Americans often refer to World War II as being “the Good War”. Americans call World War II “the Good War” because Americans believe the United States entered the war for the noble purposes of defending its self and freedom. Americans also refer to World War II as “the Good War” because it was a war that required Americans to work together so the country could defeat the Axis powers. Because the United States entered the war for noble purposes, and because Americans everywhere helped the country win the war, “the Good War” is an appropriate appellation to describe World War II. Under Benito Mussolini, Italy had conquered the country of Ethiopia (Foner 800). Under Adolf Hitler, Germany had taken control over most of Europe (Foner 802). While Italy, had taken control of Ethiopia and Germany had taken control over most of Europe, Japan had taken control of Burma, Siam, the Dutch East Indies, Guam, the Philippines, and other Pacific islands (Foner 804). In 1931, Japan invaded the Chinese providence of Manchuria (Foner 799). As Japanese troops moved deeper into China, they overran the Chinese city of Nanjing, and killed an estimated 300,000 prisoners of war and civilians (Foner 799). On December 7, 1941, Japan launched an attack on the naval base of Pearl Harbor; this surprise attack was responsible for the death of 2,000 American servicemen (Foner 804). Towards the end of the war Hitler embarked on the “final solution”, which was the mass extermination of Slavs, gypsies, homosexuals, and six million Jews that would be come to known as the Holocaust (Foner 807). Because the Axis powers conquered so much territory and killed so many people, America fighting against the Axis powers has been viewed by Americans war fought between the fo... ... middle of paper ... ...is an appropriate appellation for the war. During the war, America imprisoned Japanese Americans and denied them their rights as American citizens. During the war, America bombed the cities of Dresden, Tokyo, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki; these bombings were responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of civilians. While I do believe that America was fighting enemies that had committed worst acts than the Allies, the United States had no right to deny American rights of court hearings, due process, and writs of habeas corpus to American citizens. America also had no right to bomb cities with the purpose of killing civilians in an attempt to demoralize the enemies. Certainly the Allies were better than the Axis powers, but the war crimes committed by America cannot be ignored, and because these crimes were committed, World War II cannot be called “the good war”.
Michael C. C. Adams' book, The Best War Ever: America and World War II, attempts to dispel the numerous misconceptions of the Second World War. As the title suggests, Americans came out of the war with a positive view of the preceding five turbulent years. This myth was born from several factors. Due to the overseas setting of both theaters of the war, intense government propaganda, Hollywood's glamorization, and widespread economic prosperity, Americans were largely sheltered form the brutal truth of World War II. Even to this day, the generation of World War II is viewed as being superior in morality and unity. The popular illusion held that 'there were no ethnic or gender problems, families were happy and united, and children worked hard in school and read a great number of books.' (115)
Adams, Michael C. C. The "Best War Ever: America and World War II" Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD 1994. Bailey, Ronald H. The Home Front, U.S.A. Time-Life Publishing, Chicago, IL. 1978 Bard, Mitchell G.
World War II as a Good War The vast majority of Americans supported World War II (WWII) after Pearl Harbor was bombed, recognizing a fascist threat to Western democracy. WWII was a good war. It had the ability to unite America. They united against Nazism and fascism. But even a good War has its bad times.
World War II played host to some of the most gruesome and largest mass killings in history. From the start of the war in 1939 until the end of the war in 1945 there were three mass killings, by three big countries on those who they thought were lesser peoples. The rape of Nanking, which was carried out by the Japanese, resulted in the deaths of 150,000 to 200,000 Chinese civilians and POW. A more well-known event was of the Germans and the Holocaust. Hitler and the Nazi regime persecuted and killed over 500,000 Jews. This last country may come as a surprise, but there is no way that someone could leave them out of the conversation. With the dropping of the Atomic bombs the United States killed over 200,000, not including deaths by radiation, in the towns of Nagasaki and Hiroshima and ultimately placed the United States in the same group as the Japanese and the Germans. What are the alternatives other than dropping the two A-bombs and was it right? The United States and President Truman should have weighed their opting a little bit more before deciding to drop both atomic bombs on the Islands of Nagasaki and Hiroshima. In the case of dropping the atomic bombs the United States did not make the right decision. This essay will explain through logic reasoning and give detailed reasons as to why the United States did not make the right choice.
