World Ward II Essay -- History, The Good War

Americans often refer to World War II as being â€Å"the Good War†. Americans call World War II â€Å"the Good War† because Americans believe the United States entered the war for the noble purposes of defending its self and freedom. Americans also refer to World War II as â€Å"the Good War† because it was a war that required Americans to work together so the country could defeat the Axis powers. Because the United States entered the war for noble purposes, and because Americans everywhere helped the country win the war, â€Å"the Good War† is an appropriate appellation to describe World War II. Under Benito Mussolini, Italy had conquered the country of Ethiopia (Foner 800). Under Adolf Hitler, Germany had taken control over most of Europe (Foner 802). While Italy, had taken control of Ethiopia and Germany had taken control over most of Europe, Japan had taken control of Burma, Siam, the Dutch East Indies, Guam, the Philippines, and other Pacific islands (Foner 804). In 1931, Japan invaded the Chinese providence of Manchuria (Foner 799). As Japanese troops moved deeper into China, they overran the Chinese city of Nanjing, and killed an estimated 300,000 prisoners of war and civilians (Foner 799). On December 7, 1941, Japan launched an attack on the naval base of Pearl Harbor; this surprise attack was responsible for the death of 2,000 American servicemen (Foner 804). Towards the end of the war Hitler embarked on the â€Å"final solution†, which was the mass extermination of Slavs, gypsies, homosexuals, and six million Jews that would be come to known as the Holocaust (Foner 807). Because the Axis powers conquered so much territory and killed so many people, America fighting against the Axis powers has been viewed by Americans war fought between the fo... ...is an appropriate appellation for the war. During the war, America imprisoned Japanese Americans and denied them their rights as American citizens. During the war, America bombed the cities of Dresden, Tokyo, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki; these bombings were responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of civilians. While I do believe that America was fighting enemies that had committed worst acts than the Allies, the United States had no right to deny American rights of court hearings, due process, and writs of habeas corpus to American citizens. America also had no right to bomb cities with the purpose of killing civilians in an attempt to demoralize the enemies. Certainly the Allies were better than the Axis powers, but the war crimes committed by America cannot be ignored, and because these crimes were committed, World War II cannot be called â€Å"the good war†.