Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II

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Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, the 1999 National Book Award for Nonfiction, finalist for the Lionel Gelber Prize and the Kiriyama Pacific Rim Book Prize, Embracing Defeat is John W Dower s brilliant examination of Japan in the immediate, shattering aftermath of World War II.Drawing on a vast range of Japanese sources and illustrated with dozens of astonishing documentary photographs, Embracing Defeat is the fullest and most important history of the than six years of American occupation, which affected every level of Japanese society, often in ways neither side could anticipate Dower, whom Stephen E Ambrose has called America s foremost historian of the Second World War in the Pacific, gives us the rich and turbulent interplay between West and East, the victor and the vanquished, in a way never before attempted, from top level manipulations concerning the fate of Emperor Hirohito to the hopes and fears of men and women in every walk of life Already regarded as the benchmark in its field, Embracing Defeat is a work of colossal scholarship and history of the very first order. Best Download Kindle ePUB Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II author John W. Dower – kino-fada.fr Before defeat, and after defeatIn the top photo Hirohito is in military uniform After the surrender, in the photo with Douglas MacArthur, the uniform was discardedThis is a masterful account of Japan after their surrender in August, 1945 It is very nuanced, pointing out both positive and negative aspects of the U.S occupation and how the Japanese coped and adapted And the primary problem for most Japanese was food Many were already mal nourished before the surrender and their struggle Before defeat, and after defeatIn the top photo Hirohito is in military uniform After the surrender, in the photo with Douglas MacArthur, the uniform was discardedThis is a masterful account of Japan after their surrender in August, 1945 It is very nuanced, pointing out both positive and negative aspects of the U.S occupation and how the Japanese coped and adapted And the primary problem for most Japanese was food Many were already mal nourished before the surrender and their struggle continued Millions of returning soldiers and civilians from China and Korea added to the problem.Hovering over all this, chameleon like, is the Emperor Hirohito Due to his reverence by the Japanese people he was spare...WWII left Japan decimated Millions had died millions were disabled, sick and starving millions were stranded overseas facing reprisals millions were missing including countless children and millions were homeless, without family, without jobs, without anything In the largest city, Tokyo, 65% of homes had been destroyed, in the second largest, Osaka, 57% and the third largest, Nagoya, 89% Industry had been obliterated leaving few places to live or work Those with the least suffered the WWII left Japan decimated Millions had died millions were disabled, sick and starving millions were stranded overseas facing reprisals millions were missing including countless children and millions were homeless, without family, without jobs, without anything In the largest city, Tokyo, 65% of homes had been destroyed, in the second largest, Osaka, 57% and the third largest, Nagoya, 89% Industry had been obliterated leaving few places to live or work Those with the least suffered the most as their homes easily fed the huge fires from incendiary bombings And Japanese culture exacerbated the plight of the already disadvantaged Those who had lost their families, including children, were shunned, as were the many women who no longer ... AcknowledgmentsIntroduction Embracing Defeat Japan in the Wake of World War II NotesPhoto and Illustration CreditsIndexOne of my major interests is the sociocultural and political evolution of Asian societies in modernity The preeminent society among these the one people that had seemingly made it in the 20th century was of course Japan The Japanese were an inspiration for reformers from Turkey to China Even African Americans looked to the Japanese with hope For a time Japan showed that...An entertainer in Tokyo was singing subversive songs while accompanying himself on the violin Investigators attended a performance and were shocked They heard lyrics like Seducing Japanese women is easy, with chocolate and chewing gum More scandalous yet was this line Everybody is talking about democracy, but how can we have democracy with two emperors Democracy, Hirohito, and MacArthur lampooned, all in a single breath The Americans banned the show.Embracing Defeat was written by John An entertainer in Tokyo was singing subversive songs while accompanying himself on the violin Investigators attended a performance and were shocked They heard lyrics like Seducing Japanese women is easy, with chocolate and chewing gum More scandalous yet was this line Everybody is talking about democracy, but how can we have democracy with two emperors Democracy, Hirohito, and MacArthur lampooned, all in a single breath The Americans banned the show.Embracing