Excerpt from Franklin Roosevelt's "The Great Arsenal of Democracy" Fireside Chat
This nation is making a great effort to produce everything that is necessary in this emergency, and with all possible speed. And this great effort requires great sacrifice. I would ask no one to defend a democracy which in turn would not defend every one in the nation against want and privation. The strength of this nation shall not be diluted by the failure of the government to protect the economic well-being of its citizens. If our capacity to produce is limited by machines, it must ever be remembered that these machines are operated by the skill and the stamina of the workers.
. . .
I want to make it clear that it is the purpose of the nation to build now with all possible speed every machine, every arsenal, every factory that we need to manufacture our defense material. We have the men, the skill, the wealth, and above all, the will. I am confident that if and when production of consumer or luxury goods in certain industries requires the use of machines and raw materials that are essential for defense purposes, then such production must yield, and will gladly yield, to our primary and compelling purpose.
So I appeal to the owners of plants, to the managers, to the workers, to our own government employees to put every ounce of effort into producing these munitions swiftly and without stint. With this appeal I give you the pledge that all of us who are officers of your government will devote ourselves to the same whole-hearted extent to the great task that lies ahead.
. . .
We must be the great arsenal of democracy.
Use the excerpt from Roosevelt’s "Great Arsenal of Democracy" fireside chat to answer the question.
In the speech, FDR positioned the United States as a(n)
A.
key player in international conflicts, even those it was not directly involved in.
B.
bystander on the international scene that stood to profit immensely from war.
C.
uninvolved party that had to look after its own interests during international crises.
D.
nation that had the possibility of avoiding both economic and military involvement in international wars.