Download CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING – End of War in the Pacific

CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING – End of War in the Pacific
2. Describe the major roles of Japanese and American political and military leaders during the War in the Pacific
ANSWERS
1. Who was Chester Nimitz and what role did he play in the War in the Pacific?
Chester Nimitz was an Admiral in the US and commander of the Pacific Fleet in the war against Japan. He took command on
December 31, 1941, just after the Pearl Harbor disaster. His strategy and leadership helped restore American military confidence.
Nimitz reorganized the Pacific fleet for a series of hit-and-run raids. His strategy is credited with leading to American victories in the
battles of the Coral Sea, Midway, and Guadalcanal. He shared command with General Douglas MacArthur in the final stages of the
Pacific campaign and was present at the surrender of Japan.
2. Who was Douglas MacArthur and what role did he play in the War in the Pacific?
Douglas MacArthur was the US general who commanded the Southwest Pacific Theatre in World War II and administered postwar
Japan during the Allied occupation that followed.
Soon after the outbreak of the war in December 1941, the Japanese invaded the Philippines where MacArthur was in command. His
forces were outnumbered and MacArthur had to order most of his forces to surrender while he retreated to Australia. Upon arriving in
Australia, MacArthur proclaimed, “I shall return,” a phrase that became a rallying cry for the Allies.
MacArthur devised the “island-hopping” strategy that bypassed Japanese strongholds, minimized American casualties, and ultimately
led to Japan's defeat. On September 2, 1945, MacArthur received the Japanese surrender aboard the battleship Missouri. After the
surrender MacArthur became Supreme Allied Commander of the occupation forces of Japan. MacArthur used broad powers for
reconstructing the economy and preparing the Japanese for democracy. He introduced sweeping political, economic, and social
reforms, such as religious freedom and the emancipation of women that transformed Japanese life.
3. Who was Harry Truman and what role did he play in the War in the Pacific?
Harry Truman was the 33rd U.S. president, who succeeded Franklin D. Roosevelt upon Roosevelt’s death in April 1945. Truman led
the country through the last few months of World War II and is best known for making the controversial decision to use two atomic
bombs against Japan in August 1945. After the war, Truman was crucial in the implementation of the Marshall Plan, which greatly
accelerated Western Europe’s economic recovery.
4. Who was Tojo Hideki and what role did he play in the War in the Pacific?
Tōjō Hideki was prime minister and a significant military leader of Japan during most of the Pacific theater portion of World War II.
In 1938 as Vice-Minister of War, he was one of the leading advocates of Japan’s Tripartite Pact with Germany and Italy. Tojo became
Prime Minister on October 18, 1941, and pledged that his government would establish a “New Order in Asia.”
Tojo was also one of the most aggressive militarists in the Japanese leadership. He led his country’s war efforts after the attack on the
U.S. military base at Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941. Under his direction, Japan won initial victories throughout Southeast Asia and
the western Pacific. After a series of Japanese military loses in the Pacific, Tojo assumed virtual dictatorial powers, but continued
Allied successes led to his removal in July 1944. On September 11, 1945, after Japan’s formal surrender, Tojo shot himself in a
suicide attempt, but he was nursed back to health. He was later tried and found guilty of war crimes, and then hanged.
5. Who was Emperor Hirohito and what role did he play in the War in the Pacific?
Hirohito was Emperor of Japan from 1926 until his death in 1989. His role in Japan's government in the World War II remains highly
controversial as historians debate how much power he really had.
Many Japanese people thought that Emperor Hirohito was divine. In reality, political and military officials decided most Japanese
policy. He reluctantly supported the invasion of Manchuria and the war against China. Under the advice of his military council he
approved the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor that led to war between Japan and the United States in December 1941. He was not
initially enthusiastic about going to war, but he was pleased with the Japanese military and naval successes that followed. He
frequently appeared publicly in military uniform to raise morale.
By the spring of 1945, the defeat of Japan seemed imminent. The Japanese government was deeply divided between military leaders
who favored continuing the war and civilians who wanted to negotiate for peace. Hirohito appears to have favored peace. Following
the atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Hirohito insisted that Japan surrender. On 15 August 1945, he made a radio
broadcast announcing the end of the war - this was the first time the people of Japan had heard the voice of their emperor.
Some Allied leaders wanted to try Hirohito as a war criminal but General MacArthur felt it would be easier to introduce democratic
reforms if Hirohito stayed in office and refused to allow Hirohito to be tried.