Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Was the US truly neutral before Pearl Harbor and how does that impact…
Was the US truly neutral before Pearl Harbor and how does that impact whether Japan was justified in attacking Pearl Harbor?
-
:star:U.S. Asia Policy
Viewpoint: YES, US economic sanctions were a threat to Japan's interests and economy
-
The naval construction program of 1940 created a large difference between the force of the American navy and the Japanese army
In the minds of the Japanese it was not whether or not they would go to war, but rather "when, where and how" (pg 256)
Viewpoint: NO, the economic sanctions was nothing more than a pretext and not a real factor in starting the war
-
"The economic policies of the United States had no impact on Japan's decision to go to war" (Pg 256)
-
Though Roosevelt claimed neutrality, he strengthened the US Navy, improved self-defense power in the Philippines, and created joint action with the British in case of war
The issue America had with Japan was not security related, but rather that the US would not put up with Japan's aggression
"Japan would have to use intimidation or force to secure these resources. Mere treaties or guarantees would not suffice" (Pg 258)
-
:star:Japan's Attack on Pearl Harbor, 1941
-
Japan felt that they had no choice but to attack the US because the US was 'encircling' them by cutting off crucial supplies like oil and ocean trade
Significant because "Japan's economic welfare became dependent on ocean trade" (pg 94) and they also "depended on the United States for 80 percent of its oil" (pg 97)
America publicly stated neutrality, but in reality it was not neutral
-
The US deployed its fleet from California to Hawaii to try and pressure Japan to not expand any further
The US "halted its exports of scrap iron, steel and aviation fuel to Japan" (Pg 95), claiming it was needed at home even though it most likely was not
This eventually expanded to "copper, brass, bronze, zinc, nickel, and potash"(Pg 96)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Pearl Harbor - December 7th, 1941