Final answer:
The U.S. pursued isolationism and neutrality to avoid entanglement in European conflicts, influenced by the desires of its founders and public sentiment. This policy was reinforced through the early 20th century until strategic, economic, and geopolitical pressures gradually pushed the U.S. into World War I. After World War II, isolationist tendencies remained but were overshadowed by the U.S.'s new role as a global superpower.
Step-by-step explanation:
Understanding U.S. Isolationism and Neutrality
The United States wanted to maintain isolationism and neutrality for various reasons throughout its history. After the Revolutionary War, the founding figures such as Thomas Jefferson and George Washington favored a foreign policy that kept America out of European conflicts and entanglements, to focus on building its own nation. Isolationism was also supported by the public sentiment which was weary of warfare and saw Europe as a land of turmoil that could entangle the U.S. in unnecessary conflicts. Moreover, events of the 1930s, such as the findings of the Nye Committee and the rise of totalitarian governments, fueled the desire for isolationism leading to the passage of Neutrality Acts aimed at keeping the U.S. out of foreign wars.
President Woodrow Wilson, notably a pacifist, wanted to keep the United States neutral during the World War I, fearing domestic divisions because a significant portion of the U.S. population were immigrants with strong ties to their European homelands. Despite U.S. businesses and banks extending credit and loans predominantly to the Allied powers, there was also a conscious effort to not take sides overtly early in the conflicts. However, with pressures mounting, strategic reasons, and incidents like the Zimmerman Telegram, there was a shift in opinion on neutrality, which led to the U.S. eventually joining the conflict on the side of Britain and France.
Though the U.S. entered both World Wars, isolationist sentiment still persisted and has influenced its foreign policy decisions for decades. But after World War II, the U.S. emerged as a global superpower and became more engaged in world affairs, though isolationist sentiments never completely disappeared, especially when there was fear of involvement in further foreign conflicts.