China falling to communism caused great fear to spread across America as they worried Japan would be next in line to adopt the communist ideology. Due to the defeat of the US-backed regime in China under Chiang Kai-shek, the most populous nation had passed under the control of Communists, led by Mao Zedong. This event caused a wave of terror over the US as they were worried that due to the domino effect, Japan would be next to fall to communism. This would have caused the US to involve themselves in the war as Japan was under the USA’s control and was a key power to the US due to it being the main production line of US military jeeps and was of huge economic wealth. It was believed by Truman that if Japan fell to communism ideology then America would follow shortly after, which is something that brought great fear to Truman and American citizens.
Explain how the USA moved from a position of isolationism and neutrality in the 1930s to declare war on the Axis powers in 1941. There has always been a strong isolationist streak in the American political psyche. This was due to the separation of the country by two great oceans, a separation that had existed ever since the War of Independence. From the very beginning of the Republic of the United States, President Washington warned of the danger of entangling foreign alliances. This is interesting though as President Adams ruined his chance of re-election by deciding to keep the USA out of the Napoleonic Wars.
Jordin Dickerson To what extent did ideology serve as the primary catalyst to the Cold War? During WWII, tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union were definitely strained. They had to join together because they had one common enemy, Nazi Germany; but after that, they began to turn on each other. The Soviets seeing the United States as a capitalist nation that turns its back on its allies where as the United States sees the Soviets as “Communist Russians” that are spreading the awful idea of communism. That one, simple word caused perhaps one of the biggest controversies and rivalries in history.
Japan acted as an aggressor nation in Document A, it shows Japan disregarding the International treaty agreements, which forced America to then go on its own and begin isolation. The Japanese played an important role in changing our American foreign policy because they ignored and blasted away every treaty we had set up with them. The United Stated government ended up taking action against the concerns of aggression. On August 31, 1935, the Neutrality act in Document C was issued. This act stated that if the president declared a foreign nation to be at war, all forms of trade
They were forced to divert plans and weapons from the battle areas to homeland to protect them. Germany and Italy had also declared war against the United States. America was officially in World War II. Although the United States and Japan had bad intensions toward each other for quite a while, it took many events to build up that hatred and wish of destruction upon one another. The embargo, Tripartite Act, World War I all led to Pearl Harbor.
Why We Fight On December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked upon American naval forces and air defenses at Pearl Harbor. This event gave Franklin Roosevelt the justification he needed to enter the United States in World War II. Other than that there were additional motivations for America’s entrance into the war. In 1931 Japanese invaded Manchuria. American had good relations with China so they told Japan if they don’t leave they will stop trading oil with them.
FDR took a different approach with Japan, he viewed the German threat more prevalent than the Japanese. He strategy was to strangle the island into submission through an economic war. Japan was completely dependent on imports and raw materials from other countries, mainly the US to keep the production of wartime materials. In 1938, Roosevelt issued an embargo against Japan, restricting the trade of steel and oil in hopes to bring Japanese expansion to a halt. With only a six month supply of oil in reserve Japan was forced to make a quick decision that would have an enormous impact on world events.
Commodore Matthew Perry, commander of the mission to secure Pacific steamship lines on July 8, entered Tokyo Bay. To the Japanese the Americans were “… devils with white faces,” (page 21) and Americans thought of the Japanese as “subhuman, different, and slanty-eyed” yellow devils (page 137). These opposites in opinions of appearance and religion caused World War 2 to be fought brutally, which created this atrocious rivalry between these two countries. During World War 2, the Japanese and the Americans “had been culturally programmed to view each other as repulsive” (page 135). This made fighting on both sides “heartless” and beyond “human decency” (134).
The Japanese military success with the bombing of Pearl Harbor was obviously of great importance to the United States but helping our allies defeat Hitler took precedence after Winston Churchill asked the president Franklin D. Roosevelt for support in defeating Hitler. With so much division in the world at the time the U.S wanted to make sure ally relationships didn't crumble. With the instability in
• German policy on unrestricted submarine warfare would bring US into war. • 1915 – many ships either American or carrying American civilians were sunk by Germany. • Ties between allies and Americans weak but due to Germany’s actions America forced to join allies. • Did not enter war in 1915 because not ready and not all united in its response to German attacks. • Germany knew US (allies would win if US entered on their side) would enter if more ships sunk, but took the risk that Britain would be broken by then, meaning end of war.