Japan committed what some would consider suicide, when their
aircraft bombed Pearl Harbor.1 Pearl Harbor was the most important day of
World War II. This was the first strike towards the US. making them enter
the war. Even though the US. had been involved a little before this. The
attack prompted full entrance of the US. into the war.
Japan wanted to not depend on white imperialist nations, like Britain,
France, Netherlands and the USA. But, they needed materials from other
countries.2 They got Tin from Malasha and Iron from Philippines. Japan also
got oil, bauxite, coal, cobalt, copra graphite, iron, lead, nickel, phosphates
and potash from the Indies. Plus rice from Indo-china and Burma.
Japan needed all of those things to be self reliant. But most of all, if
they where to expand they would need them even more.
In the 1920's fascism began to enter Germany. As well as a need for
revenge after the way World War I ended. So on September 1 1939 German
armies marched into Poland, Poland and Germany had bout the same
number of men.3 However Poland was greatly out gunned. War broke out in
September of 1939 in Europe. Around that time Japan declared its
Poland's last surrender was the fortress at Kock, on October 6th
September 3 1939 British and French declared War on Germany. The
French Strategy was defensive, there main defense was the Maginot Line.
Germany Began to drive into France on June 5th 1939, the drive picked up
on June 9th. The Maginot line failed, it was out flanked. By the summer of
1940 Hitler dominated Europe from the North Cape to the Pyrenees. After
the summer of 1940, Hitler's only remaining active enemy was Britain.5
Italy declared war on Frence and Britain on June 10 1939. The USA
then abandoned there strict neutrality in the war, and in March 1941 the
USA passed the Lend-Lease Act. The Lend-Lease Act was a 7 billion dollar
aid to any countries...