World War II in Asia through Propaganda Films and ImagesMain MenuIntroductionCourse DescriptionJapanese Wartime IdeologyAmerican Wartime IdeologyJapanese Soldiers at WarAmerican and Allied Soldiers at WarAaron Moore76f4fac5cca4de4ad0948de18943f2048aa1f4e4
Read: John Dower, “Race, Language and War in Two Cultures: World War II in Asia,” in Lewis A. Erenberg and Susan E. Hirsch, eds. The War in American Culture: Society and Consciousness During World War II. pp. 169-201.
Assignment: Write a 500-word essay on the following: World War II in Asia was many things: a war of technology, a war of ideals, a war of total mobilization, a war for power and colonial interest, and a war of immense death and destruction. As John Dower notes in his essay, however, it was also a race war.
How exactly was the Asia-Pacific War a race war? Focus on one or two aspects of race propaganda on each side and explain how they might have influenced the nature of the war. How did some of these tropes appear in The Story of Tank Commander Nishizumi and Guadalcanal Diary?