Japan, 1941-1945

Lecture topics (keyed to Arc of Empire, chap. 2 [pp. 64-119]):

  • Overview: the contest for Pacific dominance.
  • The long road to Pearl Harbor.
  • The tide of war: Japan’s offensive and the U.S. counter thrust.
  • The experience of combat: war without mercy.
  • On the home front: scarcity vs. plenty.
  • Endings: the atomic bomb and the Soviet role.
  • Aftermaths: the occupation and divergent memories.

 

chronology for U.S.-Japan conflict.

 

Study questions:

  • What concerns led Japanese and American policymakers to the collision at Pearl Harbor? Looking back as a historian, how would you assess their respective approaches?
  • How did Americans and Japanese on the home front relate to the war effort? Are there any points of similarity between the two sides?
  • How did the American and Japanese experiences of combat compare? What role did military technology, strategy, and culture play in shaping that experience?
  • How did the outcome of the Pacific War transform the competition for dominance in postwar eastern Asia?
  • How did the Pacific War influence the course of postwar nationalist and communist revolutions in eastern Asia?

 

Study questions with a comparative dimension:

  • How much in common did combat during the Philippine War and the Pacific War have? Do they qualify in any sense as “race wars”?
  • How did Filipinos at the turn of the century and Japanese subsequently view the United States and the U.S. presence in their countries?
  • How well does the notion of “total war” apply to Philippine and Japanese society during their respective wars with the United States?