Dark Times in History: World War II and The Great Depression

1000 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: To what extent was Germany responsible for the first world war

Dark Times

World War II which happened from 1939 to 1945 was the largest armed conflict in human history. It spanned over six continents and caused over fifty million deaths inclusive of both civilians and military personnel (Brinkley). The second war gave life to new problems. One major result of World War II was the start of the Great Depression. The depression brought Hitler to the zenith and helped the democracy of Germany and Europe. It was also instrumental in propelling Japan into conquest (Roberts). World War II also ended America’s isolation from the rest of the world which resulted in the formation of the United Nations (Brinkley). The war began when Nazi Germany attacked Poland in September 1939. Even then the United States had stood their grounds and decided not to intervene. Eventually, they did when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, in December of 1941. The start of World War II led to many unthinkable events. Many lives were lost and more importantly Japanese Americans were subjected to living in internment camps. Japan joined forces with the Allied powers but, played a small role in fighting German forces in East Asia. After a Paris Peace conference of 1919, Japan’s aim of making peace was shunned by Britain, Australia and the United States. World War II was by far the most horrific tragedy of its time and signified the end of a brutal and bloody war over democracy.

On the morning of December 7, 1941 Japan committed the unthinkable, they bombed the naval base of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. The Japanese had launched their planes from a point of 220 miles of Oahu and the impact was catastrophic (Lyons). Needless to say Pearl Harbor was disastrous for Americans but, could have been far more defective. The attack on P...

... middle of paper ...

...suit to be heard and be treated as the humans that they are. By means of screening out disloyal Japanese Americans they were given questionnaires and eventually they were released. They were also ordered not to return to the west coast. The last internment camp had not closed its door until the year 1946 and no reparations were made to the Japanese people who were robbed of their livelihood, possessions and civil rights. Once all the camps were closed, the government gave each Japanese American fifty dollars per family. In all that the internees endured there was never any proof of them committing treason or espionage. Fast forward to the present day, Americans are ashamed of the injustices that robbed the Japanese of their constitutional rights. The need to intern the Japanese stemmed from Americans portraying and referring to them as animals or less than human.

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of Betrayed By America By Kristin Lewis

    662 Words  | 2 Pages

    It is not a well known fact that around the time the Holocaust took place in Europe, another internment (less extreme) was taking place in the United States. “Betrayed by America” by Kristin Lewis gives readers an insight on what happened to Japanese-Americans in America. The article tells us about Hiroshi Shishima, Japanese-Americans internment, and what was going on during the regime. During WW2, America went into a frenzy after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Many Americans believed what was being said about Japanese-Americans even though it was proven to be false. Since the whole fiasco with Japan took place, many Japanese-Americans were forced into internment in certain parts of the United States. The reason for the internment of Japanese-Americans was due to fear & hysteria, racial

    Read More

  • Pearl Harbor Dbq Essay

    626 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Battle of Pearl Harbor was one of the most atrocious events that happened in U.S. history. On December 7, 1941, Japan made a surprise aerial attack on the United States naval base and airfields at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. More than two thousand Americans died and a thousand two hundred were wounded. Eighteen ships were badly damaged, including five battleships. The next day, President Franklin Roosevelt with the support of the Congress, declared war on Japan. It led United States’ official involvement in World War II. Japan attacked Pearl Harbor because of a deteriorating relationship with the U. S. The “New World Order”, expansion and resources, and economic sanctions were factors that conducted to another disaster on the Second World War.

    Read More

  • How Is Japanese Internment Justified

    969 Words  | 2 Pages

    This caused the Japanese to become a scapegoat of America’s fear and anger. The Issei and Nisei who once moved to this country to find new opportunities and jobs were now stripped of their homes and businesses and were forced to live in poor living conditions (DISCovering). Although many Americans believed that Japanese American internment was justified because it was used to protect us from attacks by Japanese Americans, it was very unlikely that they were ever going to attack us in the first place. For example, in Dr. Seuss’ political cartoon, many Japanese Americans are lined up to get TNT and waiting for a signal from Japan to attack (Seuss).

    Read More

  • Japanese Internment Camps Research Paper

    538 Words  | 2 Pages

    What were the Japanese internment camps some might ask. The camps were caused by the attack of Pearl Harbor in 1942 by Japan. President Roosevelt signed a form to send all the Japanese into internment camps.(1) All the Japanese living along the coast were moved to other states like California, Idaho, Utah, Arkansas, Colorado, Wyoming and Arizona. The camps were located away from Japan and isolated so if a spy tried to communicate, word wouldn't get out. The camps were unfair to the Japanese but the US were trying to be cautious. Many even more than 66% or 2/3 of the Japanese-Americans sent to the internment camps in April of 1942 were born in the United States and many had never been to Japan. Their only crime was that they had Japanese ancestors and they were suspected of being spies to their homeland of Japan. Japanese-American World War I veterans that served for the United States were also sent to the internment camps.(2)

    Read More

  • The United States' Treatment of Japanese Americans During World War II

    1201 Words  | 3 Pages

    There are several military and constitutional justifications the United States government had in placing the Japanese in internments after the attack on Pearl Harbor. These justifications can all be related to National Security, with fear of future attacks, sabotage and espionage, and doubt of Japanese American’s loyalty. The main purpose of the government is protection under the constitution. To ensure national security, the privacy of one maybe evaded to secure millions. Very few advocates of civil liberties stepped forward against the internments regardless of the constitutional rights being invaded of the American citizens and resident aliens.

