From Isolationism to Interventionism in Maine, 1939-1941

Abstract

In 1939, with world war looming in Europe, Maine’s all Republican delegation in Congress remained predominantly isolationist, with Representative James C. Oliver the state ’s leading critic of pro-British internationalism. Over the course of a few months in 1941, the delegation made a remarkable turnabout, leaving Oliver to face the winds of political change. While the decisions made by the Maine delegates were shaped by unfolding events in Europe, they also reflected, as the author points out, the perception that preparedness would benefit Maine economically. Mr. Cooley is the Lecturer-in Academic-Studies at Paier College of Art in Hamden, Connecticut, and teaches at Hebrew High School of New England in West Hartford.