F. The Second World War and the Shift in Global Power–we will look at two things: (1) a Japanese perspective re: the war in the Pacific (this includes a debate about periodization in world history); and (2) how it sets the stage for our next unit, F, the Bi-polar world. Keep in mind, WWII dealt the death blow to The British Empire as we saw in the unit called the “Collapse of the European World Order.” How did that collapse set the stage for the Bi-polar world of the Cold War?
In terms of the War in the Pacific, can we see/find the connection between the two things below, the two videos (Frank Sinatra versus Frank Capra)? And does looking at the two give us a hint re: the origins of the War in the Pacific? Or what led to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941? After you’ve watched the videos, see my article called “Japan’s Monroe Doctrine,” click here. What was going on in the Pacific prior to the 1940s? What were the origins of World War II in Asia?
The song, Poor Butterfly, which is based on the Puccini opera “Madame Butterfly” (click here for more on the opera)
Frank Capra’s Why We Fight
John Murnane
