LEND-LEASE ACT (1941-1945)
The Lend-Lease act was a proposal by President Franklin D. Roosevelt that would supply the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, China, France, and other Allied nations with material goods, mainly articles of defense (munitions, arms, aircraft, etc.) from 1941 to 1945. The United States shipped over $50 billion dollars, which is equal to $647 billion today. Most of it went to Britain. After the successful German invasion of France, Britain was the only power fighting against Nazi Germany. The war being waged was a hard one, with heavy costs on both sides. At the same time, the United States began seriously considering going to war. There was even a peacetime draft. Britain pleaded to America for help, as they were running out of money fast. America obliged, naming themselves the "Arsenal of Democracy". These shipments ended the United States' facade of isolationism. Surveys said that over half of Americans at the time supported the act, and even more would with qualifications like "if it doesn't get us in to war". The act was signed in to law in March of 1941, 9 months before the U.S. entered the war. Roosevelt, the crowd pleaser he was, said "What do I do in such a crisis? I don't say... 'Neighbor, my garden hose cost me $15; you have to pay me $15 for it' …I don't want $15 — I want my garden hose back after the fire is over."
The Lend Lease act was an important factor for the Allied victory in World War 2. Without American assistance, Britain might have fallen early against German aggression Belligerent powers sacrificed production of everything that wasn't weapons, providing a critical advantage over Britain.. Over a quarter of British munitions came from Lend-Lease. It also created bonds of trust between the Allied powers. Robert Alphonso Taft, Republican Senator from Ohio, said: "Lending war equipment is a good deal like lending chewing gum. You don't want it back."
The Lend Lease act was an important factor for the Allied victory in World War 2. Without American assistance, Britain might have fallen early against German aggression Belligerent powers sacrificed production of everything that wasn't weapons, providing a critical advantage over Britain.. Over a quarter of British munitions came from Lend-Lease. It also created bonds of trust between the Allied powers. Robert Alphonso Taft, Republican Senator from Ohio, said: "Lending war equipment is a good deal like lending chewing gum. You don't want it back."
