The roots of Japan's aggressive; expansionist foreign policy have often been traced to its concern over acute economic vulnerability. Michael A. Barnhart tests this assumption by examining the events leading up to World War II in the context of Japan's quest for economic security; drawing on a wide array of Japanese and American sources.Barnhart focuses on the critical years from 1938 to 1941 as he investigates the development of Japan's drive for national economic self-sufficiency and independence and the way in which this drive shaped its internal and external policies. He also explores American economic pressure on Tokyo and assesses its impact on Japan's foreign policy and domestic economy. He concludes that Japan's internal political dynamics; especially the bitter rivalry between its army and navy; played a far greater role in propelling the nation into war with the United States than did its economic condition or even pressure from Washington. Japan Prepares for Total War sheds new light on prewar Japan and confirms the opinions of those in Washington who advocated economic pressure against Japan.
#320761 in Books Cornell University Press 1996-10-24Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x .67 x 6.04l; .80 #File Name: 0801483883240 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Great introduction to Women in Religion for the Great Awakening and Revolution...By RJLThis award winning women's history integrates religious history with women's history; two subjects that belong together. In her book Juster introduces the reader to the story of women's religious leadership in the 18th century separate Baptist church; an evangelical church produced by the movement of the great awakening. Like much colonial and early American history; this is the story of how women led much of the early movement; as those who provided wonderful insight and leadership during the spiritual awakening; followed by the almost sudden exclusion of women as the movement moved towards acceptability in the larger culture of American religious life. This is well worth the time to read and digest; illuminating for the reader much of the story of women in the early republic.5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. A Helpful Exploration of Primary MaterialsBy Andrew C. SmithThrough a series of well-researched arguments; Susan Juster; Professor of History at the University of Michigan; seeks to show in this monograph that the participation of evangelical churches in the revolutionary cause during the late 18th century had a profound impact upon the place that women were offered within those churches.During the pre-revolutionary era; Baptist and other evangelical churches became increasingly prominent parts of the New England religious landscape. The relative parity that women enjoyed with men in these congregations was a function of the liminality inherent in the intense religious experience that members of such congregations shared. The American revolution; along with a desire for increased respectability among Baptists; soon moved Baptist churches towards the mainstream of New England religious life.Juster argues that the rhetoric of the American revolution; with its identification of submission to authority as female; caused evangelical churches to reconsider sin as a gendered concept. Effects of this reconsideration can be found; for instance; in evangelical conversion narratives; which for the first time after the revolution can be identified with the gender of the writer through the language used for deity and sin; indicating that men and women after the revolution had begun to think of their relationship to God and themselves in very different ways.Juster comes to her conclusions through the application of feminist theories borrowed from other scholars to the material that she has gathered on the revolutionary-era evangelical churches of New England. Her conclusions about the shifting use of gender language and the sinking status of women within these churches during and after the revolution are convincing; although her use of theory is occasionally somewhat essentialistic. Juster sometimes lifts theoretical concepts from studies of other historical situations and places them over her own subject without offering an explanation as to how the given theory or idea remains applicable. At no point; however; does Juster's use of theory squeeze her subjects into a mold so tight that her conclusions are entirely the results of her method and not the content of her sources.Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Juster's work is the breadth of her research. To gather enough discipline records and conversion narratives to come to a representative conclusion; the author canvassed denominational historical societies; government archives and university library special collections. As a result; Juster's work is unlikely to be criticized for drawing a conclusion which does not reflect the scope of research claimed in title of her text.This work serves two purposes: It paints an excellent portrait of colonial evangelicalism in New England; and then shows with a good deal of persuasiveness how these churches were eventually altered by the revolutionary climate and the churches' subsequent need for respectability. Any reader with an interest in early American history; women's history; or the history of evangelicalism can read this book with profit.4 of 16 people found the following review helpful. Well written....poorly arguedBy A CustomerSusan Juster's Disorderly Women is well written; but her arguments concerning the "feminine" nature of early Evangelicalism and its transition to a more masculine form in the late 18th century are extremely poor. She relies mostly on her own heavily biased opinions; when in many cases; the primary source evidence she provides clearly contradicts her. On the whole; this book does a great disservice to anyone who would ever attempt to reasonably argue any of what is covered within this book; as Juster so completely fails in arguing her thesis that one is inclined to believe that just the opposite is probably true.
