World War II Put-Off by Term Paper

Although Churchill wanted the Americans to focus mainly on Germany, the United States was forced to attend to its problems with Japan, initiated by the attack on Pearl Harbor. The United States pursued a decisive military campaign in Asia, establishing military bases throughout Southeast Asia (Indochina) and helping squelch Japanese imperialist encroachment throughout the region. Their efforts proved successful and as Japanese military power waned, kamikaze pilots became increasingly common. These suicide bombers attempted to make up for a weak Japanese air force. Although only moderately successful in scale, the kamikaze provided a stunning, dramatic reminder of the intensity of the Japanese campaign.

After the Nazi surrender, the Americans sought a swift end to the long and bloody war. Roosevelt's successor Harry S. Truman turned attention toward Japan, which continued to fight heartily with its kamikazes. The atomic bomb seemed the most decisive means to secure a victory in the Pacific, and in fact the proposition of using the atomic bomb did ultimately cause the Japanese to surrender in 1945 (History Channel). President Truman reportedly "believed they might save thousands of American lives," and therefore dropped two bombs in succession: the first on Hiroshima and the second on Nagasaki (History Channel). The explosions not only caused tens of thousands of deaths but also induced the Japanese to surrender a few months after the Germans did. Truman's decision also became an important symbolic move, an assertion of American military might and of immanent Allied victory in the war. Many historians believe that Truman's decision to drop the bomb was due also to the need to justify the investment into the Manhattan Project as well as to posture to the Soviets (Dinkins 2002).

Because the United States became almost instantly embroiled in the Allied-Axis conflict after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the country was forced to rapidly mobilize troops and forces abroad. Efficient troop mobilization and a lightening-fast response by domestic industries contributed to American-Allied victories. Furthermore, American involvement in World War Two transformed the role of the United States on the world's stage. What was formerly an isolationist nation found itself on the forefront of international politics. After the Yalta Conference, Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin also planned the creation of the United Nations, transforming the nature of global politics and paving the way further for globalization.

References

Dinkins, D. (2002). "Why did President Truman drop the atomic bomb?" Essortment. Retrieved Nov 9, 2006 at http://oror.essortment.com/presidenttruman_rywp.htm

The History Channel. World War Two. Retrieved Nov 9, 2006 at http://www.history.com/minisite.do-content_type=mini_home&mini_id=1090

Irving, D. (nd). "Churchill and U.S. Entry Into World War II." Journal of Historical Review. Retrieved Nov 9, 2006 at http://www.ihr.org/jhr/v09/v09p261_Irving.html

Library of Congress. World War Two. Retrieved Nov 9, 2006 at http://memory.loc.gov/learn/features/timeline/depwwii/wwarii/wwarii.html

Yalta Conference." Spartacus. Retrieved Nov 9, 2006 at http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/2WWyalta.htm