The History of South & Southeast Asia SS7H3 The student will analyze continuity and change in Southern and Eastern Asia

SS7H3 The student will analyze continuity and change in Southern and Eastern Asia c. Explain the role of the United States in the rebuilding of Japan after World War II

A Rubble of a Mess After World War II Japan was left in rubble. Industries and farms were destroyed, the government was in shambles, the people were demoralized, and the emperor had been exposed as an ordinary mortal rather than the god the Japanese people had believed him to be. The American commander of the occupation forces was General Douglas MacArthur. He was given the job of putting Japan back on its feet, in a way that would guarantee that Japan would not pose a military threat to other countries in the future

A New Form of Government General MacArthur wanted Japan to have a democratic government, but he also appreciated the important place the Japanese emperor occupied in the Japanese culture. He decided Japan would be a constitutional monarchy. He wrote a constitution for the country, still referred to as The MacArthur Constitution that created a two-house parliament called the Diet. The emperor remained as a symbol of the country. The Japanese people were granted universal suffrage, and everyone over the age of 20 was allowed to vote for members of the Diet

New Rules for a New Nation The new constitution designed by Mac Arthur contained a Bill of Rights and guaranteed basic freedoms. One clause in this constitution prevents Japan from declaring war. They are allowed to fight only if they are attacked first. The Japanese signed all peace treaties ending the war and pledged to pay war reparations (damages) to the countries they harmed during World War II. American troops were allowed to remain in Japan, and the Japanese were not permitted to rebuild their military in any major way.

Slide Title Non Fiction Note pads

Video Yearbook Video Segment Start of the Korean War Key Players/Figures Did this film change your opinion about any of the issues it addressed? Did this film change your opinion about any of the people involved? What did you learn from this film? Start of the Korean War MacArthur Dismiss Korean Armistice Red Scare McCarthyism