How did the bombing of Pearl Harbor influence the United States involvement of World War 2?

Answer 1

The bombing of Pearl Harbor brought the country into a war it was wanting to avoid.

The U.S. was hoping the Europeans could settle their conflict amongst themselves. World War one had been terribly costly in terms of lives and dollars so the government and the public were hoping to stay out of the war.

Whether it was the Japanese acting alone or in conjunction with the axis powers of Italy and Germany, I am not certain. However, they underestimated the vast resources of the U.S. and the resolve of the people.

The attack on Pearl was intended to cripple our fleet to the point it couldn't wage a full scale war on Japan for several years. The reluctance to enter the war in Europe gave them the impression the U.S. had no stomach for war after WWI. Japanese leaders wrongly assumed they would have so many holdings and influence that the U.S. would barter a truce rather then risk war. They could not envision the U.S. waging war on two theaters, Europe and Asia at the same time. Declaring war on Japan would also mean war with Japans Allies so the U.S. would be stretched in both directions. They didn't realize how quickly the U.S. could change factories over to make war supplies. And they seem to have forgotten that we had huge amounts of iron ore and coal and oil right here in our own country that would let us make all the equipment we needed. Plus vast amounts of material to make cloth and leather for boots, shoes, etc.

The biggest mistake of the Japanese was not finishing the job. They did not destroy all of the ships they intended and some were damaged but were quickly repaired and soon came back to haunt the Japanese.

The fact that Japan attacked first created so much anger that no effort was spared to secure a full and complete victory.

The U.S. was able to help the allies win WWII because it could build new equipment faster than the Axis powers could destroy it.

Answer 2

Technically, as only one answerer out of the many so far has stated, it didn't influence the US in the slightest. A Japanese typist at their Washington Embassy was slowly typing up a neat copy of their declaration of war while the bombs were falling. The Ambassador lost face enormously by handing it to the U.S. Secretary of State an hour after the attack, instead of half an hour before it, but even Tokyo hadn't told him what they were planning, and how important that made it for him to stick to his timetable. Anyway, Pearl Harbor or not, it was the Japanese who declared war.

Answer 3

Simple.

Japan attacked the United States of America when it bombed Pearl Harbor. A clear act of aggression and the natural response was to declare war.

Japan saw America as its biggest threat to stop its imperialist acquisitions in Asia. It might have kicked our butt if it had gone on to launch the ground invasion following the bombing. Instead, they attacked Wake Island.

Answer 4

Yes. Until that time, the United States had maintained neutrality, although it had supplied the Allies with war materials through the Lend-Lease Act.

Following the agressive japanese policy starting with the invasion of China (1937) and the signing of the Tripartite Pact with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy (1940), the US created an embargo on metal & gasoline exports to Japan and closed the Panama canal to japanese shipping. This hurt Japan's economy so severely that they moved into northen Indochina (current Vietnam, them French colony) in 1941. The US retaliated by a complete oil embargo therefore cutting off (±) 80% of Japan's oil. At this point Japan believed it had no choice but to go to war against the US (apparently backing down was never an option).

Japan planned and lauched a very successful attack against the US fleet in Pearl Harbour. BUT it failed to give the declaration of war before the attack was concluded therefore overnight, Americans were furious and united against Japan (when you think about it, the same sentiment also occured on 9-11 with the US going to war against Osama and his thugs...). The US declared war against Japan on December 8th 1941 and on Japan's allies (mainly Nazi Germany and Italy) three days later.

Answer 5

I suppose the US could have emerge as worried ultimately. The US military already were worried in opposition to German U-boats serving to take one of the stress off the British Navy. Add within the reality the British PM on the time desired the US to emerge as worried and I suppose via the center of 1942 Hitler could have declared struggle at the US. (MissileM, the US did a lot more than what you suppose, probably you will have to research your historical past a few extra earlier than making silly feedback. I additionally do not see a lot of British, French or Russian involvement within the Pacific, oh yeah, that is correct, Russia in no way declared struggle on Japan till the struggle used to be determined, Britain were pressured out via 1942 no longer returning till the struggle were determined, and France, good their France, no longer a lot well for whatever in a struggle. The Australians support the US out a lot more within the Pacific than all 3 European nations mixed IMO. Remember that WW2 worried BOTH European and Pacific theaters, so why is it Europeans most effective don't forget their aspect? China were combating in opposition to Japan on account that 1932, the truly begin of WW2, no longer 1939.)

Answer 6

Before Pearl Harbor, eventhough US was supporting 'losing' Britain against Germany, US weren't at the war.. Hitler think that he couldn't afford war against US Navy, so he wouldn't touch them, not before he won over Britain and Soviet... However, Germany-Italy-Japan had alliance (Axis) and Japan think that it was a matter of time US would eventually went to war and they need to do 'first strike' hit that would cripple US Navy.. They saw that Navy base and concentration in Pearl Harbor was sitting duck for aerial bombing.. It was a good move, however turn out to awfully wrong for Axis..

US being enter the war brought new hope to Allies (Britain and Soviet Union)..

British leader, Churchill opened himself a bottle of champagne when the first time he heard the news that Pearl harbor was being attacked by Japanese.. That means US has joined Allies against Germany-Italy-Japan

Answer 7

The bombing of Pearl Harbor convinced the U.S. to become involved in WW2 in the first place. Before that we were just sticking with a "seperatist" role, and people were saying "That's a European thing -- We shouldn't get involved."

Barjesse37

Answer 8

Well, it certainly accelerated our entry, didn't it? The slow typist at the Japanese embassy led to a deep hatred of all that was Japanese, and this was quite useful considering Japanese culture at the time. Considering that only about 1% of Japanese soldiers on an island became prisoners, the vast majority refusing to surrender under any circumstance, that hatred was useful. And since military institutions traditionally prepare for the previous war, the loss of the battleships can be seen as a positive, forcing a move to the carrier task force as the primary method of projecting naval power.

Answer 9

America was already somewhat "in the war" as we had been supplying men and materials to Great Britian. The men went to Canada or straight to England to fight and the materials were 'given' to England under something known as the 'lend-lease agreement'.

Before Pearl Harbor, although we were already goving things to Britian, it would have been difficult to convince America to go to war.

After Pearl Harbor, it would have been impossible to KEEP us from going to war.

In the Pacific we had almost strangled Japan by first denying the deliveries of what it had already paid us for. Steel, Rubber, and Oil chief among them as well as freezing all Japanese assets in the USA one year before they attacked us.

In Europe we had given England as many as 50 warships, and hundreds of thousands of tons of bombs, bullets, rifles, tanks, trucks, and anything else they needed. German U-Boats had been threatened with "causing America to enter the war" if it tried to stop the shipments to England. The Germans were faced with the fact that we sent England all of these war materials under a "neutral US Flag". They finally declared that they would board all vessels coming into the sea war zone, and would sink any carrying war materials as a violation of neutrality.

Answer 10

Japan attacked the United States without any provocation. There was no other solution then to declare war. If the US had not declared War, we would speak Japanese today. Japan would have taken over our Country. Considering that Japan was a very close Ally of Third Reich Hitler's Germany, war was declared on Germany too.