GLOSSARY
Pacific War - Known also as the Asia-Pacific War, which refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands and in Far East (East Asia); one of the four major naval theatres of the war.
Vichy Regime - The Government of France from July 1940 to August 1944; so named after the central French city which was used as a provisional capital due to German aggression; headed by Petain who was given all powers and the title of Head of State.
Tripartite Pact - A Pact signed in Berlin, on September 27, 1940, which established the Axis powers of World War II. It was signed by the representatives of Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy and Imperial Japan.
Embargo - The partial or complete prohibition of commerce and trade with a particular country, in order to isolate it.
Neutrality Agreement of April 1941 - Also known as Japanese-Soviet Non-aggression Pact between the Empire of Japan and the Soviet Union signed on April 13, 1941.
Nanking Massacre - Also known as the Rape of Nanking; refers to the mass murder, genocide and rape that occurred following the Japanese capture of the city of Nanjing (Nanking) in China in December 1937.
Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945) - A military conflict fought between the Republic of China and Japan for the control of the Chinese mainland, fought mostly on Chinese soil.
Anti-Comintern Pact–An agreement concluded between Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan, later to be joined by the others, mainly fascistic governments; directed against the Soviet Union and Communists.
Fumimaro Konoe ( 1891-1945) - A politician of Japan who served as the 34th, 38th and 39th Prime Ministers of Japan; played a role in the fall of Tojo in 1944; committed suicide to avoid being arrested by the American army.
Azad Hind Fauj/Indian National Army - An armed force formed by Indian nationalists in 1942 in Southeast Asia composed of Japanese prisoners-of-war and volunteers during World War II, to overthrow British rule in India with Japanese help; led by Subhas Chandra Bose.
Objective
The students will
- Learn about Japan’s relation with America.
- Know the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour.
- Understand Japanese aggression during World War II
- Understand theconsequences of the US bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
SUMMARY
The Second World War was a global military conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945 which involved most of the World’s nations, including all the great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances, the Allies and the Axis. It was the most wide spread war in history.The major participants placed their entire economic, industrial and scientific capabilities at the service of the war effort, erasing the distinction between civilian and military resources. Marked by significant action against civilians including the Holocaust and the only use of nuclear weapons in warfare, it was the deadliest conflict in human history.The war is generally accepted as havingbegun with the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany and subsequently declaration of war on Germany by Britain and most of the countries of the British Empire and Commonwealth. China and Japan were already at war by this date, whereas other countries that were not initially involved joined the war later in response to events such as the German invasion of the Soviet Union and the Japanese attacks on the US at Pearl Harbour.
The war ended with total victory of the Allies over Germany and Japan in 1945 and leaving the political alignment and social structure of the world significantly changed. The Soviet Union and the United States emerged as rival super powers, setting the stage for Cold War.
FAQs
1. How did the US react to the neutrality agreement between Japan and Russia?
In April 1941, Konoe concluded a neutrality agreement with Russia which left Japan as the virtual ruler of the former French colony. The US countered this with an international embargo that cut all foreign oil supplies to Japan. It also offered low-cost military supplies to China. This annoyed Japan who required oil for military and economic reasons.
2. What option was Japan left with after imposition of the international embargo?
When Roosevelt placed the international embargo Japan faced a very difficult situation where it would have to agree to US terms and conditions if it required the lifting of the embargo. USA told Japan that they have to retreat from China or there would be a war. In this situation Japan decided to attack the US fleet at Pearl Harbour.
3. What was Japan aiming at in 1941?
The Japanese strategy was to carve out an area within which economic self-sufficiency would be possible and to weaken the US by destroying its Pacific fleet, to remove the threat to Japanese interests. The Japanese plan also assumed the victory of Germany in Europe, the defeat of England and the collapse of the Chinese government.
