IN-PERSON ONLY: Collision Course: The Pacific War, 1898-1945
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Friday, September 25, October 2, 9, 16, and 23 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.THIS COURSE WILL BE RECORDED.Register Here The Pacific War is usually considered a struggle between the Americans, eager to avenge the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, and the Japanese Empire. The conflict, however, was far more complicated and went back long before World War II. We will explore the collision course of these two Pacific powers from the end of the nineteenth century through the conclusion of the Second World War. We will explore their mutual quest for empire, overseas influence, and food supplies as well as their mutual mistrust, based on extreme nationalism, racism, and xenophobia. We will begin with Japan's industrialization and its search for overseas resources to power its economy and modern military. Then we will examine the concomitant closing of the American frontier and the American imperial ambitions of the Spanish-American War, which brought American influence to Japan's doorstep with the co
