Analysis: Our Own Democracy Is Threatened
The topic of democracy under threat explores the historical context of rising authoritarianism, specifically during the early 20th century as Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party gained prominence in Germany. Following the punitive measures of the Treaty of Versailles, which sought to limit Germany's power post-World War I, the Nazis propagated nationalist and exclusionary ideologies, positioning themselves against perceived threats to their vision of a pure German state. This era was marked by aggressive military actions, including the annexation of territories and invasions of neighboring countries, leading to widespread conflict across Europe.
Prominent political figures in the United States, such as Senator James F. Byrnes, recognized the implications of these developments for global democracy. They argued that if nations like Britain were to fall to Hitler, the United States itself would become vulnerable to similar threats. Byrnes advocated for increased American support for Britain, emphasizing the need to protect democratic ideals from the encroaching influence of totalitarian regimes. The discussions around intervention versus isolationism during this period reflect a broader concern about the defense of democratic institutions amid global upheaval. Overall, this topic highlights the fragility of democracy and the collective responsibilities nations share in safeguarding it against tyranny.
Analysis: Our Own Democracy Is Threatened
Date: January 17, 1941
Author: James F. Byrnes
Genre: speech
Summary Overview
With Adolf Hitler continuing his Nazi advance across Europe and threatening to topple Britain, Senator James F. Byrnes, a Democrat from South Carolina, took to the airwaves to join the debate over America's potential involvement in the war. Byrnes said that Britain stood on the brink of collapse at the hands of Germany. If defeat were to occur there, he said, the United States would be the last defender of democracy and an almost certain target for Hitler. He advocated a bill providing aid to Britain, arguing that this bill would help that nation continue its fight against Germany and keep the war in Europe. If England were to fall, he said, war would be upon the United States, whether its citizens wished it or not.
Defining Moment
Two decades after the Treaty of Versailles ended World War I, Germany—identified in the Versailles treaty as the main aggressor in that conflict—looked to reemerge from under the punitive economic, military, and political sanctions imposed upon it by that treaty. Germans did so by embracing the nationalist, racist, and anti-Semitic ideals and policies of Chancellor Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Party. Upon assuming power in 1933, Hitler launched a domestic campaign to purify the German race by ridding the country of non-German elements (such as Jews, Gypsies or Romanies, and Eastern Europeans), and he looked to expand Germany's geographic domain to accommodate his plan for the expansion of the German people as a master race to rule over Europe.
Hitler's efforts on this latter front began with sending troops into the Rhineland (a region of western Germany that had been demilitarized under the Versailles treaty) and peacefully annexing Austria. In 1939, the Nazis moved into Czechoslovakia and then Poland, which prompted France, Britain, New Zealand, and Australia to declare war; rapid German invasions of Finland, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg followed. In June of 1940, France capitulated to Germany, and pro-Germans French officials installed a puppet government based in Vichy. Meanwhile, Italian Fascist leader Benito Mussolini led his own troops into the African nation of Ethiopia. On the other side of the world, Japan (which would ultimately join forces with Hitler and Mussolini) invaded the Chinese region of Manchuria, setting up a puppet government there and advancing both toward Beijing and into the South Pacific.
With virtually every corner of the world save the Western Hemisphere living under wartime conditions, nations looked to one another for alliances, partnerships, and aid. After France fell to Hitler, the last viable opponent for Germany was Great Britain (Russia, to the east, had entered into a nonaggression pact with Germany in 1939). British prime minister Winston Churchill launched a major public-relations campaign designed to convince the United States to support his nation against Germany. German bombers, meanwhile, began sorties over London and other key targets in England in the Battle of Britain during the fall of 1940. Offshore, German U-boats, or submarines, started sinking merchant ships en route from the United States to British ports.
Chastened from World War I, the United States remained on the sidelines. A majority of Americans simply felt that the growing crisis in Europe was not their concern. Neutrality, they felt, was the best course of action. Although the isolationists prevailed in the 1930s, as the war progressed, a growing number of Americans advocated for greater participation, even if it meant American troops landing in Europe. At the core of the interventionist position was the notion that democracy itself was in jeopardy and that, if Britain were to fall, a very real and imminent threat to the United States and its democratic institutions existed. On January 17, 1941, South Carolina senator Joseph F. Byrnes took to the airwaves to expound on this point and advocate for American support for Britain.
