American History

In his radio address in 1941 Charles Lindbergh made comments on the war America was about to engage in as he opposed the war and gave some reasons for his antagonistic view. Lindbergh kicked against the idea that U.S wanted to get involved in a war in Europe.
 
In view of this, it is pertinent to infer from the words and methods of Lindbergh if he was a pragmatist or an idealist and in doing this, one has to define pragmatism and idealism to see whether Lindbergh falls into the category of any of the two. Pragmatism is based on the direct and practical method of thinking critically on the ways to solve some problems that requires specific outcomes instead of relying on theories and ideologies.  Thus, a pragmatist is a practical person, down to earth in nature, rational and someone that sees things the way they truly are. On the other hand, an Idealist is an impractical person, a perfectionist that rejects practical norms and relies more on ideologies and fundamental principles. From the description made above, it can be inferred from the passage given, that Lindbergh was a pragmatist. This is because he viewed the impending war from a practical point of view. He was of the opinion that a country would only continue to exist in this aggressive world if its principles would be supported by the firm decision of armed feasibility. He believed that if America had a specialized and organized army, they should not be based in the British Isles alone, but in the whole of Europe, a scenario which Lindbergh deemed practically impossible. Furthermore, he argued that if America were to use the air force, it would be difficult to counter the strength of the German force because the only place the American force could operate from would be at the British Isles. Another possible way was to use the navy, it still would not make any difference because they would not be able to avoid bombing from the German air fleet. His view was, the British government misinformed the U.S in order to form an alliance with the Americans which he believed was a propaganda and that were mere acts of extreme anxiety. Consequently, his view of the impending fall of the British Empire would be a disaster to the world but America must put herself firstly into consideration. Another fact that should be placed into consideration is that the people of America are still recovering from the First World War. After careful analysis of Charles Lindberghs radio address, it could be deduced that he was a pragmatist and not an idealist.

Personally, I believe Charles Lindbergh was qualified to comment on the preparedness of the U.S military or military strategy not only because he was a member of the first American committee which stated the four basic principles that must be concentrated on, instead of going to war. He was a practical person who was clearly thinking of the consequences of the war. The war could make them lose lives and many more severely injured, it would definitely lead to loss of properties and a lot of money would have to be used for making or purchasing artilleries which could have been diverted to the growth of the economy and also, the fact that over 100 million Americans are opposing the war makes Lindbergh to speak on behalf of these people. He believed the U.S government should concentrate on themselves rather than going to war.

The historical precedence that Charles Lindbergh cited to support his position were the way the interventionist influenced France to go to battle with Germany which the French lost.  From his own point of view, he believed the French did not stand a chance to win the war, he believed that they should have signed a peace deal. The same interventionist swayed the British to go to war with the Germans, which they were on the verge of losing. These were still the same interventionists that were trying to influence the American government to go to war.