American History - Why We Fight

Why We Fight

America fights for several reasons, such as, the desire to dominate the world through military power, to uphold their image as a country that must be obeyed and because too many people aren’t standing up and saying “I’m not doing this anymore.” Firstly, America came out as a superpower after World War Two and wanted to uphold their superior image. While most countries disabled their armies after the war ended, America chose to expand and keep their army in tact. As Gore Vidal stated in the movie, “We were the only unwrecked major power on earth.” He continues to talk about the post-war devastation in both Japan and Europe compared to America. He also discusses Truman and how he refused to listen to Japan, although Japan was trying to surrender all that summer. Truman, reluctant to listen, instead dropped the atomic bombs in order to show off, to fight off Stalin and to change the balance of power in the world. America uses military power as a way to dominate throughout the world. As John S.D Eisenhower stated, “We were going to maintain dominance, not just in Europe and Japan, but the entire globe.” Secondly, America wants to uphold its image as a country that must be obeyed. As Charles Lewis states, “…and you will work with [America] because you sure as hell don’t want to be against us.” America uses fear as a way to stay a superior power. An example in the movie is when American soldiers invade Iraq and enforce their power on innocent civilians. Charles Lewis also talks about America flaunting its power because it realizes its potential. Lastly, America fights because not enough people are taking a stand and saying, “I’m not doing this anymore.” Young men see the advertisements for recruitment and are instantly drawn into the many benefits of joining the army. They fail to realize what joining the army really means. As Karen Kwiatkowski