为什么美国在加入二战时犹豫不决？

Desmond Ng
Why did America dither about joining the WW2?
In WWI America entered the war abut a year before it ended. In that year she lost over 115,000 dead, and another 200,000 wounded, 60,000 severely. While not as bad as the other Great Powers fighting at the time this was still a considerable amount of casualties for any nation.
 
为什么美国在加入二战的问题上犹豫不决？
在第一次世界大战中，美国约在战争结束前一年参战。在那一年里，美国损失的生命超过11.5万人，还有20万人受伤，其中6万人伤势严重。虽然这并不像当时参战的其他大国那样惨重，但对任何国家来说，这仍然是相当可观的伤亡。
 
Then WWII rolls around, and the Americans watch on as Italy and Russia, their WWI allies, become allies to Germany. They then begin conquering countries and the Allied intervention fails to save any one of them. Then France, who bore the brunt of casualties in the war, falls to Germany, as well as Belgium and the Netherlands, and the British armies are thrown back across the sea.
 
随后，二战爆发了。美国人眼看着意大利和俄罗斯——他们一战时的盟友——变成了德国的盟友。德国随后开始征服各国，盟军的干预未能挽救任何一个国家。法国——在战争中承受了大部分伤亡的国家——沦陷了，比利时和荷兰也沦陷了，英国军队被击退到海的另一边。
 
You can imagine how the onlookers would have felt. In the first was they fought a weakened Germany alongside French, British, Canadian, and Belgium forces. Even then over 300,000 casualties were sustained. Now they only have Canada and a weakened Britain on their side, against a much stronger and well equipped Germany.
 
你可以想象旁观者会有什么感受。在一战中，他们与法国、英国、加拿大和比利时军队并肩作战，对抗已经衰弱的德国。即便如此，伤亡人数仍超过30万。现在，只有加拿大和已经衰弱的英国站在他们一边，而他们面对的是一个更强大、装备更精良的德国。
 
But it wouldn't be fair to say that America didn't help. As soon as the first German boot stepped on French soil, America was already sending over to Great Britain tonnes of military aid. And when the Japanese dropped a bomb on American battleships the USA immediately decided to avenge them and declared war on the Axis,entering WWII.
 
但说美国没有帮忙也不公平。当德国军队踏上法国领土时，美国已经开始向英国运送大量军事援助。当日本对美国战舰投下炸弹时，美国立即决定报仇，并对轴心国宣战，从而加入了二战。
 
Bill Lawrence
In fairness, it was Germany that declared war on the U.S. a few days after Pearl Harbor. Some say that was Hitler's dumbest decision as there was a real chance the U.S. would not have declared war on Germany if he hadn't done so first.
 
公平地说，是德国在珍珠港事件几天后向美国宣战的。有人说，这是希特勒最愚蠢的决定，因为如果他不先宣战，美国可能根本不会对德国宣战。
 
Desmond Ng
Apparently he hoped Japan would follow suit and declare war on the USSR.
 
显然，他希望日本也会效仿，对苏联宣战。
 
Wes Frank
That was a minor part of it. The primary German goal in allying with Japan was for the Japanese navy to keep the American navy occupied in the Pacfic while Germany’s U-boat war cut the British lifeline and forced them to pull out of the war. The German navy was the leading advocate of Hitler’s alliance with Japan. They wanted the Japanese navy on their side.
 
这只是其中的一小部分,德国与日本结盟的主要目标是让日本海军在太平洋牵制美国海军，同时德国的潜艇战切断英国的补给线，迫使英国退出战争。德国海军是希特勒与日本结盟的主要倡导者，他们希望日本海军站在他们一边。
 
Alex N.
I actually think Hitler declared war on the US for a far simpler (and dumber) reason. He probably thought the US would declare war on Germany anyway and he actually thought that a great Empire like Germany does the declaring. Lessor countries should Not declare against Germany first.
 
