In Chapter 16 of A People's History of the United States, Howard Zinn accuses the US of fighting a people's war but not truly adhering to the...

In Chapter 16 of A People's History of the
United States, the author describes the contradictory actions of the US
government regarding the officially stated reason to enter World War II. The author
believes that World War II was erroneously thought to be a people's war by the American
public but it was not. He gives examples of the numerous times the American government
became involved in the internal matters of other governments, changed sides depending on
the circumstances and reacted only when its national interests were at stake. What the
author means to say, in short, is that the US government makes its decisions because
they appear to be favorable to national interests at that time, including the decision
to go to war. According to Zinn, the US did not enter World War II to rid the world of
fascism and the prosecution of innocents by Nazi Germany, but to further its interests
in the world. 

When such an argument is evaluated, it can
only be an opinion at best, just as the argument itself is the author's opinion. We may
or may not agree with him in light of our understanding of the facts and developments at
the time. It is probably safe to say however that a government that has decided to go to
war must gain the popular public support to make it possible. For this reason, it is not
unheard of for governments to state different reasons and goals for war to the public
than is the reality. The true reasons for entering a war become apparent after the war
is over and the public, as well as experts and politicians, can review the developments
in hindsight.

For example, after the US invasion of Iraq,
it was expressed by some that the true reason to invade Iraq was not weapons of mass
destruction (WMDs), as was stated before the invasion took place. After WMDs were not
discovered in Iraq, other possible causes for invading the country began to
emerge.

Similarly, other causes for entering World War II
may have emerged after the war was over and the incidents that led the US to enter the
conflict are reviewed. It is not untrue that the US government has often acted contrary
to its stated ideals and worldview in its official dealings and relations with other
countries. Many examples are given in Chapter 16 of A People's History of the
United States. It is also true that when such decisions were made, there were
important incidents that made Americans feel unsafe. Pearl Harbor was of course a strong
reason before World War II. Before the US entered World War I, American deaths due to
the destruction of a British ship by Germany and secret plans about Mexico and US
territories encouraged the US to enter the war. The US invasion of Iraq was strongly
encouraged by the events of September 11. So perhaps it is not wrong to think that both
national interest and ideals such as liberty were at play in the US decision to enter
the Second World War.