The America First Committee (AFC) was the largest isolationist organization in the United States that opposed U.S. involvement in World War II. The AFC was founded on September 4, 1940 by R. Douglas Stuart Jr. (Yale University) and other students, including future President Gerald Ford and future U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart.
During World War II, the AFC sought to enforce the Neutrality Act of 1939 and remind Franklin D. Roosevelt of his promise to keep America out of the war. Despite the start of the war in Europe, the vast majority of Americans wanted to stay out of it. For the 15 months of its existence, the AFC was an expression of this widespread anti-war sentiment. It disbanded three days after Pearl Harbor in December 1941.
Today, the „America First“ movement stands for the political orientation of the United States of America under President Donald Trump. The United States has shifted its political and trade focus away from global responsibility. The „America First“ movement strives for a policy that only serves national interests and always puts the USA first.
Under President Donald Trump, the effects have already been dramatic: He provoked trade wars with China and the European Union (EU). Many of the US demands were presented in a media-effective and populist manner via social media (Twitter politics). The US has deliberately turned against globalization and multilateralism.
America’s policy of isolationism (autarky) has done lasting damage to itself and the world community. Through the mechanisms of the World Trade Organization (WTO), tariffs, protective tariffs and punitive tariffs were introduced. Finally, the U.S. abandoned more and more international conventions – including UNESCO – and negated payment obligations. The United Nations (UN) was ridiculed as a useless institution, and the WTO was blocked by the non-appointment of the important Dispute Settlement Body.
With Donald Trump losing the election and being replaced by Joe Biden, the „America First“ policy has come to an end for the time being.
To the German translation of this article: Die America-First Bewegung