World War Ii: The Pacific Theater

Front 1

(The Second Sino-Japanese War)
Causes and effects of the Second Sino-Japanese War (compare to causes and effects of the First Sino-Japanese War)

Back 1

-Causes: tensions between China and Japan, result of Japanese imperialism towards China aiming to dominate them, occupation of Manchuria, secure resources, rise of Chinese nationalism
-Effects: merged into WWII, Japanese inability to quickly win war against China compromised their ability to fight in the Pacific War against the Allied Forces and contributed to loss, solidified support for communist party, haste collapse of the republic

Compare and Contrast causes and effects of first and second war:
-causes: growth in nationalism, Japan wanted land for resources and population
-effects: China=rise in revolutionary groups, showed failure of SS, scramble for concessions Japan=improved international status, power shift, Japanese expansion, rapid industrialization

Front 2

(The Second Sino-Japanese War)
Marco Polo Bridge Incident

Back 2

Japanese claimed attack by the Chinese troops (excuse for declaring war), marked the beginning of the second Sino-Japanese War, Chinese felt invasion of territory, incident/accident
-access route into Beijing, both troops were present, exchange of fire, not a planned attack

Front 3

(The Second Sino-Japanese War)
Rape of Nanking

Back 3

Japanese atrocity committed against China during attempts at occupation; six week period where Japanese raped, murdered, and mistreated about 300,000 Chinese civilians and burned Nanking to the ground; turned American public from Japan and further complicated US-Japan Diplomacy

Front 4

(The Lead-Up to Pearl Harbor)
General views/mistrust of US and Japan

Back 4

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Front 5

(The Lead-Up to Pearl Harbor)
Tripartite Pact

Back 5

called for a declaration of war against any power not already involved in war. It sent a message to the US that if they entered the war, they were risking a fight on two fronts.

Front 6

(The Lead-Up to Pearl Harbor)
USS Panay Incident

Back 6

December 12, 1937; USS Panay was evacuating American citizens from Nanjing when it was attacked by Japanese aircraft and suck (three Americans killed); Japan claimed it a mistake, apologized, and paid money; led to establishment of an uneasy truce over how China-Japan's aggressive behavior was threatening US interests in Asia;

Front 7

(The Lead-Up to Pearl Harbor)
Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere

Back 7

Japanese vision that they were the superior, natural leader of East Asia (Pan-Asianism) and all races of Asia would join together to live in unity and assimilate to Japanese culture; envisioned its imperialism stretching all the way to West Coast of US (very unrealistic goal). Thought everyone would economically benefit. Goal was never achieved but remained a "dream/noble effort" in eyes of Japanese.

Front 8

(The Lead-Up to Pearl Harbor)
ABCD Line

Back 8

America, Britain, China, and Dutch attempt to close off trade with Japan, US froze all Japanese assets in the US, embargo on trade, denied Japan of raw materials; export ban.

Front 9

(The Lead-Up to Pearl Harbor)
Failed attempts at negotiations-how and why

Back 9

Japan attempted to open the negotiations with the US to settle differences, US wanted withdrawal of all Japanese soldiers, US had broken the code (Magic), made the Japanese think that we broke the code

Front 10

(The Lead-Up to Pearl Harbor)
"Operation Z" (planning of Pearl Harbor)

Back 10

-The navy said that they were not going to it, Japanese plan of attack on Pearl Harbor
-neutralize American naval power in the Pacific, Naval Operation
-Air attack to knock out the Pacific Naval Fleet

Front 11

(The Lead-Up to Pearl Harbor)
Attack on Pearl Harbor-successes and failures of Japan

Back 11

successes:
-element of surprise
-short term success-6 months the US was unable to play significant role in the Pacific
failures:
-no objectives achieved (failed to destroy naval fleet and aircraft, US entered/declared war because thought it would scare them)
-failed to destroy fuel reserves allowing rapid rebuild
-would have remained out 2-3 years

Front 12

(Major Operations)
Why Japanese initially so successful (Dutch East Indies Campaign, Battle of Singapore, Battle of Corregidor)

Back 12

-Dutch East Indies Campaign: defense of the Indies by the allied forces against the invasion by the Japanese, caused by the rich oil resources on the Indies, possessed valuable resources (rubber and oil); loss of islands to the Japanese
-Battle of Singapore: defeat of the British military, surrendered to Japan and allied thousands of allied soldiers sent to concentration camps, British believed attack would come from the sea and were surprised by a land attack, major military base, largest surrender of British army
-Battle of Corregidor: ???

Front 13

(Major Operations)
Turning points (why: Island Hopping, Cairo Declaration, Battle of Coral Sea, Guadalcanal Campaign, Battle of Midway)

Back 13

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Front 14

(Major Operations)
Allies Triumphant (Battles of Saipan, Leyte Gulf, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, Firebombing of Tokyo, Operation Starvation, Importance of Air and Naval power in the Allied victory)

Back 14

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Front 15

(Major Operations)
Potsdam Declaration

Back 15

issued on July 26, 1945 by the US, Britain, and China; called for unconditional surrender of Japan or it would face destruction; rejected by Japan on the 28th and hoped to get soviet assistance.

