Influence of Isolationism and Fascism on America

Before World War 2, Americans believed in isolationism, meaning that they mostly stayed out of foreign affairs, including wars. During the beginning of the war, America tried to stay neutral. This seemed to be a good choice at the time, since getting involved may not have been necessary, and doing so probably would have escalated the conflict. At that point, there did not seem to be much of a reason to join a side of the war. However, Americans began to fear the type of government that countries such as Germany and Italy were using. Fascist dictatorships were seen as a possible threat to the freedom of America. The fear of totalitarian governments caused America to become less neutral regarding the events in Europe.