实际上，我认为希特勒对美国宣战的原因要简单得多（也愚蠢得多）。他可能认为美国无论如何都会对德国宣战，而且他真的认为像德国这样的大国应该主动宣战，小国不应该先对德国宣战。
 
Stephen Farmer
WWI was a war of Empires against those that developed too late to form one. Germany attempted to increase it's influence by aligning with smaller nations, The US at this time was in no way considered an equal by any European nation of power. We were still mostly the raw goods provider as the base for European finery. We were pulled in for our resources (both natural and human) and then mostly left out of the war's spoils. This view of the US and Europe's superiority would have continued if not for War; the sequel.
 
第一次世界大战是一场帝国主义国家对那些发展太晚而未能形成帝国的国家的战争。德国试图通过与小国结盟来扩大自己的影响力。当时，美国在任何欧洲强国眼中都算不上平等的对手。我们主要还是欧洲服饰的原材料供应者。我们被卷入战争是因为我们的资源（包括自然资源和人力资源），但战后我们却基本被排除在战利品分配之外。如果不是因为战争，这种认为美国和欧洲优越的观点还会继续存在；而第二次世界大战，就像是这场战争的续集一样。
 
Why would the US want any part of a redo. The fact that it was a war of ideals was completely unknown and its importance not understood until viewed through the passage of time.
 
美国为何要重蹈覆辙？当时，人们并不知晓这是一场关乎理念的战争，也未能充分认识到其重要性，直到随着时间的推移，回过头来看待这场战争时，才逐渐明白其意义。
 
Ricardo Ruiz
It was not a war of ideals. It was purely material self-interest of the imperial powers.
 
这并非一场理念之战，纯粹是帝国主义国家的物质利益之争。
 
Stephen Farmer
WW1-no; WW2-yes
 
一战不是，二战是。
 
José de Siqueira
It is a fact, however, that the majority people in US actually supported Germany and the Nazis and didn't want the US entering war against it. It was only after Pearl Harbour that people in US supported the war against Japaneses and Germans.
 
然而，事实是，美国大多数人实际上支持德国和纳粹，不希望美国参战。直到珍珠港事件发生后，美国人才支持对日本和德国的战争。
 
Jerome J Huhman
What is your source that the 'majority of people in the US actually supported Germany and the Nazis'. While my German-American grandfather was a member of the Bund in the early 1930s he had dropped out as it became more political after 1933.
I strongly suspect that the majority of Americans in the late 1930s believed that America should not become involved in another European war but did not support the Nazi party.
 
你有什么证据表明“美国大多数人实际上支持德国和纳粹”？虽然我的德裔美国祖父在20世纪30年代初是德美同盟会的成员，但在1933年后该组织变得更具政治性时，他退出了。我强烈怀疑，20世纪30年代末，大多数美国人认为美国不应卷入另一场欧洲战争，但他们并不支持纳粹党。
 
Ricardo Ruiz
The people didn't but the democratically elected government of the United States did, so there is still some level of responsibility since they weren't forced to vote for that government, they chose to.
 
民众没有，但美国民主选举的政府却这样做了，所以仍有一定责任，因为民众并非被迫投票支持该政府，而是自己选择的。
 
Desmond Ng
And even then Germany had to declare war on the US, not the other way round.
 
即便如此，也是德国先向美国宣战，而不是反过来。
 
Jerome J Huhman
True but wasn't the Germans declaration three days after Pearl Harbor?
 
确实，但德国的宣战不是在珍珠港事件三天后吗？
 
Brandon Li
About half of the population of the US was for peace. Not for the Nazis. There's a big difference. The fact that a few influential Americans were fans of the Nazis isn't really evidence that the US was *this close from supporting a fascist regime or becoming one. For example, the Gallup poll found 56% of Americans in 1940 blaming the war on Germany and by the end of the end of 1940, still a year before war, 62% polled believed that Germany's defeat was more important than staying out of war. And preparedness for war was universally supported, with 89% approving of the peacetime draft.
 
