Question

When Roosevelt spoke about the "Arsenal of Democracy" in 1940, what did he mean?

a) The US should begin sending troops and planes to the United Kingdom to assist our ally in the Battle of Britain.
b) The US should supply the British with whatever it needed to hold out against the Nazis.
c) The US should work on beefing up its own military strength, in case the Nazis turned their attention to us, but the US should not assist the allies unless there was a formal declaration of war.
d) The US should send food and humanitarian supplies but not military aid to any country at war with the Nazis.

Answer 1

Roosevelt's "Arsenal of Democracy" speech in 1940 meant that the U.S. would supply the British with necessary aid to fight the Nazis while maintaining neutrality until Pearl Harbor. This was realized through initiatives like the Lend-Lease Act, transforming the U.S. into a powerhouse of military production.

Step-by-step explanation:

When President Franklin D. Roosevelt referred to the United States as the "Arsenal of Democracy" in 1940, he highlighted the country's intention to support the British and Allied fight against the Axis powers, primarily through material and economic aid, without directly engaging in combat. The correct option that aligns with this concept is b) The US should supply the British with whatever it needed to hold out against the Nazis. This meant transforming the U.S. into a massive producer of war supplies, effectively aiding the Allies, while maintaining a stance of neutrality until the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Roosevelt enacted policies such as the Lend-Lease Act and bolstered the production capacity of the U.S., turning the nation's industry into a powerhouse capable of producing vast quantities of military equipment and supplies. These efforts ultimately played a pivotal role in supporting the Allies' military campaigns and bolstered the U.S. economy, leading it out of the depths of the Great Depression.