THE MAKING OF A NATION 186 - 1930s/Foreign Policy

THE MAKING OF A NATION - March 28, 2002: 1930s/Foreign Policy

By David Jarmul
VOICE 1:
THE MAKING OF A NATION -- a program in Special English by the Voice of America.
(Theme)
I'm Shirley Griffith. Today, Doug Johnson and I tell about American foreign policy during the nineteen -thirties.
VOICE 2:
For much of its history, the United States was not involved in world disputes. Only in the twentieth century did it

become a powerful and influential¹ nation.

President Theodore Roosevelt was the first president to see America as a great power. A few years later,
President Woodrow Wilson wanted the United States to become more involved in the world.
Many Americans disagreed. They wanted to stay out of international conflicts. The presidents after Wilson stayed

informed about world events. But they were much less willing to involve the United States than Roosevelt or
Wilson had been. The great economic depression that began in nineteen-twenty-nine reduced Americans' interest
in the world even more.

VOICE 1:
Franklin Roosevelt became president in nineteen-thirty-three.
Franklin Roosevelt was not like most Americans. He knew the international situation well

from his own experience.
Like Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson, he wanted to expand America's foreign

policies. The terrible crisis of the depression, however, forced him to spend most of his time on
national economic issues. He was able to deal with international issues only very slowly.
One of his most important first efforts was to improve relations with Latin American nations.
VOICE 2:
Thirty years earlier, President Theodore Roosevelt said the United States had the right to intervene in Latin

America. In the years that followed, the United States sent troops to several Latin American countries. Many
political leaders in the area accused the United States of treating them like children. Leaders throughout Latin
America criticized the United States bitterly at a conference in nineteen-twenty-eight.

When Franklin Roosevelt became president, he promised to treat Latin American nations as friends. He called
this his "good neighbor" policy.

VOICE 1:
Roosevelt's new policy had an unfriendly beginning. His administration refused to recognize a government in
Cuba that opposed the United States. Instead, it helped bring to power a new government that showed more
support for the United States.

After that, however, President Roosevelt was able to prove that he wanted to improve relations with the countries
of Latin America.


For example, his administration speeded up plans to withdraw American troops from Haiti. It rejected old treaties
that gave the United States the right to intervene in Cuba. It recognized a revolutionary government in El
Salvador. It recognized the right of Panama to help operate and protect the Panama Canal. And it helped establish
the Export-Import Bank to increase trade throughout the Americas.

VOICE 2:

All of these actions did much to improve the opinion of Latin American leaders about the United States.
However, the most important test of Franklin Roosevelt's new policies was in Mexico.

The Mexican government seized control of oil companies owned by investors² in the United States. A number of
influential Americans wanted the president to take strong action. He refused. He only agreed to urge the Mexican
government to pay American investors for the value of the oil companies.

VOICE 1:

As United States' relations with Latin America improved, its relations with Britain got worse.

Britain blamed Franklin Roosevelt for the failure of an international economic conference in nineteen-thirtythree.
It also felt the United States Congress was unwilling³ to take a strong position against international
aggression⁴ by other nations.

Some British leaders had so little faith in Roosevelt that they proposed seeking cooperation with Japan instead of
the United States. New leaders in Japan, however, soon ended this possibility. They presented Britain with such
strong military demands that the British government gave up any idea of cooperation with Japan.

VOICE 2:

One big question in American foreign policy in the nineteen-thirties concerned the Soviet⁵ union.

The United States had refused to recognize the government in Moscow after the Bolsheviks took control in
nineteen-seventeen. Yet Franklin Roosevelt saw the Soviet union as a possible ally if growing tensions in Europe
and Asia burst into war.

For this reason, he held talks in Washington with a top Soviet official. In nineteen-thirty-three, he officially
recognized the Soviet government.

VOICE 1:

President Roosevelt hoped recognition would lead to better relations. But the United States and the Soviet union
did not trust each other. They immediately began arguing about many issues.

Within two years, the American ambassador to Moscow urged President Roosevelt to cut diplomatic relations
with the Soviets⁶. Roosevelt refused. Relations between the two countries became even worse. Yet Roosevelt
believed it was better to continue relations in case of an emergency. That emergency -- World War Two -- was
just a few years away.

