Atlantic Charter
August 14, 1941
In August 1941, the Axis was still rising in power and the threat that it posed seemed imminent to the Allied forces. In response to the rise in power, the Prime Minister Winston Churchill and the President Roosevelt had a conference in the midst of the Battle of the Atlantic on the U.S.S. Augusta. In this conference, or charter, the two leaders of the US and Britain talked about their goals for the world and what they hoped to achieve after the war. They discussed how the world should be organized post-war, agreeing that all countries should be safe within their own borders and should be free from fear and oppression from other countries. They also went over basic principles of international justice, such as not allowing countries to expand their territories without the express consent of all the countries involved. They also detailed how the countries should collaborate after the war, and it served as a source of hope for the Allied forces. While it had little legal ramifications, the spirit of the Charter was still there and captured the ideals, hopes, and dreams of the Allies and gave a goal for the countries fighting against the tyrannical forces of Germany and Italy.
The event is significant to the US because it was when they really laid down their goals and talked about what the Allies plan for the future was. It showed a turn in American foreign policy, because the President detailed what he wanted to achieve in Europe after the war. At first America wouldn’t have met with a foreign leader in person, but with the increasing threat of Germany and the Axis powers, they were forced to ally with another democratic nation. This shows the beginning of the US’s involvement with the United Nations and shows their interest in making Europe and the rest of the world a safer and less oppressive place.
In August 1941, the Axis was still rising in power and the threat that it posed seemed imminent to the Allied forces. In response to the rise in power, the Prime Minister Winston Churchill and the President Roosevelt had a conference in the midst of the Battle of the Atlantic on the U.S.S. Augusta. In this conference, or charter, the two leaders of the US and Britain talked about their goals for the world and what they hoped to achieve after the war. They discussed how the world should be organized post-war, agreeing that all countries should be safe within their own borders and should be free from fear and oppression from other countries. They also went over basic principles of international justice, such as not allowing countries to expand their territories without the express consent of all the countries involved. They also detailed how the countries should collaborate after the war, and it served as a source of hope for the Allied forces. While it had little legal ramifications, the spirit of the Charter was still there and captured the ideals, hopes, and dreams of the Allies and gave a goal for the countries fighting against the tyrannical forces of Germany and Italy.
The event is significant to the US because it was when they really laid down their goals and talked about what the Allies plan for the future was. It showed a turn in American foreign policy, because the President detailed what he wanted to achieve in Europe after the war. At first America wouldn’t have met with a foreign leader in person, but with the increasing threat of Germany and the Axis powers, they were forced to ally with another democratic nation. This shows the beginning of the US’s involvement with the United Nations and shows their interest in making Europe and the rest of the world a safer and less oppressive place.