Front 16

(Major Operations)
Why US dropped the atomic bombs on Japan

Back 16

chose Japan because of it being a large industrial center, untouched by other bombings, Japan was deploying 2 million soldiers to defend the Home Islands and mobilization of the civilians, schools were closed and children were taught to fight

Front 17

(Major Operations)
War Crimes (Unit 731, Comfort Women, Bataan Death March)

Back 17

Japanese committed many war crimes and atrocities against lands they were attempting to occupy
-aggressive war
-failure to prevent war crimes
ex: unit 731 (biological warfare unit in China, prisoners called logs, local Chinese were told it was a lumber mill, conducted medical experiments, more than 100,000 killed, no one survived the camp), Comfort Women (forced 400,000 women into prostitution at "comfort stations" and only 10% survived), Bataan death march (American/Filipino army forced to walk thousands of miles north to a camp in Bataan, most died on the way or in the camp, horrible conditions)

Front 18

(The Home Front)
"Arsenal of Democracy" (US vs. Japanese economic mobilization, Role of women in Japan and US)

Back 18

-US vs. Japanese economic mobilization: ???
-Role of Women in Japan and US: Japan reluctant to mobilize women, daughters of farmers, draft from factory jobs, went against traditional values, banned birth control, lowered marriage age, if a mother had 10 kids all 10 got free schooling; US 300,000 women joined the military, worked as nurses, drove vehicles, Rosie the Riveter=women in the military increased dramatically
-MAIN DIFFERENCE: Japanese women=more domesticated; US women more involved with war

Front 19

(The Home Front)
Selective Service Act of 1940

Back 19

American men between ages 21 and 35 (later 18-37) had to register for the draft; local draft boards determined fitness and deferments for family, religion, or health reasons; served for a period to six months after end of war.

Front 20

(The Home Front)
Japanese-American Relocation (Reasons, Executive Order 9066, Korematsu vs. United States and Ex parte Endo)

Back 20

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Front 21

(The Home Front)
Japanese-Canadian Relocation (reasons, order in council 1486)

Back 21

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Front 22

(The Home Front)
US and Japanese Propaganda (themes, methods, etc.)

Back 22

-US propaganda: controlled flow of war news, patriotism=number one theme in movies, music, and advertising. Depicted the war as good vs. evil (Japanese=dehumanized to yellow peril/monkey)
-Japanese propaganda: co-prosperity sphere, pan-Asianism, strong nationalistic pride, America is enemy and our territory is in danger, films have courage to reveal truths about war that American films didn't, destiny

Front 23

(The Occupation of Japan)
SCAP

Back 23

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Front 24

(The Occupation of Japan)
US goals

Back 24

1. make Japan more Democratic
2. demilitarize Japan so they could never be an aggressive country again

Front 25

(The Occupation of Japan)
Humanitarian Efforts

Back 25

1.
2. restricted military spending and destroyed military supplies; military insulations closed; all surviving Japanese naval vessels split among US and other powers
-humanitarian relief: supply enough food to prevent starvation and famine (92 million dollars spent on food)

Front 26

(The Occupation of Japan)
Disarmament

Back 26

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Front 27

(The Occupation of Japan)
1947 Constitution

Back 27

political reform made during US occupation of Japan; Japan adopted new constitution which declared sovereignty among the people and not the emperor (although the emperor was still considered a symbol of unity and culture, they held no power); political basis of democracy; supreme political institution=Japan's parliament, the Diet now held highest power; women suffrage and equal rights; new civil liberties; article 9 forbade Japanese to maintain a threatening army; local governments strengthened.

Front 28

(The Occupation of Japan)
Social and Economic Reforms

Back 28

-social:
-education system and the laws regulating families were revised ("moral training" in schools abolished, instruction in democratic ideas, censorship of textbooks given to local government)
-laws giving the head of the household complete control of every family member
-tried to increase power of women
-economic:
-make Japan more democratic (using US as a model)
-allowed free trade unions (trade unions act)
-land reform (landlordism restricted to owning ten acres of land to diminish allure of communism in the countryside)
-zaibatsu broken up to decentralize power
-1947 Labor Standards Act (better working conditions for Japanese workers)

Front 29

(The Occupation of Japan)
International Military Tribunal for the Far East

Back 29

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Front 30

(The Occupation of Japan)
Treaty of Peace with Japan (1952) aka Treaty of San-Francisco

Back 30

-ended occupation
-signed by 48 other nations (who had previously fought with Japan) but Soviet Union refused because they wanted more transfer of Japanese land
-Japan renounced all of its claims (China, Korea, Taiwan, as well as Antarctica)
-required to negotiate reparations treaties