Respuesta :
Answer:
1. The Four Freedoms speech was given at the beginning of 1941, months before Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, while there were still debates about whether the US should enter World War II or not.
2. Roosevelt was trying to gain support for an increased involvement in the war by drawing a clear line between democracies and fascist regimes.
3. Isolationism and non-interventionism were still very popular - people didn't want to get involved in what was considered a "foreign war".
4. Because it changed public opinion within the United States in favor of the war.
Explanation:
The Four Freedoms Speech was a famous speech by president Franklin D. Roosevelt, delivered on January 6, 1941. In this speech, Roosevelt declared that all the people in the world had a right to four freedoms: freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. At the time, the stunning victories of the Axis powers in Europe and Asia were increasingly seen as existential threats to liberal democratic regimes. However, public opinion still wasn't quite ready to support open military intervention in World War II. Nevertheless, and while the United States wasn't a belligerent, it still provided substantial material aid to its allies, especially Britain, who was engaged in a fierce struggle against German troops.
By outlining what he felt were the basic freedoms of democratic regimes, Roosevelt sought to steer public perception of the war, considering it a struggle between two clashing world visions: that of democracy vs. the tyranny and opression of fascism. From this point of view, World War II was to be seen as a battle for the destiny of the world.
However, public opinion still wasn't keen on supporting the war. Isolationism and non-interventionism were still seen by many as the best foreign policy, because it was generally felt that the United States should deal with its own internal issues and don't get entangled in what was still considered a "foreign war". This position was reinforced by the economic and social after effects of the 1929 Great Depression, which were still a major issue. But as fascist powers went from victory to victory, the public started to fear that the United States would eventually become a target of invasion by either Germany or Japan, or both of them combined.
This situation radically changed on December 7, 1941, when Japanese airplanes bombed Pearl Harbor. The public was enraged with was seen as an infamous event. The very next day, the United States declared war on Japan, and a few days later declared war on Nazi Germany. Winston Churchill, the British Primer Minister, said that he was actually "relieved" by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, as this was the event that finally broke the neutrality of the United States and made it enter the war.
