Left Wing Historical Revisionism

[MH]

Originally Posted by Hottentot

War history and the Pacific front are hardly my fortes. I can reply to the best of my understanding, though.

The "accepted" date of the involvement in WW 2 has been taught to me as beginning from Pearl Harbor. On the other hand I get your point on the second question. Such dates can be questioned since Japan was involved in Asia and in war far before Pearl Harbor. I have heard a similar one being made about the whole beginning of WW 2: when did it become a World War and to what point it was just an European conflict?

As far as how far back you should go, I can admit that I'm not familiar enough with Japan and Asia to answer that question in a way I could be proud of. Usually you still go pretty far, so that's what I would also begin with if I was researching the subject. Since I don't know much about Japan and Asia, I would go at least to the beginning of the 20th century, but I'm not claiming that the reasons for conflict lie there. I would simply want to know.

For example, I have heard the roots of German mentalities before WW 2 being taken not only to the peace of WW 1, but to the actual unification of the country in 19th century: a relatively young country, from the beginning feeling itself surrounded, then humiliated in WW 1 and along comes Mr. Mustache promising great future.

Japan has signed mutual defence treaty with Germany and Italy in 1940 so technically was on opposite said of equation l before attack on Pearl Harbor.
USA pressure on Japan and toward its war in Asia aided with sanctions led to attack on Pear Harbor further escalating the conflict.
When the ww2 in far east/asia started may be matter of definition but it turned global in practice with attack on Pearl Harbor.