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{{wikisource|Roosevelt's Fireside Chat, 29 December 1940}}
] giving an address.]] ] giving an address.]]
The "'''Arsenal of Democracy'''" is one of the most famous of 30 "]" broadcast on the ] by ] ]. It was read on ], ]. The '''''Arsenal of Democracy''''' is one of the most famous of 30 ] broadcast on the ] by ] ]. It was read on ], ].


The ] was a disguised ] of the U.S. population as well as the obvious topic, "a call to arm and support" both ] and to a lesser extent ]'s ] in their respective struggles against the ]s. At the time it was broadcast the ] were busily waging successful war on less capable ]s as the last days of the ] era came to a close, and that scaring experience still preoccupied the ] despite ''Foreign News''. The ] was a disguised ] of the U.S. population as well as the obvious topic, "a call to arm and support" both ] and to a lesser extent ]'s ] in their respective struggles against the ]s. At the time it was broadcast the ] were busily waging successful war on less capable ]s as the last days of the ] era came to a close, and that scaring experience still preoccupied the ] despite ''Foreign News''.
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In terms of ], the speech is frequently seen as the "next step" in a several stage process in awakening a somnolent, inward-looking country that had been ] and self-absorbed ] for the preceding two decades. While the ] seemed strong and was widely percieved to guarantee the ] safe from Axis aggressions&ndash; the ] numbered barely two hundred and fifty thousand ]s and ] men as the ] came to a close &ndash; the ''foreign wars'' off in ], ], and ] (]) seemed of little importance to the average American still reeling from the horrors of the depression. In terms of ], the speech is frequently seen as the "next step" in a several stage process in awakening a somnolent, inward-looking country that had been ] and self-absorbed ] for the preceding two decades. While the ] seemed strong and was widely percieved to guarantee the ] safe from Axis aggressions&ndash; the ] numbered barely two hundred and fifty thousand ]s and ] men as the ] came to a close &ndash; the ''foreign wars'' off in ], ], and ] (]) seemed of little importance to the average American still reeling from the horrors of the depression.


This was one of several speeches and measures given by Roosevelt to awaken and mobilize America to the very real dangers of being too inward focused. This was one of several speeches and measures given by Roosevelt to awaken and mobilize America to the very real dangers of being too inward focused.{{NPOV-statement}}


==Time line of key preceding international events== ==Time line of key preceding international events==

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FDR—President Franklin Delano Roosevelt giving an address.

The Arsenal of Democracy is one of the most famous of 30 fireside chats broadcast on the radio by United States President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. It was read on December 29, 1940.

The speech was a disguised call to arms of the U.S. population as well as the obvious topic, "a call to arm and support" both Europe and to a lesser extent Asia's powers in their respective struggles against the fascist regimes. At the time it was broadcast the Axis powers were busily waging successful war on less capable nations as the last days of the Great Depression era came to a close, and that scaring experience still preoccupied the United States despite Foreign News.

In terms of leadership, the speech is frequently seen as the "next step" in a several stage process in awakening a somnolent, inward-looking country that had been isolationist and self-absorbed culturally for the preceding two decades. While the United States Navy seemed strong and was widely percieved to guarantee the Western Hemisphere safe from Axis aggressions– the United States Army numbered barely two hundred and fifty thousand officers and enlisted men as the 1930s came to a close – the foreign wars off in Europe, Africa, and Manchuria (China) seemed of little importance to the average American still reeling from the horrors of the depression.

This was one of several speeches and measures given by Roosevelt to awaken and mobilize America to the very real dangers of being too inward focused.

Time line of key preceding international events

This timeline presents the key saliant news experienced by those who later heard the call to arms of this speech by Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The shear speed of the events and the large number of them is necessary to properly appreciate the climate of the times, and the historiocity of the speech to a generally dis-engaged, pascifist, and isolationist leaning nation that was galvanized by it's occurrence into the performances in industrial output and military arms that unquestionably reshaped the world events thereafter.

