Discussion
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Do you think the leaders of Japan
were happy with the outcome of
the attack on Pearl Harbor? Why
or why not?
Japanese leaders were happy
because they destroyed many ships
and planes.
Discussion

How do you think the attack on
Pearl Harbor affected U.S. public
opinion about involvement in the
war?
more Americans would have
supported becoming involved in the
war after U.S. territory was attacked.
Japan Tries to Control East Asia and the Pacific
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Creation of Greater East Asia CoProsperity Sphere
Prime Minister Tōjō's policy
The United States aligned itself
against Japan.
German declaration of war on the
United States
Discussion

What two misjudgments did the Axis
Powers make about U.S. involvement
in the war?
The Japanese thought the Americans were
soft and would choose not to fight. The
Germans thought the Americans would be
ineffective in the European theater of war
because of their involvement in the
Pacific.
Discussion

Why was it important for the Allies to
agree to fight until all the Axis
Powers surrendered unconditionally?
Doing so prevented a division among the
Allies that might have occurred if one of
the Axis Powers had agreed to stop
fighting against one of the Allies.
Background

The Battle of Stalingrad, considered to be
one of the most important battles of the
war, also was one of the deadliest. Total
Axis casualties were more than 800,000
dead, wounded, missing, or captured. Of
the 91,000 Germans who surrendered,
most later died in Soviet prison or labor
camps, with only 5,000 to 6,000 ever
returning to their homeland. Historians
place the number of Soviet casualties at
1.1 million dead, wounded, missing, or
captured.
Discussion

Why do you think naval superiority
was of greater importance in the war
in Asia than it was in the war in
Europe?
As an island nation, Japan depended on its
navy to provide supplies and raw
materials for its war efforts and that the
U.S. "island hopping" strategy required
naval transport of troops.