Japanese invasion of China Nazi Germany Soviet Union attack on Pearl Harbor Italy the Allies Axis powers Europe first United Nations won reelection in 1944 substantial criticism incarceration of Japanese Americans in concentration camps historical rankings World War I World War II
With World War II looming after 1938 in addition to the Japanese invasion of China and the aggression of Nazi Germany, Roosevelt gave strong diplomatic and financial support to China as well as the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union while the U.S. remained officially neutral. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, he obtained a declaration of war on Japan the next day, and a few days later, on Germany and Italy. He worked closely with other national leaders in leading the Allies against the Axis powers. Roosevelt supervised the mobilization of the American economy to support the war effort and implemented a Europe first strategy. He also initiated the development of the world's first atomic bomb and worked with the other Allied leaders to lay the groundwork for the United Nations and other post-war institutions. Roosevelt won reelection in 1944 but died in 1945 after his physical health seriously and steadily declined during the war years. Since then, several of his actions have come under substantial criticism, including his ordering of the incarceration of Japanese Americans in concentration camps. Nonetheless, historical rankings consistently place him as one of the greatest American presidents.
