Kellaway, Marissa

Mr. Wisner

World History

4th period M/W

December 9, 2016

How Pearl Harbor Shaped the Modern World

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/07/world/pearl-harbor-anniversary.html

Key Vocabulary:
Enlistment-The period of time for which one is commited in military service.
Unity- Joined as a whole
Fractious- Difficult to control.
Resurgent- Increasing or reviving after a period of little occurence.
Summary:
On December 7, 1941, hundreds of Japanese aircraft engaged in a surprise bombing attack on
Pearl Harbor, resulting in the deaths of more than 2,400 Americans. After the attack on Pearl Harbor,
Congress approved President Roosevelts declaration of war on December 8th. On December 9th and
10th, thousands of men signed up to serve in the United States armed forces. American citizens were
giving their support in a time where they had been split on their views with the government.
Seven decades after Pearl Harbor, experts say nationalist parties are on the rise on both sides of
the world. The guilt and regret of events such as Pearl Harbor have turned into the idea that protecting our
country from conflicts of other countries is top priority. These views of authoritarianism and nationalism
can be seen not only in America, but other countries across the world as well, such as Europe.
The strong sense of nationalism that existed after Pearl Harbor in 1941 is present now is 2016.
Good examples of this are the election of Donald Trump and Britain leaving the European Union. Experts
also say that parallels can be seen between the attitude of the nation before Pearl Harbor and the attitude
of modern day. Some people believe that as shown in history, these ideals can actually lead to more
conflicts.
Opinion:
I think that the rise of nationalism is good for the individual nations, but bad for international
relationships. Its important for us to be unified as a nation and want to protect ourselves, but some of the
effects of these ideals are sure to have consequences. Being highly defensive and protective over our own
country can disrupt political relationships with other countries and make cooperation difficult. As history
has proven, nationalism can lead to war.
Relation to Historical Event:
A historical event I can relate this to is 9/11. Both of these events were unprovoked attacks on
U.S. soil that resulted in a change in government. These changes were that after both of these attacks, the
growth of government to protect America from future attacks became very important. Another similarity
between these two events is the reaction from the American people. After both these events, citizens were
shocked and scared, emotions that caused the nation to unify and citizens gave their public support to the
government.
Relation to a Theme:
A theme I can relate this to is nations and nationalism. This topic and how it relates to modern
day is completely about nationalism and countries becoming independent and protective. The events of
Pearl Harbor led to nationalism, which is on the rise currently and created the growth of U.S. government
protective actions and ideals that are implemented today, while also creating fear of conflicts with other
nations. These defensive attitudes lead to actions such as Donald Trumps plans to build a wall between
Mexico and the U.S., which could actually create more conflict.
Questions I have:
Will nationalism stay on a steady rise, or dissipate?
Will nationalist actions lead to more conflict in the near future?
Will more protective policies be created in the near future?
How will government relationship be affected by growing nationalism?