Defeat was written by John Dower, an MIT scholar on modern Japan, and won the National Book Award for Non Fiction in 1999 and the Pulitzer too Every once in a while I read a history book where the author anticipates every question that I am likely to pose This was that kind of read for me ...Quite simply the most in depth, perceptive and brilliant study of the post war US occupation and reconstruction of Japan after World War II Even with almost 600 dense pages of academic but well written erudition, it s not easy to tackle how Japan was transformed from a brutal imperialistic aggressor into a docile, cooperative, contrite and eager anti Communist ally of the US, and how the decision to preserve the Japanese Emperor as a symbol of both Japan s rich cultural heritage and its new Quite simply the most in depth, perceptive and brilliant study of the post war US occupation and reconstruction of Japan after World War II Even with almost 600 dense pages of academic but well written erudition, it s not easy to tackle how Japan was transformed from a brutal imperialistic aggressor into a docile, cooperative, contrite and eager anti Communist ally of the US, and how the decision to preserve the Japanese Emperor as a symbol of both Japan s rich cultural heritage and its new peaceful role in the post war world was a crucial decision by MacArthur and the GHQ The effort to transform Hirohito from the symbol of Japanese mil...The two reviews that led me to read the book were Max s very detailed one, and and Stuart simpressionistic review, If you are thinking about reading this book, those are where to start I ll add comments and elaborations from my notes Thanks to both of them for their reviews A meaty book that sometimes bogs down in detail such as the postwar girlie pulps, which were pretty interesting, but the long The two reviews that led me to read the book were Max s very detailed one, and and Stuart simpressionistic review, If you are thinking about reading this book, those are where to start I ll add comments and elaborations from my notes Thanks to both of them for their reviews A meaty book that sometimes bogs down in detail such as the postwar girlie pulps, which were pretty interesting, but the long discussions of authors who were akin to our postwar Beats not so much So my strategy, when I bogged, was to skim, or put the book aside for awhile I don t think I missed anything substantial My rating 4.5 stars, rounded up Highly recommended, if you are interested in Japanese and or 20th century history.What a pity the militarists managed to take control of the Japanese government Millions of lives and untold treasure wasted The contingencies of history There were Japanese ruling class factions that thought war with America was a really bad idea Admir...I posted some comments under updates , and so will not add a special review here Suffice it to say, this is a book of real depth and intelligence, and is fully deserving of the many awards and prizes it won Anyone who s interested in Japan that s you, Jimmylol , or in the turns and events of the Postwar period, will gain immeasurably from reading this volume One point that came through loud and clear is the degree to which the U.S., and its I posted some comments under updates , and so will not add a special review here Suffice it to say, this is a book of real depth and intelligence, and is fully deserving of the many awards and prizes it won Anyone who s interested in Japan that s you, Jimmylol , or in the turns and events of the Postwar period, will gain immea...This is not the book to read if what you are looking for is the typical history of the Occupation Forces in Japan This is a Japanese story It tells the story of how the people of Japan managed to assimilate defeat and what it meant to them, how the occupation changed the nation, if it did, and the effect it had on both defeated and conqueror.Dower does this in a series of chapters that encompass everything from the food shortages and initial starvation, the rise of black markets, the This is not the book to read if what you are looking for is the typical his...Simply among the most spell binding books ever Arranged topically, Embracing Defeat proceeds both topically and chronologically from the end of the war to the signing of the peace treaty The two most riveting chapters tell how fewer than 10 lawyers on MacArthur s staff none experienced in Constitutional law wrote Japan s post war Constitution in under a week One of those lawyers was a woman she died in 2013 she s responsible for Japan s strong woman s rights protections On the other Simply among the most spell binding books ever Arranged topically, Embracing Defeat proceeds both topically and chronologically from the end of the war to the signing of the peace treaty The two most riveting chapters tell how fewer than 10 lawyers on MacArthur s staff none experienced in Constitutional law wrote Japan s post war Constitution in under a week One of those lawyers was a woma...

Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II
  • English
  • 27 April 2019
  • Paperback
  • 676 pages
  • 0393320278
  • John W. Dower
  • Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II