Pearl Harbor

Running Head : Pearl Harbor

Looking Back at Pearl Harbor

Name

Institution

Professor

Subject

Abstract

The attack on the US forces at Pearl Harbor on December 7 , 1941 signalled the participation of the United States in the Second World War

This will focus on the various events that transpired during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor

Looking Back at Pearl Harbor

The Japanese attack on the American naval fleet in Pearl Harbor on December 7 , 1941 was the product of a carefully and well-executed plan conducted

by the Japanese Imperial Army to take the United States out of the picture as Japan tries to expand their strength southward . Caught by surprise and unprepared , the Pearl Harbor attack was the trigger that ignited the United States ' participation in the Second World War (Naval Historical Center , 2000

Background of the Pearl Harbor Attack

The attack on Pearl Harbor was the culmination of the long-standing friction between the United States and Japan . During the previous decades preceding 1941 , the relation of the two countries had considerably worsened . Japan was aggressively expanding its power towards Manchuria , China , and Indo-China . During the middle of the 19th century , Japan gradually developed from a feudal state to a military superpower which has changed the status quo in the Pacific region (Imperial War Museum , n .d

What Germany was to Europe , Japan was slowly emerging as a contender that threatens the established in the Pacific . By 1900 , Japan has become a powerful force in East Asia . Due to insufficiency of raw materials needed to achieve industrial growth and with their sights set on sustaining their people , Japan was forced to look elsewhere for land and supplies (Imperial War Museum , n .d

Come 1910 . Japan had already overwhelmed China and Russia and likewise dominated Korea and Manchuria . Japan 's growing strength caught the attention of Western countries , particularly the United States . As early as 1907 , the US already saw the prospects of an armed conflict with Japan . The outbreak of World War I enhanced Japan 's position in East Asia . With European countries visibly weakened by the War , Japan was able to strengthen its position in China (Imperial War Museum , n .d

In the 1920s , the leadership of the United States thwarted potential Japanese expansion by having the other powers sign a new treaty However , nationalistic spirit fuelled Japanese policy which saw it conquering territories . In 1929 , the global depression which severely hit Japan marked ten years of aggression . The conquest of Manchuria was completed in 1931 , China followed in 1933 and 1935 . In 1937 , the Sino-Japanese War began . Japan backed out of the 1920 agreement in to sign treaties with Germany and Italy in 1936 and 1940 , respectively (Imperial War Museum , n .d

The Japanese saw the War in Europe as their chance to launch attacks on British , French and Dutch facilities in the Far East . In 1940 , the United States implemented economic sanctions on oil . For the Japanese the embargo was a threat to their...