Describe The Damage And Discuss The Political Significance ✓ Solved

Describe The Damage And Discuss The Political Significance Of

Describe the damage and discuss the political significance of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

The surprise attack on December 7-8, 1941 was not just that Japan attacked territory of western powers, but that Japan launched a three-prong attack against Pearl Harbor, the Philippines, and Malaya. The Japanese naval air forces disabled the aerial defense capabilities in Hawaii by attacking aircraft at various airfields first, and the Japanese attackers sank and damaged many battleships, but they missed the oil storage facilities and the aircraft carriers which would prove crucial to the United States conduct of the war in the Pacific. The surprise bombing of the American naval harbor of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 by the Japanese navy had many consequences, including its role in precipitating the United States' entrance into World War II. In legal circles, the most important results of the attack on Pearl Harbor were the justifications that the event provided for forcing Japanese and Japanese-American citizens living in the United States to be confined to so-called "relocation camps" for the duration of the war.

Despite news of the Japanese attack on the Hawaiian islands, U.S. air forces were largely destroyed on the ground in the Philippines, which Japan invaded that December and occupied with the 6 May 1942 surrender of forces on Corregidor island. Japan occupied the Philippines for over three years, until the surrender of Japan. A highly effective guerrilla campaign by Philippine resistance forces controlled sixty percent of the islands. General MacArthur kept his promise to return to the Philippines on 20 October 1944. During this campaign, the Imperial Japanese Army defended the islands vehemently. Many cities, such as Manila, were reduced to rubble, and the occupation resulted in a significant loss of life, with estimates of Filipino fatalities ranging from 500,000 to 1,000,000. This had both immediate and lasting impacts on U.S.-Philippine relations.

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The attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, by Japanese forces marked a significant and impactful event in World War II. The attack was not merely a military failure for the United States but demonstrated Japan's strategic aims in the Pacific. The initial strike on Pearl Harbor aimed to cripple the U.S. Pacific Fleet, and the Japanese focused on disabling American aircraft and battleships based in Hawaii. As a result, many battleships were damaged or sunk, including the USS Arizona and USS Oklahoma, but crucially, the attack overlooked the aircraft carriers, which were at sea and went on to play a vital role in subsequent naval battles. Moreover, this surprise assault permanently altered U.S. foreign policy, propelling the country into a war against Japan and its Axis allies, thus reshaping the global power dynamics of the time. Additionally, the psychological impact of the attack on the American populace galvanized public support for entering World War II, effectively ending the isolationist approach that had pervaded U.S. policy prior to the attack.

Furthermore, the political ramifications of the Pearl Harbor attack extended beyond military engagements, influencing domestic policies regarding civil liberties. In the wake of the attack, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his administration enacted policies that ultimately led to the internment of Japanese-Americans. The perception of Japanese-Americans as potential threats resulted in widespread fear, which the government exploited to justify the establishment of internment camps across the United States. Between 1942 and 1945, approximately 120,000 Japanese-Americans were forcibly relocated and imprisoned, stripping them of their rights based on their heritage alone. This internment has been widely criticized both historically and ethically, and it raises significant questions regarding civil liberties in wartime, highlighting how fear can shape political decisions and lead to unjust outcomes against innocent populations.

Moreover, the broader implications of the attack allowed Japan to initially gain a significant foothold in Southeast Asia, with the invasion of the Philippines serving as a critical extension of its military campaign. The U.S. military presence in the Philippines was severely weakened by the events of Pearl Harbor. Shortly after, Japanese forces launched an invasion that concluded with the fall of Corregidor on May 6, 1942. This significant defeat not only left the Japanese unchallenged in the region for a considerable time but also stoked the resolve of both American and Filipino forces. The resistance efforts by the Philippine guerrillas during the occupation demonstrated the unyielding spirit of those fighting against Japanese control, serving as a reminder that the war in the Pacific would be characterized by fierce resistance, extensive civilian suffering, and complex interactions among local populations.

This backdrop emphasizes the necessity of examining not only the immediate military damage inflicted by the Pearl Harbor attack but also its wider political and societal consequences. The durable effects of this shifting landscape included changes to American military strategies and alliances, the transformation of public sentiment towards the war effort, and an ongoing legacy of civil rights discussions that persist in the United States. These factors combined to reshape not only the course of the war but also the future trajectory of the United States and its relationship with Japan, a relationship that has evolved significantly in the decades since Pearl Harbor while retaining the complexities born from this pivotal moment in history.

References

• Laws.com (2019). Results of the Attack on Pearl Harbor. Retrieved from [URL]
• Hanson, Victor Davis (2014, September 13). Real Reason Japanese Attacked Pearl Harbor. Retrieved from [URL]
• NewDoc Films (2015, June 10). World War II - Attack on Pearl Harbor. [video file]. Retrieved from YouTube.
• War Archives (2011, August 26). President Franklin D. Roosevelt Declares War on Japan (Full Speech). [video file]. Retrieved from YouTube.
• Hoffman, David (2009, July 30). How Pearl Harbor Was Attacked. The True Story. [video file]. Retrieved from YouTube.
• The Best Film Archives (2014, September 18). Battle of Manila | 1945 | Liberation of the Philippines by the US Army | Documentary [video file]. Retrieved from YouTube.
• American Veterans Center (2017, April 11). American Valor: The Doolittle Raiders [video file]. Retrieved from YouTube.
• History.com editors (2009, November 9). James H. Doolittle. Retrieved from [URL]
• Takaki, Ronald (1993). Strangers from a Different Shore: A History of Asian Americans. Boston: Little, Brown and Company.
• Fukuyama, Francis (1992). The End of History and the Last Man. New York: Free Press.