Respuesta :
Answer: The loss of life and damage by the war in the Pacific.
Explanation: There was wide scale devastation in terms of property as well as lives. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour caused
- 20 naval vessels
- 300 air planes
- 2400 Americans died
- 1000 wounded
this attack happened on the American naval base near Honolulu, Hawaii. It was a surprise attack by the Japanese forces when they descended with hundreds of fighter planes. It was one of the most tragic mornings of December 7th 1941 when the attack happened after which President Roosevelt declared a war on Japan.
Japan took advantage of France’s surrender to Germany in order to occupy French colonies in Southeast Asia, including the areas that are now Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. In response, the United States began to block the export of various materials to Japan. These materials included aviation gasoline, machine tools, scrap iron, and steel. By the second half of 1941, Japan was feeling the pressure of the American embargo. The Japanese were determined to obtain a sufficient supply of oil by taking control of the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia). However, they realized that such an action might provoke American intervention, or involvement, because oil tankers would have to pass through the Philippines, a U.S. territory. The Japanese government, led by Prime Minister Tōjō Hideki, attempted to work out a diplomatic solution with the United States. The Japanese decided that if no peaceful resolution could be reached by the end of November 1941, Japan would have to go to war with the United States.
The United States wanted Japan to completely withdraw from China and enter into nonaggression pacts with all the Pacific powers. Japan found those conditions unacceptable. At 7:48 a.m. on Sunday, December 7, the Japanese attacked the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, an inlet near Honolulu on the island of Oahu where a large portion of the U.S. Navy’s fleet of warships was stationed. Japan launched two waves of attacks from six aircraft carriers that had snuck into the central Pacific without being detected. The attacks brought approximately 353 fighters, bombers, and torpedo bombers down on the unprepared fleet. The Japanese hit all eight battleships in the harbor and sank four of them. They also damaged several cruisers and destroyers. On the ground, nearly 200 aircraft were destroyed, and more than 2,400 service members were killed. Japanese losses were minimal.
Whatever reluctance to engage in conflict the American people had before December 7, 1941, quickly disappeared. Americans’ shock quickly turned to anger. The attack had taken place while Japanese diplomats in Washington were still negotiating a possible settlement. President Roosevelt asked Congress for a declaration of war, which it delivered to Japan on December 8. On December 11, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States in keeping with their alliance with Japan. The United States had now become part of the European conflict and an important member of the Allied forces.
Listen to President Roosevelt speaking to Congress the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Then answer the following questions:
