POSTWAR: A Global History of the Second World War's Legacy

Pictured to the right is a Japanese woman ca. late-1940s.  The geometric shapes covering her arm, back, and shoulder are not tattoos or any other form of permanent (or temporary) body art.  Rather, they are burns that reflect the patterns on the kimono she was wearing at the time.  The uninjured parts of her back …

Continue reading “Reconstruction: A Defining Process”

Rehabilitation after a war can be viewed in many different ways.  The traditional idea is of physical bodies being restored after damage from a war.  However, after the widespread destruction of World War II, many other aspects of society had … Continue reading →

When people think about World War II, they often think about Nazi Germany and the war in Europe rather than war in Japan. Most people forget about the impact of the bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on the people and infrastructure of Japan. While the bombs themselves are controversial and many people …

Continue reading “US Feeling a Little Guilty?”

World War 2 was a total war that was the most destructive war in Human history.  The creation of new weapons like the atomic bomb and long range bombers using fire bombs caused this destruction.  Japan saw the use of these weapons against them the most, in the atomic bombs case the only time.  This […]

It is not difficult to understand why the use of the Atomic Bomb caused unprecedented destruction due to the fact that it was a weapon of unprecedented power meant to be used in warfare. Too often the destruction from the Atomic Bomb is summed up as a number of lives lost; However, this is not …

Continue reading “The Physical, Psychological, and Social Effects of the Atomic Bomb in Japan”

With the dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan, the war seemed to be at an end. Soon after, the Japanese government signed a peace treaty and surrendered to the United States. America then took up the task of rebuilding Japan, beginning with setting up a new, democratic government that would allowJapan to grow and flourish into a …

Continue reading “Japan and America: Different Perspectives to the Same End”

Said General Arnold: “Although there now appear to be insurmountable difficulties in an active defense against future atomic projectiles similar to the German V-2 but armed with atomic explosives, this condition should only intensify our efforts to discover an effective means of defense.” The only defense now conceivable against a rocket, once it is in … Continue reading →

Christopher Jackson Wages of Destruction Who can name a war greater or more well known that World War II. Known by some in America as the last great patriotic war. While also being the last total war ever to be fought between America and any other nation. Though not the last war ever fought or …

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Two articles, one “Reconstructing the Hiroshima Maidens” by David Serlin and “Reconstructing the Perpetrator’s Soul by Reconstructing the Victim’s Body: The Portrayal of the ‘Hiroshima Maidens’ by the Mainstream Media in the United States” by Robert Jacobs discuss the same subject, the Hiroshima Maidens, women who survived the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima by the US […]

As the most destructive war in human history came to a close, those most intimately involved in the death and destruction, the soldiers, were able to begin to return to “normal” life again. Both veterans of WWII and civilians of the countries who fought in the war had varying expectations of how the veterans would …

Continue reading “Veterans and the Welfare State”