大约有一半的美国人渴望和平，这并不意味着他们支持纳粹。这两者之间有着天壤之别。一些有影响力的美国人对纳粹表示赞赏，但这并不能说明美国即将支持一个法西斯政权，或者自己变成一个法西斯政权。例如，盖洛普民意调查显示，1940年有56%的美国人将战争归咎于德国，到了1940年底，也就是战争爆发前一年，62%的受访者认为德国的失败比保持中立更重要。而且，支持战争准备是普遍存在的，89%的人支持和平时期的征兵制度。
 
Dixit
No, a majority of people, and this is going to blow your mind, didn't want to die or lose their sons, husbands, fathers, brothers…
 
不，这可能会让你大吃一惊——大多数人并不想死，也不想失去他们的儿子、丈夫、父亲、兄弟……
 
Adam Smith
Just a question, was not Russia on the same side as America and I don't think it was an ally of Germany. Correct me if am wrong.
 
问个问题，俄罗斯不是和美国站在同一边的吗？我不认为它是德国的盟友。如果我错了，请纠正我。
 
Alex Grof
August 23th 1939 Germany and the Soviet unx signed the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact. Although technically it's a non-agression treaty it basically divided the Poland in a part what Germany would conquer and a part what the Soviets would take. After Germany attacked Poland on September 1st the Soviet unx waited 16 days. In that time it finished fighting the Japanese (Soviet–Japanese border conflicts). It attacked Poland September 17th.
Germany broke the pact on 22 June 1941 when it began Operation Barbarossa. So December 7th when the Japanese attack the US Russia and Germany weren't allies but the years before could be considered as such. The Soviet unx was included in the Lend-Lease program shortly after the German attack.
 
1939年8月23日，德国和苏联签署了《莫洛托夫-里宾特洛甫条约》（Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact，也被称为《苏德互不侵犯条约》或《纳粹-苏联互不侵犯条约》)。尽管严格来说，这是一项非侵略条约，但它实际上将波兰划分为德国将要征服的部分和苏联将要占领的部分。德国于9月1日进攻波兰后，苏联等待了16天才进攻它。在这期间，它结束了与日本的冲突（苏日边境冲突）；苏联于9月17日进攻波兰。德国于1941年6月22日开始“巴巴罗萨计划（德军攻打苏联）”时打破了这一条约。因此，当1941年12月7日日本袭击美国时，俄罗斯和德国并非盟友，但在那之前的几年可以被视为盟友。德国进攻苏联后不久，苏联便被纳入了美国的租借法案援助范围。
 
Adam Smith
Ohh...it makes more sense now, that Soviet did occupy a part of Poland.Thank you for the explanation!
 
哦……现在明白了，苏联确实占领了波兰的一部分。谢谢你的解释！
 
Rick Liao
And then Russians are supposed to turn around and put them out of commission, but the Nazis beat them to the punch and Russia tries to act surprised.
 
然后俄罗斯人本应掉头把他们赶出去，但纳粹抢先一步，俄罗斯却装作很惊讶。
 
Jeff Thorpe
Hi The casualty figure that you have for the USA in WW1 includes those who died of flu, including about 38,000 who died while still in the USA. So not combat losses. Each of Australia, Canada, and India suffered more combat fatalities in WW1 than did the US (it had about 53,000). Which stands to reason since the US entered WW1 32 months after those countries did, and the US was engaged in very few combat actions.
 
嗨，你给出的美国在第一次世界大战中的伤亡数字包括了死于流感的人，其中包括大约38,000名人是在美国本土死亡的，所以这些不属于战斗伤亡。澳大利亚、加拿大和印度在第一次世界大战中的战斗死亡人数都比美国多（美国约为53,000人）。这合乎情理，因为美国比这些国家晚32个月参战，而且美国参与的战斗行动非常少。
 
World War I casualties - Wikipedia
Canada and the UK declared war on Japan before the US did in WW2. And the US was eagerly sending aid ? Check again - the US ambassador to the UK was a fellow by the name of Joseph Kennedy - the patriarch of the family. He did not believe that the UK could hold and discouraged help from the US. Some special relationship huh ! This was coined by Churchill who liked such things.
 
第一次世界大战的伤亡情况——维基百科
加拿大和英国在第二次世界大战中比美国更早对日本宣战。美国急切地送去援助？再查查吧——美国驻英国大使是一个叫约瑟夫·肯尼迪的人——是这个家族的家长。他不相信英国能坚持下去，还劝说美国不要提供帮助。这种所谓的“特殊关系”这是丘吉尔造出来的，他喜欢这一套。
 
Questioning Orthodoxy
You said:
Canada and the UK declared war on Japan before the US did in WW2.
That is highly misleading.
 
你说：“加拿大和英国在二战中比美国更早对日本宣战。”
这非常具有误导性。
 
Japan attacked the UK and the US on December 7. Canada declared war on December 7. Both the UK and the US declared war on December 8.
In America, a Head of State cannot declare war — it takes an act of both houses of Congress. So it took the US a few hours longer than it did two countries with a Monarchy. But that made no difference.
What did make a difference was that back when Japan was only at war with China the US was aiding China by sending them war supplies.
But instead of aiding China, Britain decided to collaborate with Japan by shutting down the road through Burma through which China was getting its much-needed supplies.
 
日本在12月7日同时对英国和美国发动了攻击。加拿大在12月7日宣战，英国和美国都在12月8日宣战。
在美国，国家总统不能宣战——这需要国会两院通过法案。因此，美国比这两个君主制国家多花了几个小时才做出宣战的决定，但这并没有什么不同。
真正有区别的是，早在日本仅与中国交战时，美国就通过运送战争物资来援助中国。
然而，英国却选择与日本合作，关闭了中国通过缅甸获取急需物资的通道。
 
You said:
Some special relationship huh ! This was coined by Churchill who liked such things.
Yes, Churchill coined the term because he was desperate for US help. And he wanted to persuade the US to help Britain fight yet another European war.
 
你说：“特殊关系”这种说法是丘吉尔创造的，他喜欢这一套。
没错，丘吉尔创造了这个说法，因为他迫切需要美国的帮助。
他试图说服美国帮助英国再打一场欧洲战争。
 
Gomer Romer
Sorry, but as is usually the case, this answer severely over-rates the U.S. contribution in World War I. The war started in August, 1914. We declared war in April, 1917, 30 months later. But while the U.S. Navy started helping convoys immediately, we did not have ground troops in combat against the Germans until well into 1918. The Marines valorous fight in Belleau Wood was in June, 1918, barely five months before the Nov 11, 1918 armistice. The Second Battle of the Marne in which the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division became known as “The Rock of the Marne” was in mid-July. less than 12 weeks before the Germans surrendered.
 
抱歉，正如通常情况一样，这个回答严重高估了美国在第一次世界大战中的贡献。战争始于1914年8月，我们于1917年4月宣战，晚了30个月。尽管美国海军立即开始协助护航，但直到1918年，我们的地面部队才开始与德国作战。海军陆战队在贝洛森林的英勇战斗发生在1918年6月，距离1918年11月11日停战协定仅剩五个月。美国第二步兵师在马恩河战役中赢得了“马恩河的岩石”的称号，这场战役发生在7月中旬，距离德国投降不到12周。
 
The big contribution of the U.S. was that by declaring war and finally, in mid-1918, getting a quarter-million U.S. troops landing in France per month, the Germans understood they had no change and, faced with naval mutinies and insurrection of a starving population at home, they threw in the towel. But our contribution in combat was very, very minor indeed. This is not to say that our troops did not show valor or make great sacrifices, but deaths as a proportion of the population are 42 times as high for France as for the U.S. Canada’s losses are something like eight times as high.
 