Many historians consider World War II to be primarily a war of good against evil. Nations united to put a stop to the horrific actions of the axis powers making the world 's greatest minds gather and create new innovative inventions. The argument on if some of these inventions were good for the war but bad for humanity still exist today.
World War II was, quite simply, the most deadly and destructive conflict in human history. In fact, E.B. "Sledgehammer" Sledge, a renowned U.S. Marine who fought on the Pacific Front during the war, gave a first account of the atrocities he experienced in his 1981 memoir, “With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa.” He said, "It was so savage. We were savages. We had all become hardened. We were out there, human beings, the most highly developed form of life on earth, fighting each other like wild animals” (Sledge). Why, then, is World War II referred to as "The Good War" and why is it still significant today (Terkel 387)? Regardless of the pulverization, demise, and decimation, the war helped introduce a new world, one in which Hitler's Third Reich in Europe was nonexistent. Such a world was advocated by the peacemakers of the post World War II era. On June 5, 1947. The US Secretary, George Marshall, made public the United States government’s decision to aid in the political and economic restoration of Europe (Marshall).
Many questionable methods were used to defeat the opposing sides in the war, such as the 3-day bombing of Dresden, which resulted in numerous deaths, mass destruction, and a huge devastation amongst the citizens in the city during the attack. Details about such things are left out of textbooks, and as a result, some people believe that WWII was a flawless victory, and a thing to be celebrated. However, such is not the case. WWII was not a good war for America, and was filled with many
When World War 2 broke out in 1939, the United States of America was facing the dilemma of whether or not to intervene in the massacre known as the Holocaust. Some people believe that the United States did all they could to help the victims of the war. Some believe that America did hardly anything. But, there is stronger evidence pointing towards the fact that the United States did not do enough to stop the killing initiated by Adolf Hitler, the leader of the Nazi army.
America’s involvement in World War II has often been equated to the Japanese waking the “sleeping giant”, and is often thought of as an invincible superpower. The reality is that the United States’ invincibility has never been really tested. The United States’ is separated from the rest of the Western world by an ocean on either side of its borders and has therefore only had two attacks on native soil. While America’s invincibility is not easily tested, and therefore not easily discredited, whether or not the Japanese awoke the “sleeping giant” by bombing Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, is, however, debatable. The American public before the attack on Pearl Harbor were isolationists, they may have felt sympathy for the victims of Hitler, Franco, and Mussolini, but did not in fact care enough to get involved in another war. The congressmen they elected into office from the late 1930’s to the early 1940’s respected the wishes of their constituents and therefore did everything in their power to prevent U.S involvement in World War II even after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. In fact one of the only Americans to appear at all concerned with the horrific events occurring across the ocean was President Franklin Roosevelt, however, despite pleas from the heads of the allied forces, even President Roosevelt could not entirely commit to the need for U.S involvement and remained a wishy-washy figure up until the late 1930’s. It was not until 1940, that President Roosevelt was able to take a stand and begin the attempts to talk the American people into actively supporting the allied forces against Nazi forces. The Japanese may get the credit for waking the “sleeping giant”, however, it is in fact President Roosevelt and a small portion of t...
The Second World War began in September of 1939 and was between the Allies and the Axis. It began with Germany’s unprovoked attack and conquest of Poland, and involved Britain and France from the beginning. Its origins lay in German resentment at the terms of the Treaty of Versailles (1919), the economic crisis of 1929-30, which favored the rise to power of Fascist dictators, the failure of the League of Nations to gain international acceptance for disarmament, and the policy of imperialism adopted by Germany, Italy and Japan as a means of acquiring raw materials and markets. As a part of the Treaty of Versailles, Germany had to accept full responsibility for the First World War, which then led up to the outbreak of the Second. The reparations chapter of the Treaty of Versailles was universally condemned in Germany. Article 231, a proclamation of German guilt, had been inserted to establish Germany’s moral responsibility for the war and, therefore, her legal responsibility for all damage to property and persons and was disliked because of the War Guilt clause it contained. Germany, prepared for military conquest by Hitler, remilitarized the Rhineland in violation of the Locarno Pact. The League of Nations failed to react firmly either to this or to the conquest of Ethiopia by Italy under Mussolini. The Second World War was indeed one of the greatest conflicts in history. What started out as a European struggle, soon emerged to the level of worldwide warfare. The Prime Minister of England, Winston Churchill, American President, Franklin Roosevelt and Russian leader, Joseph Stalin were just a few of the leaderships that tried to bring their nations to victory. Although they all could not have “won” the war, these particular three men worked together to form an outstanding alliance system.
