After the expense of World War I and the retreat from the isolationist policy that had led America into it, the American people were ready to focus on themselves. They wanted to strengthen the American economy and remain aloof from foreign affairs, following ideals similar to the Monroe Doctrine. The price of World War I led to the isolationist policy of the United States, but as the years passed and the war approached, this policy became almost impossible. Isolationism for many years allowed the United States to focus on its financial problems and with the Great Depression this was crucial. Another reason for isolationism was that both the Democratic and Republican parties promoted it. In theory this isolationist policy made sense with the current situation in the United States, but the United States had become too great a world power to withdraw completely. During the period 1920-1941 US foreign policy can be divided into three sections: the early 1920s and relatively rigid isolationism, the late 1920s and 1930s and ever-increasing involvement, and finally World War II and the declaration of war by the United States. America over Japan and finally over Germany and Italy. In the early 1920s the American economy was booming due to World War I, and the American people wanted to sustain that wealth for as long as possible. And for people that meant spending money on America, not on other countries, to keep the economy going, and the government had similar ideals. The Republican presidential dominance, which included Warren Harding (Doc.A), centered on the era's popular Republican ideal of what Harding called a "return to normalcy." This meant no US foreign involvement and a business-friendly traditional government. This pro-business attitude could... middle of paper... the economy, and the government has returned to a more laissez-faire capitalism to try to support it. They focused on the growth of big business and the American economy, and they were isolationists because they knew both the human and financial costs of involvement in foreign affairs. In the 1930s Roosevelt became more involved in Europe in attempting to stop the war before it could begin and to support those countries that followed US democratic principles, and as the war approached, Roosevelt's involvement and, by extension, of the United States grew. He had stopped being isolationist, but the people hadn't. It was not until Pearl Harbor that the American people understood the necessity of war. They went straight to isolationism to the point of wanting to fight. Although Americans always wanted to stay out of war, when people started dying on their soil they knew it was time to act.