When: 12:00 p.m. - 1:15 p.m.
Where: GISB 2067
To most Americans, it is obvious that the two atomic bombs ended World War II. Yet at least four other developments helped persuade Japanese leaders to surrender. In addition to the Soviet Union’s entry into the war, the Allied blockade starved the Japanese home front of food and fuel; the expanding U.S. firebombing campaign devastated 64 cities; and Japanese elites closely followed the recent defeat of Nazi Germany, which had fought to the finish, and few wished to continue the war to the point of national annihilation. Understanding the Japanese side of the story advances us well beyond the existing American-centered analyses. Our speaker, Sheldon Garon, is Nissan Professor of History and East Asian Studies at Princeton University.