The Effects of The Pearl Harbor Attack

Pearl Harbor was an event that took place on the Hawaiian Island of Oahu. At 7:55 AM on December 7th, 1941, 360 warplanes of the Imperial Japanese Naval air arm carried out an unexpected attack on Pearl Harbor, a U.S naval base containing most of the American pacific fleet. After the attack most of the vessels were deemed completely non operational. This was a shock to the Americans which had enacted isolationist policies since the end of the First World War. The Americans suffered 2,600 deaths and another 1,200 were severely wounded as a result of the attack. The Japanese by contrast lost thirty aircraft and fewer than one hundred men lost. It was a tragedy for the United States, however importantly none of the U.S Carriers were damaged; this being due to them being on training exercises at the time.

The Japanese’s justification for attacking Pearl Harbor was its desire for the British Malaya, the Dutch East Indies, and the Philippines to expand its sphere of influence over the Pacific and East Asia as a whole. The Japanese took great inspiration for the attack from the British’s similar actions at the Battle of Taranto, where the Royal Navy used a similar Naval Air Arms approach to knock out the Italian fleet, ultimately ending their threat in the Mediterranean Sea.The Japanese knew they could not fight a battle of attrition with the United States. They believed, like the British, if they could deal one fatal blow to the American Fleet that could bring them to the negotiating table. This is why ultimately Admiral Yamamoto and his war planners decided on an approach similar to that used at the Battle of Taranto, which they studied intensively; ultimately this approach failed to meet its aim. Although a loss for the Americans, with large setbacks due to the loss of so many Capital ships, strategically the attack failed to meet its aims. With no loss of American carriers, the fuel depot on the island not being destroyed and some of the Capitol ships being refloated and repaired the US Navy was able to field a combat presence over the Imperial Japanese Navy.

The Pearl Harbor event also made a huge impact on the US economy. After the attack was over the country decided that is was time for war. It is said in pearl harbor.com “After the smoke cleared from Pearl Harbor, the entire country found itself in wartime mode”. President Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory”. The event made the Americans to be united and to fight the Japanese. It is said in the military.com “Pearl Harbor united a divided nation and was translated into a wholehearted American”. As the pearl harbor event happened all the American were ready for the war. It is said in the USnews.com “America is moving quickly to get on a war footing”. The US economy change in days. It is said in visitpearlharbor.org “the American economy quickly became a wartime economy”. To help the military taxes were raised. It is said in the visitpearlharbor.org “Taxes were raised to help pay for the war, war bonds were issued, and even banks purchased billions of dollars in bonds to support the war”. The economy changed in days due to the pearl harbor event.

In conclusion, the Pearl Harbor Attack was a vicious attack against unsuspecting US naval ships; even though the US originally did not want to go to war, Pearl Harbor is what imminently unleashed the military power resting in the US.