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roosevelt’s four freedoms speech signaled a shift in us foreign policy from isolationism to interdependence. internationalism. independence. nationalism.

Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech signaled a shift in U.S. foreign policy from isolationism to internationalism.

What the question is asking

The prompt lists four choices—interdependence, internationalism, independence, nationalism—and asks which best describes the change in U.S. foreign policy suggested by Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech. In early 1941, many Americans still wanted to stay out of another European war, reflecting a long tradition of isolationism.

Why the answer is internationalism

  • In the Four Freedoms speech (January 6, 1941), FDR argued that American security depended on events “everywhere in the world,” rejecting the idea that the U.S. could remain safely isolated.
  • He called for support to nations resisting aggression (through measures like Lend-Lease), framing it as a moral duty to defend basic freedoms globally rather than just within U.S. borders.
  • This outlook—accepting a larger, ongoing role in world affairs to uphold common principles—is the essence of internationalism , not simple independence or inward-looking nationalism.

Quick recap

  • Before: Strong isolationist sentiment, Neutrality Acts, reluctance to get involved abroad.
  • After/Signal in the speech: A vision of the U.S. actively engaging with other nations to protect freedom of speech, worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear “everywhere in the world.”

So, the correct completion of the statement is:
“Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech signaled a shift in U.S. foreign policy from isolationism to internationalism.”

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