Pearl Harbor
- Submitted by: ElizabethI
- Views: 1046
- Category: History: World Wars
- Date Submitted: 02/10/2011 05:39 PM
- Pages: 7
- Report this Essay
World War Two was one of the greatest, most devastating wars that the Earth has ever experienced. Over 60 million total people died on all sides through out the course of the war making, World War two the most deadly conflict. And on December 7, 1941 (December 8, 1941 in Japan) The Japanese Imperial Forces awakened a slumbering giant over the waters of Pearl Harbor. They “poked” a foe already on the brink of war, and caused a nation to shake off the dreamy slumbers of non-interventionism. If it had not been for such a significant catalyst in the war, it is quite accurate to say that outcome of the war could have been far worse than imaginable if the United States had not been pushed to enter the World conflict, and quite a different nation would possibly exist today.
With that being said, one must first examine the WWII situation prior to Pearl Harbor. America seemed to be heading down the path of non-interventionism, “the diplomatic policy whereby a nation seeks to avoid alliances with other nations in order to avoid being drawn into wars not related to direct territorial self-defense. Non-interventionism has had a long history in the United States, it is a form of "realism,” and quite similar to isolationism, however fundamentally different” (Def). While isolationism includes views on immigration and trade, non-interventionism refers exclusively to military alliances and policies. At the beginning of WWI these tendencies in foreign policy were full force. First, the US congress rejected the conditions of the Treaty of Versailles and the league of nations, the American people felt that they did not need the rest of the world, that they were capable of making decisions concerning peace on their own.
Although, Prior to Pearl Harbor the US did not wish to enter the conflicts, the US was most certainly willing to accept treaties on their own terms, to manipulate things to fit the need. One such example of this was the Kellogg-Briand Pac, which was more of a sign of...
With that being said, one must first examine the WWII situation prior to Pearl Harbor. America seemed to be heading down the path of non-interventionism, “the diplomatic policy whereby a nation seeks to avoid alliances with other nations in order to avoid being drawn into wars not related to direct territorial self-defense. Non-interventionism has had a long history in the United States, it is a form of "realism,” and quite similar to isolationism, however fundamentally different” (Def). While isolationism includes views on immigration and trade, non-interventionism refers exclusively to military alliances and policies. At the beginning of WWI these tendencies in foreign policy were full force. First, the US congress rejected the conditions of the Treaty of Versailles and the league of nations, the American people felt that they did not need the rest of the world, that they were capable of making decisions concerning peace on their own.
Although, Prior to Pearl Harbor the US did not wish to enter the conflicts, the US was most certainly willing to accept treaties on their own terms, to manipulate things to fit the need. One such example of this was the Kellogg-Briand Pac, which was more of a sign of...