VOICE 2:

Economic issues played an important part in American foreign policy during the early nineteen -thirties. In
nineteen thirty three, a major international economic conference was held in London.

France and Italy led a movement to link the value of every nation's money to the price of gold. American
delegates to the conference rejected the idea. They argued that it would slow America's recovery from the great
depression. As a result, the London conference failed.

Although President Roosevelt opposed linking the value of the American dollar to the price of gold, he did not
oppose international trade. During the Nineteen-thirties, his administration negotiated new trade agreements with
more than twenty countries.


VOICE 1:

The nineteen-thirties saw major political changes in Asia and Europe. President Roosevelt watched these
developments with great interest. In Japan, military leaders gained control of the government. Their goal was to
Make Japan Asia's leading power.

In Italy, the government was headed by fascist⁷ Benito Mussolini. Another fascist, Francisco Franco, seized power
in Spain. And, most important, Adolf Hitler and the Nazi⁸ Party increased their strength in Germany. Franklin
Roosevelt understood much sooner than most western leaders the threat that these new leaders represented.

VOICE 2:

Most Americans shared Roosevelt's dislike for the new fascist movements. However, Americans felt another
emotion much more strongly. It was their desire to stay out of war.

World War One had ended just fifteen years earlier. It was still fresh in the minds of many Americans. A
majority of the population opposed any policy that could involve the United States in another bloody⁹ conflict.

VOICE 1:

A public opinion study was made in nineteen thirty seven. The study showed that seventy-one percent of
Americans believed it had been a mistake for the United States to fight in World War One.

So, President Roosevelt was not surprised when Congress passed a law ordering the administration to remain
neutral in any foreign conflict. Congress also refused an administration proposal that the United States join the
World Court.

Franklin Roosevelt shared the hope that the United States would stay out of foreign conflicts. However, Adolf
Hitler and other fascists¹⁰ continued to grow more powerful. The situation forced Americans to begin to consider
the need for military strength.

(Theme)

VOICE 2:

You have been listening to THE MAKING OF A NATION, a program in Special English on the Voice of
America. Your narrators have been Shirley Griffith and Doug Johnson. Our program was written by David
Jarmul. The Voice of America invites you to listen again next week to THE MAKING OF A NATION.

Email this article to a friend
Printer Friendly Version

1 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

2 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

3 unwilling   

adj.不情愿的

参考例句：

• The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
• His tightfisted employer was unwilling to give him a raise.他那吝啬的雇主不肯给他加薪。

4 aggression   

n.进攻，侵略，侵犯，侵害

参考例句：

• So long as we are firmly united, we need fear no aggression.只要我们紧密地团结，就不必惧怕外来侵略。
• Her view is that aggression is part of human nature.她认为攻击性是人类本性的一部份。

5 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

6 soviets   

苏维埃（Soviet的复数形式）

参考例句：

• A public challenge could provoke the Soviets to dig in. 公开挑战会促使苏联人一意孤行。
• The Soviets proposed the withdrawal of American ballistic-missile submarines from forward bases. 苏联人建议把美国的弹道导弹潜艇从前沿基地撤走。

7 fascist   

adj.法西斯主义的；法西斯党的；n.法西斯主义者，法西斯分子

参考例句：

• The strikers were roughed up by the fascist cops.罢工工人遭到法西斯警察的殴打。
• They succeeded in overthrowing the fascist dictatorship.他们成功推翻了法西斯独裁统治。

8 Nazi   

n.纳粹分子，adj.纳粹党的，纳粹的

参考例句：

• They declare the Nazi regime overthrown and sue for peace.他们宣布纳粹政权已被推翻，并出面求和。
• Nazi closes those war criminals inside their concentration camp.纳粹把那些战犯关在他们的集中营里。

9 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

10 fascists   

n.法西斯主义的支持者( fascist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The old man was seized with burning hatred for the fascists. 老人对法西斯主义者充满了仇恨。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Zoya heroically bore the torture that the Fascists inflicted upon her. 卓娅英勇地承受法西斯匪徒加在她身上的酷刑。 来自《简明英汉词典》