    Read More

  • US Entry into WWII

    979 Words  | 2 Pages

    World War II, also known as the Second World War was fought by Japan, Germany and Italy, also referred to as the Axis powers; that went against the Allies that consisted of the United States, the Soviet Union, and Britain with help from others. 60 to 80 billion deaths were the result of World War II ("Reasons for American Entry Into WWII"). Initially the United States did not want to interfere with a war going on in a different continent. At the start of the war America began a state of isolationism which kept America away from the war; until its “breaking point”. America’s deviation from isolationism in World War II is what establishes them as a powerhouse country economically an. Also, how America’s growth industrially lead to a post-war boom.

    Read More

  • The Necessity Of Japanese Internment

    1429 Words  | 3 Pages

    There are a number of reasons why the internment of the Japanese people had to take place. Japan was a major threat to the United States which made anyone of Japanese descendent a potential traitor and threat to America’s security. No one was quite sure what they were capable of.

    Read More

  • World War II Prison Camps for Japanese-Americans

    1802 Words  | 4 Pages

    World War II broke out in Europe on September 1st, 1939, when Germany, led by Hitler, declared war on Poland. Together, Germany, Japan, and Italy were the three major countries that formed the Axis Powers, who fought against The Allies. The Allies consisted of Great Britain, France, the Soviet Union, and the United States. The Axis Powers and The Allies fought against one another by land, sea, and air creating the largest and bloodiest war in all of history with a total fatality count of 40 to 50 million people. At first, the United States tried to remain neutral. A majority of the public had the attitude of isolationists. Many citizens tried to dissuade Congress from providing succor and supplies to Britain and France, but that attitude quickly changed when a surprise attack occurred directly on American soil.

    Read More

  • Japanese Internment Camps

    1537 Words  | 4 Pages

    Because of this order, 120,000 people of Japanese descent living in the U.S. were removed from their homes and placed in internment camps. The United States justified their action by claiming that there was a danger of those of Japanese descent spying for the Japanese. However more than two-thirds, approximately 62 percent, of those interned were American citizens and half of them were children. None had ever shown disloyalty to the nation. In some cases family members were separated and put in different camps. Only ten people were convicted of spying for the Japanese during the entire war and they were all white people. None of them were Japanese. Because of the wartime hysteria and prejudice, many Japanese people were forced to leave their homes and go to the intern camps.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Pearl Harbor

    793 Words  | 2 Pages

    It’s a beautiful sunny morning, on a tropical island that everyone would love to take a vacation at. It’s approximately 6:00 am, December 7, 1941, when a first group of 181 kamikaze planes attacked; targeting key naval bases stationed at Hawaii; a sustained crippling of U.S. naval forces for about 6 months. The death toll was 2,500. Out of the 9 battleships, 8 were heavily damaged by the assault on Pearl Harbor and out of the 8, three were unrepairable, USS Arizona, USS Oklahoma, and the USS Utah. 160 aircrafts were put out of commission, and nearly 130 were heavily damaged. This was the first incident in which there was an act of war, committed on U.S. soil, outside of the American Revolution and the Civil War. The world was at war, and the U.S. remained neutral until now. Before the attack, the U.S. was in great debate whether to enter the war or to stay out of it. The act of war forced the U.S. into the War and triggered a controversial debate in whether to retaliate against Japan with the use of nuclear arms.

    Read More

  • Pearl Harbor not a surprise

    1098 Words  | 3 Pages

    Introduction – Pearl Harbor was vulnerable to attack because of the obstruction of defense and warning.

    Read More

  • Pearl Harbor US Intelligence Failure

    959 Words  | 2 Pages

    It was a Sunday morning, on December 7, 1941 when Pearl Harbor, US naval base located on Hawaii, was attacked by the Japanese. They caught unguarded the whole nation, and for that, this attack is considered one of the top ten failures of the US intelligence. The Japanese were able to attack Pearl Harbor by surprise because of the mindset of US officials, whom they saw Japanese as a weak enemy, who wouldn’t risk attacking US territory, caused by a supremacy factor; As well as the not good enough US intelligence efficiency to encrypt Japanese codes, and the handling of such information. After the negotiations between the Japanese and the United States ended, there was no doubt that they would make an attack, but they didn’t know the target of it.

    Read More

  • Unjust Internment: The Story of Japanese-Americans

    1081 Words  | 3 Pages

    The internment of Japanese Americans was not justified because it was incited by racist and prejudiced views of Japanese people. When Japanese immigrants started first coming to the United States, they faced harsh discrimination. They were not offered equal opportunity just because of their heritage. This prevented them from living

    Read More

  • World War II

    1611 Words  | 4 Pages

    World War II was one of the deadliest wars we know of in history, with as many as sixty million casualties, most of whom were civilians. It impacted a lot of countries, almost all over the world, which is why the name is given. This war impacted many countries in the world, and damaged almost all of the countries involved greatly. It also led to the downfall of Western European countries as world powers, leaving it to the Soviet Union, and the United States. The war started in 1939 and ended in 1945, with the invasion of Poland and the Axis surrender, respectively.

    Read More

  • The Direct Effect of World War II

    686 Words  | 2 Pages

    It was said that World War I would be the war to end all wars; unfortunately U.S. President Woodrow Wilson was wrong. In 1939 Germany invaded Poland and the global conflict, World War II, began. Fought from 1939 to 1945, World War II consisted of the Allied Powers and the Axis Powers. The Axis Powers were led by Germany, Japan, and Italy. The Allied Powers were led by the United States, Britain, France, and several other countries. In total, over sixty million people were killed, making World War II the deadliest conflict in modern history. The intervention of the United States after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 brought the end of the war 4 years later.

    Read More

More about Dark Times in History: World War II and The Great Depression

Open Document