美国的主要贡献在于，通过宣战并在1918年中期每月向法国派遣25万美国士兵，德国人意识到他们没有胜算。面对国内的海军哗变和饥饿人口的叛乱，德国人最终投降。但我们在战斗中的贡献确实非常非常小。这并不是说我们的士兵没有表现出勇气或做出巨大牺牲，但就人口比例而言，法国的死亡人数是美国的42倍，加拿大的损失大约是美国的8倍。
 
The author of this answer also highly overestimates the U.S. contribution to the war against Germany and Italy. We did not send any “aid” to Europe as soon as one German boot set down on French soil. We SOLD war material to the UK and France but the Lend-Lease act did not pass until July, 1941, nearly two years into the war. Before that our supply of munitions was a highly profitable export trade.
 
这个回答的作者也严重高估了美国在对德国和意大利战争中的贡献。我们并没有在德国军队踏上法国领土时就向欧洲送去“援助”。我们向英国和法国出售战争物资，但租借法案直到1941年7月才通过，那时战争已经进行了近两年。在此之前，我们向他们供应军火是一种非常有利可图的出口贸易。
 
Finally, it was the USSR, not France, that bore the highest burden. Some 85 percent of all German combat deaths were at the hands of the Soviets. Stalin’s blundering was responsible for their high losses, but for Germany in WWII, the war overwhelmingly was that on the Eastern Front. The fights in North Africa and Italy were sideshows. Saying this always angers the rah-rah-rah crowd that thinks we won both wars alone, but as a history major and a retired U.S. Army Reserve infantry major who completed infantry branch basic and advanced courses, CAS3 (Combined Arms and Services Staff School) and C&GS (Command and General Staff School) I can tell you that what I write is true. We should be proud of what we did. We should not lie to it about how large that effort was relative to others.
 
最终，真正承受了最大战争负担的是苏联，而非法国。在二战中，德军约85%的战斗死亡是由苏联造成的。尽管斯大林的决策失误导致了苏联的巨大伤亡，但对于德国而言，东线战场才是二战的主战场。相比之下，北非和意大利的战斗更像是次要的配戏。这种观点往往会激怒那些认为美国独自赢得了两场世界大战的人。但作为一名历史学专业毕业生，以及一位退役的美国陆军预备役步兵少校，我完成了步兵基础和高级课程、联合军种和勤务人员学校（CAS3）以及指挥与参谋学院（C&GS）的学习，我可以告诉你，我所写的是事实。我们应该为我们所做的感到自豪，但也不应该夸大我们相对于其他国家的努力。
 
Ernest
Why did America dither about joining the WW2?
Nations normally do not just jump into wars that they are not involved in. Wars are expensive, disruptive, and they kill people. (The US seems to have forgotten that lesson since then, however.) For example, Germany did not attack either Sweden or Ireland, and so both Sweden and Ireland stayed out of the war.
 
为什么美国在加入二战的问题上犹豫不决？
通常情况下，国家不会轻易卷入与自己无关的战争。战争是昂贵的、具有破坏性的，而且会导致人员伤亡。（然而，在后来，美国似乎忘记了这一教训。）例如，德国没有攻击瑞典或爱尔兰，因此瑞典和爱尔兰都保持了中立。
 
The United States was not in a defense treaty with any of the nations involved in World War II. It was not under any obligation to any of them. It joined the war when it was attacked, and not before.
 
美国在第二次世界大战中并没有与任何参战国签订防御条约，它对任何一方都没有义务。美国是在遭到攻击后才加入战争的，而不是在此之前加入战争的。
 
Besides, the British and the French were responsible for making sure that Germany did not re-arm after World War I. They were the ones who blew it. It was their responsibility and their problem.
Japan did not attack the Philippines, the US's possession in the Far East, until the day after Pearl Harbor.
 
此外，英国和法国本应负责确保德国在一战后不会重新武装。他们在这方面失职了，这是他们的责任，也是他们的问题。
日本直到珍珠港事件的次日才攻击了美国在远东的属地——菲律宾。