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Unit Three – Japan, Koreas, Vietnam – Study Guide
Section One – Japan
Vocabulary
Douglas MacArthur – Led the U.S occupation of Japan. Helped set up a parliamentary
democracy and constitutional monarchy and improved Japan’s economy after WW II
Axis Powers – Germany, Japan, and Italy that fought on the same side during WW II
Diet – Name of Japan’s legislative branch (make the laws)
Hiroshima and Nagasaki – Cities in Japan where the U.S dropped the atomic bomb
Pearl Harbor – U.S. Navy base in Hawaii that was bombed by the Japanese. Started the
U.S. involvement in WW II
Emperor Hirohito – Leader of Japan that planned the Pearl Harbor attack. Continued to
be emperor after the U.S occupation of Japan as a ceremonial leader.
1. Describe the role of the U.S and Japan during World War II.
Fought against each other in WW II. Bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese started
the U.S involvement in WW II. The U.S ended the fight against Japan and ended WW II
after dropping two atomic bombs on Japan. U.S (Allied Powers) and Japan (Axis Powers)
2. Explain the role of the U.S in rebuilding Japan after World War II.
U.S. and General Douglas MacArthur occupied Japan by sending in food and medical
supplies to help the Japanese after WW II. The U.S also helped set up a democracy and
improved Japan’s economy during this time after WW II.
Section Two – Korea
38th Parallel – Border between North and South Korea agreed upon by the Soviet Union
and the U.S after WW II. North Korea was Communist while South Korea was
Democratic
DMZ – Demilitarization Zone is the current division between North and South Korea.
The war is technically still going on but in a cease fire and the DMZ represents the
separation of North and South Korea.
Douglas MacArthur – U.S general that helped South Korea fight North Korea in the
Korean War (1950-1953)
3. Explain the reason for foreign involvement in Korea in terms of containment of
Communism.
U.S wanted to stop the spread of communism (containment policy) and when North
Korea (communist) attacked South Korea the U.S felt that it was important to defend
South Korea’s democracy. U.S also got involved in the Vietnam War to stop the
spread of communism.
Section Three – Vietnam
French Indochina – Name of Vietnam during French Colonization
Ho Chi Minh – Helped Vietnam get its independence from the French. Communist
leader of North Vietnam that took over South Vietnam (United Vietnam under
communist rule in 1975).
Viet Cong – Military of North Vietnam that occupied South Vietnam during the Vietnam
War
Cold War – Philosophical disagreement and tension between the Soviet Union and the
U.S between 1945-1991. They disagreed and had extreme military tension (fear)
because the Soviet Union was communist and the U.S was democratic.
Domino Theory – Belief that if one country was taken over by communists, other
countries would quickly follow and be conquered and become communist as well.
4. Describe how nationalism led to the independence of Vietnam in 1975. In your
answer describe how the French and the United States were involved in this.
Ho Chi Minh led Vietnam’s Independence from France and united Vietnam after the
Vietnam War. Loyalty and pride helped Ho Chi Minh and his followers to fight off the
French and shortly after the Americans.
5. Explain the reason for foreign involvement in Vietnam in terms of containment of
Communism.
The U.S wanted to stop the spread of communism (containment) so the U.S got
involved in the Vietnam War because North Vietnam (communist) attacked South
Vietnam
Section Four – Government
Absolute Monarchy - One ruler has all the power (Emperor of Japan was the monarch)
Constitutional Monarchy – King or Queen (Japan- Emperor) has ceremonial duties while
the country is run by a constitution (democracy) and the citizens have voting and other
human rights.
Confederation-Weak central government, strong local or state governments.
Autocratic – One person controls the country and makes all of the decisions.
Presidential – citizens vote directly for the president
6. Describe the government of Japan. How it is run and who are the leaders? What is
the role of the citizen and their personal freedoms? What is the role of the emperor?
The leader of Japan is the Prime Minister with the legislature called the Diet. The
citizens have personal freedoms including the right to vote. The country is also
considered a Constitutional Monarchy and the emperor is the monarch, a ceremonial
leader and does not have power. Also considered a Parliamentary Democracy.
7. Compare and contrast the current governments of North and South Korea. How do
they differ? North Korea is an Autocracy/Communist while South Korea is a Presidential
Democracy
Section Five– Economy
Specialization – Not every country can produce all of the goods and services it needs.
Because of this, countries specialize in producing those goods and services they can
provide best and most efficiently.
Trade Barriers – are anything that slows down or prevents one country from exchanging
goods with another
Tariff - is a tax placed on goods when they are brought into (imported) from one
country to another country
Quota - is a different way of limiting the amount of foreign goods that can come into a
country
Embargo - is when one country announces that it will no longer trade with another
country in order to isolate the country and cause problems with that country’s economy
Currency - type of money a country uses
Human Capital - means the knowledge and skills that make it possible for workers to
earn a living producing goods or services. The more skills and education workers have,
the better they are able to work without mistakes and to learn new jobs as technology
changes.
GDP - The GDP is the value of all goods and services produced within a country in a
given year and converted into US dollars for comparison
Capital Goods - (the factories, machines, and technology that people use to make
products to sell) are important to economic growth.
Natural Resources - A natural resource is something that is found in the environment
that people need. Water, trees, rich soil, minerals, and oil are all examples of natural
resources
Literacy - the ability to read and write, has a big effect on the standard of living of a
country
8. Describe the factors that have influenced economic growth in Japan since the end of
World War II. How has investment in capital (factories, machines, & technology), lack
of natural resources, and human capital helped or hurt Japan?
Human Capital and capital goods led the way to economic growth in Japan. The lack
of natural resources forced Japan to become leaders in other areas of the economy.
9. Explain the relationship between investment in human capital (education and
training) and gross domestic product (GDP).
The better a countries human capital the higher their GDP. Countries need human
capital to have a good GDP. If countries have teachers then they have education
which means countries have a good GDP so countries need a lot of human capital to
have a strong economy.
10. Explain why international trade requires a system for exchanging currencies
between nations.
Countries have different currencies requiring a rate to buy and sell goods. Not all
currencies have the same value.
11. Compare and contrast different types of trade barriers such as tariff, quotas, and
embargos.
Trade barriers cause foreign products to more expensive encouraging consumers to
buy domestic goods because they are less expensive. Tariffs are taxes on imported
goods. Quotas are a limit on the amount of a product can be imported and an
embargo prohibits any imports from a country. Embargoes are often put in place
because of political reasons or human rights violations.
12. Explain how specialization encourages trade between countries.
If 1 country makes a product well then they will make a lot of money and it will
help their economy and lead to other countries wanting that product because it
will be better quality and often a lower price
13. Compare and contrast the economic systems of Japan and North Korea.
Japan has a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy and North Korea
has an autocracy / communism. The economic system of Japan is a mixed/market
while North Korea is a command economy because it has a more strict government 1
person rules the whole country. North Korean spends most of its money on the
military. In Japan the emperor has little power but the Diet/Prime Minister have the
most power.