Author Biography
James Francis Byrnes was born on May 2, 1882, in Charleston, South Carolina. Educated in public schools, Byrnes did not attend college, but became a court stenographer in 1900 in the South Carolina Second Circuit Court in Aiken. In 1908, he became the solicitor for the Second Circuit, holding that post until 1910, when he was elected to the US House of Representatives. After six terms, Byrnes ran unsuccessfully for the Senate in 1925. In 1930, he ran again, this time successfully. Byrnes held his seat until 1942, when he was appointed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to be director of the Office of War Mobilization. After Roosevelt's death in 1945, Byrnes was appointed President Harry S. Truman's secretary of state, a post he held until 1947. In 1951, Byrnes was elected governor of South Carolina. He retired in 1955 and died on April 4, 1972.
Document Analysis
Byrnes uses his radio address to make clear to his listeners that a grave threat is facing the United States. Great Britain is the last defense against the growing power of Adolf Hitler's military, he argues. It is imperative that the United States recognize this threat and act quickly to combat Germany, he says. The bill he has sponsored, Byrnes says, would empower Britain to continue its fight against the Nazis as well as keep the war in Europe. If Britain falls, however, the next target for Hitler would be the United States, and Germany's dictator would stop at nothing to destroy America's democratic ideals, he warns.
Byrnes argues that Great Britain is on the brink of defeat at the hands of Germany. Each time Nazi Germany defeats an enemy, he says, victory only whets Hitler's appetite for new conquests. With France, Poland, Czechoslovakia, the Netherlands, and other nations falling to the German blitzkrieg, Britain represents the last undefeated American ally in Europe. There is a very real threat posed by Germany, he says—once Britain is defeated, it stands to reason that the United States would be Hitler's next target.
It is therefore essential that Congress pass a bill to give Britain the aid and supplies it needs to combat Hitler's forces, Byrnes argues. Any delay in passage only works to Germany's advantage and would prove “disastrous” to the United States. Byrnes acknowledges that isolationists would argue against such a measure, as they had opposed lifting the embargo on aid to any European war combatants (the Neutrality Acts passed in the 1930s). Even in the face of isolationism, however, Congress has been able to reinstate the draft, along with funding measures to create a “two-ocean” navy. Byrnes says that these accomplishments illustrate leaders' shared—if understated—fear of a threat of war against Germany.
The facts, Byrnes says, speak for themselves. The Axis powers had advanced throughout Europe. Hitler, Byrnes argues, was always preparing for war, even when the rest of the world looked to reestablish peace after World War I. Hitler had told nations like Poland that he wanted to coexist peacefully, then followed such promises with invasion and occupation. One by one, European nations had fallen victim to the Nazi war machine, Byrnes says, and the current battleground is Britain. British troops and civilians were fighting gallantly and proudly, he adds, and have not even asked the United States to send troops—only supplies and material aid.
Of course, Byrnes acknowledges, there is a concern that American troops could be called into service. Then again, there is also a much greater concern that American cities, factories, and infrastructure will become the target of German bombers once Britain falls. With the Atlantic dominated by the German Navy and the Pacific controlled by the Japanese, the walls would close in on the United States.
This threat is very real, he adds, but can be addressed by bolstering British aid. Doing so will help the British push back against the Nazis, keeping them contained on the European continent. The British are bravely continuing the fight against Hitler's onslaught. The United States, Byrnes argues, should reward their bravery by giving Britain aid. If the United States does not do so, the threat of democracy's collapse at the hands of dictatorship would become a reality, Byrnes says.
Glossary
altruistic: unselfishly concerned for or devoted to the welfare of others
precipice: a situation of great peril; a cliff with a vertical or overhanging face.
inviolability: incapable of being violated; incorruptible; prohibiting violation; secure from destruction, violence, infringement, or desecration
stalwart: strong and brave; valiant; strongly and stoutly built
citadel: any strongly fortified place; stronghold
Bibliography and Additional Reading
“Byrnes, James Francis, (1882–1972).” Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. US Congress, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2014.
“James F. Byrnes Room.” Clemson Libraries. Clemson University, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2014.
Kelly, Anthony. “Taking the Blitz to America.” History Today 62.6 (2012): 21–27. Print.
Whittington-Egan, Richard. “The Blitz Revisited.” Contemporary Review 288.1681 (2006): 250–51. Print.
“World War II Timeline.” National Geographic. Natl. Geographic Soc., 2001. Web. 11 Nov. 2014.