中英文双语阅读703：The Neutrality of America in the Early World War II

The Neutrality of America in the Early World War II

The establishment of the Third Reich cast a long, dark shadow over American history, triggering a chain of events that would inevitably culminate in a cataclysmic war between Germany and the United States. The complete destruction of democratic institutions, the relentless persecution of Jews, the systematic war on religion, and the sheer cruelty and barbarism of the Nazis—amplified by horrifying newsreels and radio broadcasts—caused great indignation across the heartland of America. Furthermore, the grandiose plans of Germany and her allies, Italy and Japan, for world conquest struck a deep chord of fear in a nation still scarred by the memory of the First World War. While speaking out against Hitler’s atrocities with moral outrage, the American people, driven by a desire to avoid another bloodbath, generally favored isolationist policies and strict neutrality. The Neutrality Acts of 1935 and 1936, designed to insulate the country from foreign conflicts, prohibited trade with any belligerents or loans to them. In 1937, the President was further empowered to declare an arms embargo in wars between nations at his own discretion, attempting to legislate the nation out of war.

However, the tide of American opinion began to turn slowly but surely after President Roosevelt’s stirring “quarantine the aggressor” speech at Chicago in 1937, in which he eloquently warned that lawlessness must be checked before it spreads like an epidemic. Germany’s swift seizure of Austria and the betrayal of the Munich Pact for the partition of Czechoslovakia in 1938 also jolted the American people out of their complacency. The brutal conquest of Czechoslovakia in March 1939 served as another rude awakening to the menacing reality of the Third Reich. In August 1939 came the shock of the Nazi-Soviet Pact, a cynical alliance between two ideological enemies, followed in September by the blitzkrieg attack on Poland and the outbreak of European war. The United States attempted to maintain a precarious neutrality in spite of deep sympathy for the democracies arrayed against the Third Reich. The Neutrality Act of 1939 repealed the arms embargo and permitted “cash and carry” exports of arms to belligerent nations, a subtle shift that allowed the Allies to procure supplies as long as they assumed the risk of transport. A strong national defense program was begun. A draft act was passed in 1940 to strengthen the military services. The landmark Lend-Lease Act of 1941 authorized the President to sell, exchange, or lend materials to any country deemed necessary for the defense of the United States, famously prompting Roosevelt to call America the “arsenal of democracy.” Help was given to Britain by exchanging certain overage destroyers for the right to establish American bases in British territory in the Western Hemisphere. In August 1941, President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill met aboard a warship in the Atlantic and issued the Atlantic Charter, which proclaimed the vision of a free and just world that should be established after the war. The illusion of peace was finally shattered in December 1941, when Japan launched the unprovoked and devastating attack on the United States at Pearl Harbor. Immediately thereafter, Germany declared war on the United States, plunging America fully into the global conflict.

二战初期美国的中立政策

第三帝国的建立在美国历史上投下了长长的阴影，引发了一系列连锁反应，最终不可避免地导致美德两国之间爆发那场灾难性的战争。民主体制的彻底毁灭、对犹太人的无情迫害、对宗教信仰的系统性打压，以及纳粹分子纯粹的残暴与野蛮——这些通过骇人的新闻短片和广播传遍四方——在美国腹地激起了极大的愤慨。此外，德国及其盟友意大利和日本征服世界的狂妄计划，在这个仍因一战的记忆而伤痕累累的国家，引发了深深的恐惧。尽管美国民众怀着道德义愤公开谴责希特勒的暴行，但为了避免再次陷入血腥屠杀，他们普遍倾向于孤立主义政策和严格的中立立场。为了将国家从对外冲突中隔绝开来，1935年和1936年通过的《中立法案》禁止与任何交战国进行贸易或向其提供贷款。1937年，总统进一步获得授权，可酌情在国与国之间的战争中宣布武器禁运，试图通过立法手段将国家拒战争于门外。

然而，继罗斯福总统1937年在芝加哥发表激动人心的“隔离侵略者”演讲后，美国舆论开始发生缓慢但确定的转变。他在演讲中雄辩地警告说，无法无天的行为必须在其像瘟疫一样蔓延之前加以遏制。1938年，德国迅速吞并奥地利以及瓜分捷克斯洛伐克的《慕尼黑协定》被撕毁，这些都让美国民众从自满中惊醒。1939年3月，捷克斯洛伐克惨遭征服，这再次粗暴地唤醒了人们对第三帝国威胁现实的认知。1939年8月，《苏德互不侵犯条约》的签订震惊世界——这是两个意识形态死敌之间达成的一个愤世嫉俗的联盟；紧接着在9月，闪电战突袭波兰，欧洲战争全面爆发。尽管对那些结盟对抗第三帝国的民主国家抱有深切同情，美国仍试图维持岌岌可危的中立。1939年的《中立法案》废除了武器禁运，允许向交战国“现金购货自运”出口武器，这一微妙的转变允许盟国购买补给，前提是他们需自行承担运输风险。随后，美国启动了强大的国防计划。1940年通过了《征兵法案》以加强军事力量。具有里程碑意义的1941年《租借法案》授权总统向任何他认为对保卫美国有必要的国家出售、交换或借贷物资，这促使罗斯福著名地将美国称为“民主兵工厂”。美国还通过用一些老旧驱逐舰交换在西半球英国领土上建立美国基地的权利，向英国提供了宝贵援助。1941年8月，罗斯福总统与丘吉尔首相在一艘大西洋战舰上会晤，并发表了《大西洋宪章》，宣告了战后应建立自由公正世界的愿景。和平的幻象最终在1941年12月破碎，当时日本对珍珠港发动了无端且毁灭性的袭击。紧接着，德国向美国宣战，将美国彻底推入了全球冲突的洪流之中。