1938 events

1939 events

Ongoing events:

  • March 14 — Slovak provincial assembly proclaims independence - Monsignor Jozef Tiso becomes the president of independent Slovak government, a Nazi puppet state.
  • March 28 — Franco conquers Madrid, ending the Spanish Civil War, and marking another victory in the ascendancy of authoritarian regimes.
  • May 7 — Spain leaves the League of Nations.
File:WWII Poland Invasion 1939-09-01.jpg
German troops pull down the checkpoints on the German-Polish border, signalling the beginning of World War II
  • July 6 — the last remaining Jewish enterprises in Germany are closed.
  • August 30 — Poland begins mobilization after finally heeding intellegence of the massing of troops on the German border.
  • September 3 — France, the United Kingdom, and Australia declare war on Germany.
  • September 3 — Roosevelt's fireside chat "On the European War".
  • September 5 — the United States declares its neutrality in the war.
  • September 17 — the Soviet Union invades Poland, and occupies eastern Polish territories.
  • September 27 — Warsaw surrenders to Germany; Modlin surrenders a day later; the last Polish large operational unit surrenders near Kock eight days later.
  • October 8 — Germany annexes Western Poland.
  • October 11 — U.S. President Roosevelt is presented with a letter signed by Albert Einstein urging the United States to develop the atomic bomb quickly.
  • December 14 — the League of Nations expels the USSR because of its attack on Finland.

1940 events

The year began with Hitler's Nazi Regime and Stalin's USSR seemingly allies and both nations in conflicts of expansion against weaker neighboring powers. Britain and it's Empire stood along side France against the Nazi aggression, and it was widely believed that once the allies were prepared, they'd knock Germany's armed forces into disarray and force Hitler to renounce his aquisitions. This prelude to unprecedented international shocks is now known as the Phony War. The term has cognates in many other languages, notably the German Sitzkrieg ("sitting war," a pun on Blitzkrieg), the French drôle de guerre (funny war or strange war) and the Polish dziwna wojna ("strange war"). In Britain the period was even referred to as the Bore War (a pun on Boer War).

1940 ongoing events

  • April 15 - Opening day at Jamaica Racetrack features the use of pari-mutuel betting equipment, a departure from bookmaking heretofore used exclusively throughout New York state. Other NY tracks follow suit later in 1940.
  • May 16 - U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, addressing a joint session of Congress, asks for an extraordinary credit of approximately $900 million to finance construction of at least 50,000 airplanes per year.

In World War II, heavy fighting took place around Dunkirk during the German invasion in 1940, but a lull in the action unexpectedly allowed a large number of French and British soldiers to escape to England. 338,226 men were evacuated amidst constant bombing (the miracle of Dunkirk, as Winston Churchill called it). The British evacuation of Dunkirk through the English Canal was codenamed Operation Dynamo. During the war, Dunkirk was largely destroyed by bombing.

Location of Dunkirk's Operation Dynamo far to the north where the forces were surrounded, as opposed to the later and more relaxed Operation Ariel area of operation June 17-24th.
The Brittany Region relative to all of France evacutated in Operation Ariel.
  • July 22 in a reply on broadcast radio, Lord Halifax, British foreign minister, flatly rejects peace terms, citing the abysmal record of the Nazi regime at keeping international agreements.
  • September 7 - World War II: Beginning of The Blitz a cultural landmark in the UK when Nazi Germany begins to rain bombs on London in an attempt to bomb the UK into submission. This will be the first of 57 consecutive nights of strategic bombing as Hitler was preoccupied with his warplans against the USSR, and desired to make peace with Britain, as he had hoped and planned since the Invasion of Poland.

The Speech, 29 December 1940

Please click here to view the speech


Before America enters the war

This is the resulting time line of key events up to the entry of the United States into what then became known as World War II in December 1941.

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