World War II is generally seen as a moral war, or, as Howard Zinn would say, "a good war." This conventional impression of World War II comes from American propaganda, along with misinterpretations of related events. In contrast, US foreign policy, especially during World War II, was driven by imperialist objectives rather than humanitarian concerns. These foreign interventions are usually justified using political ideologies that support the spread of democracy, but the US government fails to act in the interests of ordinary people in other countries; instead, the U.S. government intervened in foreign countries to protect its own needs and those of its private companies. Furthermore, the United States faced competition from other countries, such as Japan, and was naturally pressured to maintain its international superiority. To preserve its power, the American government used its ties to Europe to try to accumulate as much power as it needed. Ultimately, this American competition with Japan, the American relationship with Europe, and the civil injustices within the United States demonstrate that this war, as good as it may seem, was motivated by imperialist goals. American intervention in World War II is generally seen as a positive act because, as Howard Zinn described, “it was a war against an enemy of unspeakable evil. Hitler's Germany extended totalitarianism, racism, militarism and blatantly aggressive warfare”; simply by going to war, the United States gives an impression of compassion and concern for the well-being of others. The American reaction to Mussolini, for example, demonstrated that, on a rather superficial scale, the United States actually attempted to h... middle of paper... the pain of Japanese Americans interned during World War II.” BBC. 2009. Network. 29 March 2012. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17080392.Grevin, James. "History of United States Foreign Policy Since World War II." Internationalism. 2004. Network. March 30, 2012. http://en.internationalism.org /ir/113_us_policy.htmlN/A. "How did participation in America's wars affect black Americans?". American Studies Online Today. 2007. Network. March 28, 2012. http://www.americansc. org.uk/Online/Woodland.htmThe Historian's Office. “The Atlantic Conference and the Charter, 1941”. US Department of State. Network. March 30, 2012. http://history.state.gov/milestones/1937-1945/AtlanticConf.Steven. “World War II: a people's war?”. LibCom. 2009. Network. March 27, 2012. http://libcom.org/history/world-war-ii-peoples-war-howard-zinnZinn, Howard. A popular history of the United States. New York: HarperCollins,.2003.