4. What was the attitude of the US towards Japan at this point of time?
Cordell Hull the Secretary of State and the dominant voice in shaping American Far Eastern policy ruled out any compromise with Japan unless the latter withdrew its forces from Indo-China and China. Behind this uncompromising stand was the belief that Japan would never dare to attack the US and even if it did it would be easily defeated.
5. What happened at Pearl Harbour?
On the morning of December 7, 1941, a Japanese surprise attack by carrier-based planes sank seven US warships and many lesser vessels and destroyed more than half of the American aircraft at Pearl Harbour and the other American bases in Hawaii. Japan won a brilliant tactical victory.
6. What was the immediate effect of the attack on Pearl Harbour?
Encouraged by the success of the attack on Pearl Harbour, Japan launched amphibious drives through the Philippines, Borneo, the Celebes and through Malaya and Sumatra to Java. By 1942 Japan expanded overland from Indochina to Thailand to Burma and was in possession of a vast oceanic and continental empire stretching from Sakhalin almost to Australia and from Burma to the Gilberts.
7. How did Japan try to consolidate its conquests?
The Japanese attempted to supplant the long-established Western colonial governments and to meet the need for raw materials and markets that had emerged from the depression. Japan created a Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, an autarkic economic community, mutually beneficial to Japan and the countries it had conquered. The real power in the conquered areas was held by military administration teams responsible, through the army commanders, to the Army General Staff in Tokyo. The Japanese occupiers attempted to implant a new cultural and moral order, and the Japanese pattern of modernity.
8. Why did Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose join hands with Japan?
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose joined hands with Japan because he wanted to free India from British colonial rule with their help. With Japanese help he was able to lead the INA and to hoist the Indian flag at Kohima in 1944.
9.How did the Allies launch a counter-offensive against Japan?
The Allied offensive combined air and naval attacks against the Japanese conquered territories, and succeeded in isolating Japan from its empire. As Japan became unable to transport men, equipment and supplies, its economy began to weaken and with it its empire. At the Potsdam Conference in 1945 when Japan was given the alternative to either surrender or face destruction, it stuck to its policy of continuing the war. It was at this juncture that the US President Harry Truman decided to launch atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
10. What were the consequences of the US bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on Japan?
The US bombed Hiroshima on 6th August 1945 and Nagasaki on 9th August 1945. The two atomic bombs killed an estimated 200 thousand people. Hiroshima and Nagasaki became hellish zones of destruction and caused death and disease for months and years after the war ended. The Japanese were traumatized and could not recover for several decades following this holocaust.
QUIZ_Complete
1.The Nanking massacre in December 1937 was carried out by troops of
A) Communists B) Manchuria C) Japan
2. Konoe concluded a neutrality agreement with Russia in:
A) December 1941 B) April 1940 C) April 1941
3. Konoe was replaced as the new Prime Minister by:
A) General Tojo Hideki B) Chiang Kai-shek C) Hiranuma
4. The Japanese launched an attack on the Pearl Harbour on:
A) 7th January 1944 B) 7th April 1945 C) 7th December 1941
5. In 1944 March the Azad Hind Force hoisted the Indian Flag at:
A) Meghalaya B) Kolkata C) Kohima
6. The US bombed Hiroshima on:
A) 6th August 1945 B) 6th July 1944 C) 6th April 1945
7. Who was the Commander of the Allied forces in the Pacific?
A) Louis Mountbatten B) Dwight Eisenhower C)Douglas Mac Arthur
8.The Indian National Army was initially composed of Japanese
A) Prisoners-of-warB) Civilians C) Soldiers
9.The Japanese decided to surrender after the bombing of
A) Hiroshima B) NagasakiC) Tokyo
10. Japan signed the surrender documents on board
A) An US BattleshipB) A British liner C) A French aircraft
ASSIGNMENT
1. Why did the Japanese attack Pearl Harbour?
2. Explain the extent of the expansion of the Japanese empire.
3. How did the tide start turning against Japan in the context of World War II?
4. Evaluate the significance and effects of US bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
5. What were the consequences of the Second World War?
BIBLIOGRAPHY