United States: total trade with Germany and Japan 1900-1950

Throughout the early 20^th century, Germany and Japan were both among the largest trading partners of the United States. Although the United States would declare war on Germany twice and on Japan once during this time, at which points trade would virtually cease, trade ties were fairly strong in the years without war. Values were highest in the 1920s, before global trade fell in the 1930s due to the impact of the Great Depression. All three countries were severely hit by the Depression, however the decline in trade was compounded by rising tensions between the U.S. and the new far-right governments of both Germany and Japan. After the war, U.S. investment in both nations increased significantly, helping with their post-war recovery and giving the U.S. a strong level of influence over its former adversaries - West Germany and Japan would then emerge as the two largest economies in their respective regions during the post-World War II economic boom.