War Propaganda in the United States |
World war II
Attack on pearl harbor
On December 7th, 1941, the American naval base in Pearl Harbor was attacked by Japanese fighter planes. In two hours the casualties were enormous. The devastation included two hundred airplanes and twenty naval vessels. Two thousand soldiers were killed and thousands more were wounded. One day after, The United States declared war on Japan in an almost unanimous vote in congress. On December 10th, Italy and Germany declared war on The United States and The United States did the same.
The United States and Japan had held high tensions for years and before the attack it seemed that war was inexorable. Although the attack was a surprise, the relationship between the two countries had been deteriorating for years. The United States did not agree with Japan’s policy towards China or Japan’s highly aggressive expansionist attitude. The United States imposed sanctions on Japan but none of these deterred Japan from trying to expand its empire. For a while before the attack there were negotiations between The United States and Japan but no conclusions were drawn. During the attack, Japan had a goal to destroy the whole Pacific Fleet so The United States could not fight back against the Japanese onslaught. The fleet was not destroyed but the most important aspect of it was that the Japan struck first. Apart from World War One, America largely had a policy of isolationism and non-interventionist ideas. This meant that it would try to stay out of foreign affairs and keep the peace. This policy allowed the government of The United States to convince the people that all they wanted was peace and war was not an option. President Roosevelt stated that America had quest for peace and that we would not fight in any foreign wars. Examples of President Roosevelt's strive for peace: "Your national government is equally a government of peace, a government that intends to retain peace for the American people." "I am fighting to keep our people out of foreign wars. And I will keep on fighting." "I have said this before, but I shall say it again and again and again: Your boys are not going to be sent into any foreign wars." When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor it displayed Japan as the aggressor. This allowed The United States to take the role as the victim and the only way to avenge what had happened was to join the war. Of course when the people saw their own country, which is considered a country of peace, get attacked, they immediately supported the war effort as the only way to get back at what the Japanese had done. The attack on Pearl Harbor was a justified reason for the United States to join the war but the way The United States displayed its self as the victim shows the manipulation to get the general public to support it. |
Examples of Propaganda in World War II |
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