As World War 2, came to a close, The United States unleashed a secret atomic weapon upon the enemy nation of Japan that was quickly recognized as the most powerful wartime weapon in human history. They completely destroyed the entire Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and essentially vaporized countless innocent Japanese lives. Some historians believe that it was a foolish, brutal decision to use the atomic bomb on a weakened Japan, and that the civilians of the country did not deserve that kind of mass-annihilation. On the opposite side, other historians assert that dropping the bomb saved countless American and Japanese lives by ending the war faster than a regular invasion would have. What is undisputed is that this sad event dramatically changed the course of human history.
In conclusion, ever since the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, it has been a major controversial argument amongst many people throughout the world. The United States was the first and only country in the world to use this type of weapon during a war Using the bomb was a major turning point in the war and it changed the world forever. Many Japanese were killed and the two cities were greatly destroyed. Besides the negative effects, the positive effects were that American and Japanese lost less people than they would have with a land invasion and the war ended quickly with Japan’s surrender as planned. The United States was justified in taking this action because the goals of the bomb were accomplished although the aftermath was dreadful.
World War II brought up many new technologies for warfare. Advanced on existing developments such as weaponry, ships, vehicles air crafts, navigational devices and medicine are just a few broad examples of developments in warfare during this time in United States and World history. One development, however, changed the entire way of warfare. The Atomic bomb was developed during this time out of fears that the Germans had the same technologies, or at least were working to obtain it. Once the United States had this technological capability of producing atomic weapons, the way of fighting was changed. Two bombs were dropped on Japan in August of 1945, one on the city of Hiroshima and the other on the city of Nagasaki. Afterward, the ear of atomic diplomacy came up in American international relations, which as we have seen today, has led to the development of even stronger, more deadly weaponry and bombs. The bombing of Japan also brings up the still prevalent debate of whether the bombings were justifiable or not. Historians Gar Alperovitz, Robert P. Newman and Barton Bernstein all have written essays expressing their opinions in the matter.
The United States entered WW II immediately following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The U.S. entry was a major turning point in the war because it brought the strongest industrial strength to the Allied side. The Americans helped the Allies to win the war in Europe with the surrender of Germany on May 7, 1945. However, the war in the Pacific continued. The war with Japan at this point consisted primarily of strategic bombings. America had recently completed an atomic bomb and was considering using this weapon of mass destruction for the first time. The goal was to force the “unconditional surrender” of the Japanese. Roosevelt had used the term “unconditional surrender” in a press conference in 1943 and it had since become a central war aim. Truman and his staff (still feeling bound by FDR’s words) demanded unconditional surrender from the Japanese. Consequently on July 26, 1945 Truman issued an ultimatum to Japan. This ultimatum stated that Japan must accept “unconditional surrender” or suffer “utter devastation of the Japanese Homeland”. This surrender included abdication of the throne by their emperor. Japan was not willing to surrender their dynasty and ignored the ultimatum. On August 6th and August 9th, atomic bombs were dropped on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki respectively.
World War 2 was mostly fought in Europe during 1939 to 1945. Some of World War 2 was fought in the pacific. In 1931, Japanese expansion in East Asia, with the invasion of Manchuria and went through 1937 with an attack on China. On September 27, 1940, Japan signed the Tripartite Pact with Germany and Italy, making them into the Axis powers. “As the sun rose on Sunday morning, December 7, 1941”(Holt 403), Japan attacked the United States Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, and 3,500 Americans were killed or wounded in the attack. Japan attacked Hawaii ,because in September of 1940, the U.S. placed an embargo on Japan by prohibiting exports of steel, scrap iron, and aviation fuel to Japan, due to Japan's takeover of northern French Indochina. Since this happened the United States declared war with Japan. The United States Air Force dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. Tens of thousands of people died in the explosion, and later, many more people died from radiation exposure.