Operation Downfalls effect on Isolationism

Isolationism, less or more

  • More

    Votes: 13 72.2%
  • Less

    Votes: 5 27.8%

  • Total voters
    18
Would the casualties of Operation Downfall decrease or increase isolationism in the US? Let's assume that nukes were used but Japan didn't surrender.
 
Excuse my ignorance- I'm not wise in American History and I don't understand the question.

Surely American Isolationism ended with PH?

Or is this double blind?
 
Excuse my ignorance- I'm not wise in American History and I don't understand the question.

Surely American Isolationism ended with PH?

Or is this double blind?

Isolationism is more of a policy that has come in and out of favor throughout American history than a specific time period, America hasn't been officially isolationist since PH but its public has been and there have been more isolationist candidates and Presidents since then. He's asking if OD would make the U.S more or less isolationist.

To answer OP I think that it would make the U.S public far more isolationist. Assuming a worst realistic operation downfall, we're talking potentially 1 million U.S casualties here. That's double the civil war. That's way more than the rest of WWII, several times more. The fighting would be brutal, it would be like a combination of Iraq, Vietnam, and the European theater. I think not only would the U S casualties have a major effect, I think the psycological damage on the American psyche of seeing the effect on Japan would also be significant. Remember that 50% of Okinawa was died during the invasion of Okinawa. We could easily be talking at least 30% of the Japanese population here. We'd have the bombings for longer, maybe nukes, plus the fighting and inevitable famine. This fighting would be far more brutal than Europe or eventually Vietnam. While the war itself is obviously fairly popular it could really traumatize the American public.

Also, think of the resources that would have to go into rebuilding this Japan. The country would be a wasteland filled with an angry and impoverished people. They would definitely have to remove the Emperor permanently, possibly execute him. The entire Japanese political class would have to be recreated. This would take a collosal investment to actually rebuild Japan.

I think it would force a more active U.S foreign oolipo but it would also make the U.S public more tired and mitigate the growth of the 1950s significantly as the U.S has significant casualties and lots of investment that has to go into rebuilding Japan.
 
With the massive loss of life and the horrendous number of wounded, the American people will recoil from the toll that Operation Downfall inflicts on the American troops, that in turn will lead the American people to support a policy where the United States retreats behind a nuclear umbrella and lets the rest of the world take care of itself.
It will be argued that American Isolationism was one of the reasons that there was a Second World War in the first place but with a nuclear monopoly the sentiment that the United States will be immune from any attacks will make isolationism more attractive.
Personally I don't support that but with the United States getting off relatively light compared to other countries that fought in WW II, I think that that an Operation Downfall would change the support of the American people for being engaged in the world to favoring isolation in the post war world.
 
Or decides to smack any country that looks to be threatening with the Atomic Hammer, to 'nip it in the bud'

More reliance and threats, with nuclear weapons
 
Or decides to smack any country that looks to be threatening with the Atomic Hammer, to 'nip it in the bud'

More reliance and threats, with nuclear weapons
This. I think the US would become more isolationist and much more likely to use nuclear weapons rather than ground troops ships Etc. To be truly isolationist you would almost have to go to that Resort so that you show the world that we don't want to be part of it and if you fuck with us you're not going to be part of it well maybe ashes floating through the air that's pretty much it. At that point messing with the United States would be like grabbing a porcupine and hugging it.
 
America would be more isolationist out of likely necessity, but at the same time that means less “America first and fuck everyone else” and more “America first and we’re picky about where we go.” And that is assuming that Downfall is bad enough that the 500,000 Purple Hearts made in anticipation of Downfall (which are still being handed out in wars because they never got used) all get used up, with a proportional number of deaths and casualties.

Realistically, Japan was teetering on surrender anyway and for the Japanese to fight to the last man, woman or child was insane even by wartime Japan’s standards. American boots on the mainland anywhere close to the Emperor would have had all but a small group of whack jobs in the military - including the Emperor - taking one look and deciding, “fuck it, we surrender.” And Downfall would likely be a case of, “America gets the job done no matter what it takes” and may make America more likely to engage in police actions, not less. Especially if a hard look from Truman and the military keeps the damn Russians at bay.
 
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