What does the Constitution say about it? What does our actual history show? How should war be decided upon?
- What does it say that WWII was the biggest factor in transforming the American economy into the strongest in the world out of the Great Depression? What should we think about the fact that war is profitable in our world? What does that mean for our future?
Chew on This
Check out some potential thesis statements about The Lend-Lease Act.
Modern warfare was total and involved the entire economy.
Postmodern warfare isn't declared.