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Kevin Castillo

Professor Triolo

History 09

8 May 2019

WWII - War in the Pacific.

On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. This aggression was meant to hinder

the ability for the US to intervene in Japan's military campaigns in the Pacific. It was this attack

that only guaranteed the failure of the Japanese. After several months, the first islands were

liberated by the US. A new front against the Axis powers was opened. Along with the fight in the

Pacific, . It was this dominance on two fronts that allowed the United States to become a

superpower. As the War with Japan progressed, the United States employed the use of new war

tactics to diminish the influence of the Japanese Empire, the dominance in both the Pacific and

Europe allowed the US to become the world's largest power.

Japanese society was built on militaristic ideals. Honor was the most important aspect of

life. As a value instilled from birth, everyone wants to prove themselves to the emperor and the

nation. These values of honor and loyalty had been existent since the 16th century. A core belief

like loyalty is something that is most beneficial to a military state. People were ready to die for

the military. When the new military government took over Japan, they seized the opportunity to

invade Korea. The empire had now expanded outside of the islands it was confined to for

hundreds of years. When WWI broke out, Japan seized the opportunity to invade German
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territory in the Pacific. After the war, Japan would Invade Manchuria and China. The militaristic

actions taken by Imperial Japan during this period shows how a nation was shaped by militarism.

December 7, 1941. The United States is attacked by the Japanese. Hundreds of lives are

lost in the bombing. President Theodore Roosevelt said “this is a day that will live in infamy.”

The military was left devastated, with all eight battleships and 347 aircraft left damaged or

destroyed. Over the coming months, the military was rebuilt, enrollment was reaching an all-time

high, the economy shifted from consumer goods to wartime support. People were willing to die

for the flag and everything it represents. The ideals of freedom and democracy were now in

jeopardy. The war in Europe was prioritized, leaders making up the allied powers agreed that

Germany represented the most urgent threat to the world. Defeating Germany would be critical

for the allies. As troops were deployed to Europe, Japan continued to acquire more territory. The

military had to fight two wars at one time. Military operation in the Pacific began. The task of

liberating all islands in the pacific would not be easy to accomplish. With hundreds of miles of

islands needed to be taken, the war would last several years and cost thousands of men.

In May 1942, the Battle of Midway begins. Japanese forces were approaching the island

of Midway, the United States could not afford to lose Midway. If the Japanese claimed the

island, they could easily invade Hawaii. American aircraft bombed the Japanese fleet repeatedly,

forcing a retreat. The tides of war had turned. Island hopping was a tactic adopted after Midway.

Instead of attacking every Japanese stronghold, the military would seize less defended islands

with the hopes of attacking supply routes that supplied major settlements. Japanese values of

honor created a fierce resistance.Part of the resistance came in the form of kamikaze, a form of

warfare in which pilots will crash into enemy ships. Kamikaze pilots were ineffective at stalling
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US warships. The most important island were Iwo Jima and Okinawa. In early 1945, the island

was under siege. The month long conflict was among the deadliest in the war, Over 28,000

deaths. The battle of Okinawa was longer and bloodier, claiming over 100,000 lives in just three

months. At this time the most terrible accomplishment of mankind was completed and ready for

use.

Newly sworn in President Truman was faced with an ultimatum, lose 500,000 Americans

to capture the main island of Japan, or use the most powerful weapon mankind has ever created.

The choice was easy, utilize the atomic bomb. Japan was warned of its “prompt and utter

destruction.” The failure to surrender unconditionally only caused its downfall. On August 6,

1945, the first bomb was dropped over the city of Hiroshima. A fireball consumed the city,

thousands of people lost their lives in a singular day. The emperor refused to surrender until a

second, much stronger, bomb was detonated over Nagasaki. The war was over, peace and

democracy were free to continue in both Europe and the Pacific. General Douglas MacArthur

was quoted in saying “A great victory has been won. The skies no longer rain death—the seas

bear only commerce—men everywhere walk upright in the sunlight. The entire world is quietly

at peace.”

The world was drastically different after the war. Japan had been severely punished, with

a decreased military size and large fines enacted. Governments of the axis powers were replaced

in a newly divided Europe. The atomic bombs ushered in a new era The Soviet Union was now

working on their own nuclear program. An arms race between the two superpowers would shape

global politics over the coming decades. Germany was split between the US and the Soviets. The

Korean Peninsula and Vietnam was split between the same powers. The ideological battle being
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fought was now between communism and capitalism. The United States’ involvement in the war

created a new power through military dominance and involvement in global affairs. The use of

new tactics in war lead to the defeat of Japan and the Axis powers. Through this military

dominance, the world was saved from dictatorial governments controlling every aspect of life.

The United States was no longer willing to be in isolation, it was now time to protect the

freedoms of the rest of the world.