Lend Lease Act
War causes great economic strain for most nations.
During World War II Britain faced these problems in the extreme. Being an island it heavily relied on imports from other nations. With Germany blockading their shores with U-Boats and bombing their island, Britain was in serious trouble. Facing starvation and lack of materials their army was under serious threat of annihilation. Britain was in need of a 3rd party to provide for them what they were unable to. Britain approached the United States for help.
The United States was unwilling to get involved in the conflict that devoured Europe at the time. Bitter from the outcome of World War I because of the men that were lost, while the United States gained virtually nothing in the end. They needed the United States to devote some of their resources to creating weapons for the war. The United States, unwilling to let anyone die in the conflict between the European powers, did not want to risk losing ships to the Germans when sailing to England. Britain then agreed to the Lend Lease Program, a system in which Britain would bring their boats to the United States, pay for the ships, weapons, vehicles, or anything else they needed, then bring those supplies back to England. The United States also gained the Virgin Islands out of this new system.
This system of allowing Britain to import war supplies saved England from sure defeat. The United States benefited from this as well. In addition to making new weapon technologies to sell that would benefit them when they would eventually join the war, but it made the United States a good amount of money. The program would strengthen our ties with England too. The Lend Lease Program was later instated to help other allies as well including the Soviet Union.
The program paved the way for a strong relationship between Britain and the United States. It allowed for Britain to continue fighting Nazi Germany in Europe and for allowed for the defense of their island. The people in both the United States and Britain were successful in creating a way to meet the needs of both nations through an ingenious program. The United States remained out of the war and did not loose personnel to the war, while Britain received the supplies it needed. This program would lay the foundation for weaponry the United States would need in only a few years to fight that war.
The program was an overwhelming success and continued to the end of the war.
