Quote:
Originally Posted by Byue
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Obviously, it was still rather isolationist and compared to neighbours with germany, had no reason to arm up..
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It was. The U.S. did not particularly like keeping an overly large standing army. As you point out, it didn't need one. Its land neighbors were not hostile and its navy was strong enough to stop anyone who might've thought about trying to invade from overseas. The rest is a little more complicated. If there was a viable enemy who could've threatened directly, there's no reason to assume the U.S. of that hypothetical alternate world wouldn't have taken appropriate precaution.
A more interesting "what if" relates to WW1: Suppose the U.S. doesn't jump in at the last minute. France was about finished by summer 1918, much of its army was in a state of mutiny and most the rest was unwilling to take offensive action. Britain wasn't going to defeat Germany by itself. Germany was no better off. Without U.S. involvement you almost certainly see a negotiated settlement to end that conflict. The German government may or may not have survived a growing Communist revolution but in either case its strongly possible the Nazis never get the chance to rise to power. This in no way "blames" the U.S. for WW2, but rather shows the Law of Unintended Consequences in action.
Nothing wrong with being French Canadian. Much of my own (extended) family side is, stemming from my paternal grandfather. I might relate more to the Irish side of the family, but have the foreign-sounding frenchy surname as proof of the former.
Danth
05-03-2021, 05:29 PM
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