The War in the Pacific and the Atomic Bomb: Analysis Worksheet

Identify the month and year when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, drawing the United States into World War II.

December 1941.

Explain why the Battle of Midway in June 1942 is considered the turning point in the Pacific War.

The US Navy sank four Japanese aircraft carriers, permanently halting Japan's naval expansion and putting Allied forces on the offensive across the Pacific.

How did the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa in early 1945 affect American calculations about invading mainland Japan?

Extremely high casualty counts and fierce Japanese resistance convinced American planners that a mainland invasion would result in catastrophic Allied casualties.

Name the two Japanese cities targeted with atomic bombs in August 1945 and state the three days between the bombings.

Hiroshima (August 6, 1945) and Nagasaki (August 9, 1945).

Besides the atomic bombs, what major military event on August 8, 1945, destroyed Japanese hopes of a negotiated peace through a neutral power?

The Soviet Union declared war on Japan and launched a massive invasion of Japanese-held Manchuria.

Historians offer different primary arguments for why the bombs were dropped: the military argument (saving soldiers' lives) and the diplomatic argument (sending a signal to the Soviet Union). Briefly summarize evidence for each view.

The military view cites casualty projections from Okinawa and the refusal of Japan to accept the Potsdam Declaration. The diplomatic view cites US awareness of impending Soviet entry into the war and Truman's desire to conclude hostilities before Soviet influence spread across East Asia.