In 1905 Japan won the Russo-Japanese war against imperial Russia after well over a year which allowed them to be regarded as a large military power. The Japanese had a strong drive to be considered a world power, so in 1915 (WW1) when the allies began to worry about Germany's naval base in far eastern China, Japan joined Britain in its attack. This would allow Japan to further promote itself as a global power and allow Japan some territorial gains. Japan was invited to that Paris peace conference as a fifth great power (along with the United States, UK, France and Italy) in 1919 and wanted recognition for helping win WW1. They requested racial equality and freer immigration to western countries as well as control over German colonies in China. Japan’s territorial wishes were granted however the request of racial equality was denied by the United States heightening their tensions with the countries The United States later banned the immigration of all people of color to the US.

In 1930-31 the great depression began to effect Japan severely. The economy was struggling and a nationalist movement begins, first taking over the military and then the government soon after. This movement was led by Hideki Tojo, who had a vision of an all powerful and wealthy Japan. He also believed that Western countries had to much power over Asia. In 1931 Tojo’s army invades China which begins their expansion through Asia for power and resources and continue to do so even after being urged to stop by western powers. In 1937 the second Sino Japanese war broke out between Japan and China. Up until this point, the US usually protected China however this time it was too preoccupied with the rise of Hitler and the war in Europe. US president Franklin D. Roosevelt did not want to get involved in another European war but soon realized that the allies needed assistance and provided Britain with many resources without actually getting involved as he had promised his people they wouldn’t. However, Roosevelt worried that Japan was going to use war in Europe as advantage and stationed American ships at pearl harbor (Hawaii) for intimidation and readiness despite that the ships weren’t battle ready. In 1940 Japan joins Germany and Italy in the Tripartite pact making Japan part of the axis powers. After the pact was made Japan begins taking over European colonies in Asia as Hitlers army was invading the countries they belonged to.

 

The United States is not happy with Japan’s continued expansion, so Roosevelt blocks oil exports to Japan (Japan received (80% of its oil from the US) to get Japan to stop. In 1941 the Japanese Prime minister Resigns and Hideki Tojo takes over the country and his ambitions are to go to war with the US and gain control over the pacific. By destroying the American base at pearl harbor, they could achieve this control. With huge help from extremely intelligent Admiral Yamamoto the Japanese designed an intricate and successful surprise attack on pearl harbor. The attack took place on December 7^th 1941 and along with the fact that it was a complete surprise to the Americans, the Japanese had introduced a new type of torpedo that could be dropped in shallow waters specifically designed for the attack.

 

However, after what ended as victory for the Japanese (sunken battleships destroyed aircraft and 2400 US casualties) Yamamoto was dissatisfied with the outcome as the attack had failed to destroy crucial parts of Americas pacific fleet such as repair facilities and oil tanks, the US also still had their aircraft carriers that coincidentally were not at pearl harbor that day. This allowed America to strike back with the power that it did in mid-1942 in the battle of midway and reinstate their power in the pacific. Only four days after pearl harbor, Nazi Germany declared war on the United States, now also involving them in the war directly.

-Written By Lina

-Written By Oscar

jobs were extremely difficult to come by and the occurrence of WWII created 17 million new jobs.

This is because war requires extra efforts and resources that weren’t needed before such as

uniforms, guns, tanks, ships, warplanes and other weapons to fight. Millions of Americans relocated

to work at war related jobs. After the war ended, the US economy was in better condition than any

other country in the world.

- By Lina

With millions of men and women serving overseas in the nations armed forces, women, who had commonly worked as homemakers, took jobs in war related fields. Women were involved in other aspects of the war effort outside of factories. More than six million women took wartime jobs in factories, three million volunteered with the Red Cross, and over 200,000 served in the military. Women were not allowed in combat zones however they made valuable contributions to the military force such as becoming nurses to help the soldiers injured in combat. Though war related jobs paid far more than traditional “women’s work”, women were still frequently paid less than men doing comparable work. When the war ended there was an expectation for everything to go back to how it was before; However, women wanted to keep their jobs and new-found independence. These wishes were not granted however, as men serving in the military returned seeking work and demand for war materials decreased. Some argue that these events led to the feminist movement of the 1960’s as a result of women being dissatisfied about being pushed out of work and back into the very domesticated role they played before the war.

-By Lina

WW2 was very costly for Britain and its empire. In 1945 the country was devastated from war. Many British cities had been destroyed and there were major shortages of goods and labor for the rebuilding of the country. The government had to consider whether Britain could afford to be a global empire any more. Britain lost its economic prominence to the United States. 

Because WW2 was fought against extreme nationalism and racist ideas, it became difficult for Britain to continue to push ideas that they and white Europeans in general were superior to Africans and Asians. In 1941, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill signed the Atlantic Charter which stated that Britain accepted that countries should be free from being oppressed by other empires. In 1945, the United Nations was formed, representing ideas of equality and human rights for all people.

 Psychological impact: 

During WW2 the British suffered a number of defeats, including the loss of Singapore. The British had thought of Japan as one of the inferior Asian nations. Losing control of Singapore to the Japanese showed that the British were not invincible, and so should not be considered superior. This was encouraging to nationalist groups in Africa and Asia.

The British empire was too costly to hold onto. At first, the British tried to hold onto Africa, thinking it’s resources could help Britain to prosper, so they first tried to establish further colonies in Africa after the war. However nationalist movements in Africa made this difficult after 1948. Between 1948- 1960 unrest in places like Ghana, Kenya and South Africa, forced the British government to accept decolonization in Africa, as well.

 -Written by Lina

Post war Germany had millions of homeless people. Homes were destroyed in the bombing. Many people were migrating. The millions of Germans who were living in Poland and other now Soviet areas were kicked out by the Soviets. The Allies decided what would be done with Germany to avoid repeating the consequences that occurred after WW1 which allowed the Nazi party to take over. Allies decided to temporarily take over Germany, and separated it into four zones: British, American, Russian, French. It was thought over time that it would become once again a unified Germany, however as the Cold War intensified, the Soviet Union held onto Eastern Germany. Germany became two very different and separate countries, one communist and one democratic.

Germany felt incredible guilt at the end of the war. All of Europe was in ruins, 60 million people had been killed, 6 million of which were Jewish. Their leader, Hitler had committed suicide and they were forced to sign an “unconditional surrender”

The national guilt Germany felt has had an effect on its population and policies up to today. There was a large amount of shame that came with the Allied powers freeing the concentration camps as the world was shown the extent of what they had done. Since the end of the war, Germany has paid reparations and tried to come to terms with their past. Today, it is illegal in Germany to deny the Holocaust. After the war, Germans began to turn towards pacifism. They joined NATO and still remain skeptical in general about military activities.

Military Today
Germans today tend to be very suspicious of their own army. Foreign deployments are rare. Communist East Germany did have a Peoples Army however west Germany created the Bundeswehr in the 1950s. The Bundeswehr is "a deliberately modest force"; they don't often fight abroad and they think of themselves as "civilians in uniform". They also removed conscription and concentrates on small special forces/groups. 

-Written by Lina