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Example research essay topic: Allied Troops Pacific Islanders - 1,169 words

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... ent all the more difficult. Unfortunately, malaria and yellow fever were not the only dangerous diseases that plagued the armies in the South Pacific. There were dysentery, scarlet fever, dengue fever and scrub typhus, another insect-borne disease. Yet there were thousands of native people who over the centuries had made the South Pacific their homes and seem to have made peace with its fierce nature and an unpredictable environment. They learned to get by with coconut milk when they were without disease free water.

Although the early stage of the war touched only a small percentage of the indigenous population, those who were involved, did however, play very important roles. The Islanders contributed to the Allied war efforts significantly. The native people were a vital supply of manual labor. Many, who were former traders, planters, prospectors, and government officers, became coast watchers assigned to report any strange ships and planes or any suspicious affairs. They stood watch working on American built bases monitoring the Japanese naval troops and air movements and radioed the intelligence they gathered to Ally headquarters.

It was dangerous but necessary work, and no one denied that the system could not function without the indigenous support and support could not be taken for granted. The intelligence they gathered always gave the Allies one step ahead of the Japanese. In addition, the coast watchers rescued downed Allied airmen and saved hundreds of survivors of ships and boats destroyed by the enemies. The success of the Allied forces depended heavily on the good will and bravery of the Islanders, some of whom risked their lives serving the Allies as scouts, guides, and spies. Maintaining their cover was essential to their survival, yet there were times when they went so far as to scoop out of the open sea drowning airmen or shipwrecked sailors. The war was long, continuous, and thousands of local people became involved in the military effort. "Native guides were a fixture of the war in the South Pacific, " (Bergerud 114).

Both sides used them extensively. Most Solomon islanders viewed the war fearfully and avoided getting involved. Those who did, however, sided with the Allies almost exclusively because the Japanese often frightened many. For those who were fortunate enough to be with the Allies, the war brought change, at times prosperity to the Islanders. They found employment and discovered a market to sell their crafts, fruits, and personal services.

The Allies brought soap, beer, and ready-made cigarettes to the islands. They introduced them to ice cream, donuts, canned meat, and they began to watch movies for the very first time in theaters the outsiders built. They praised the unlimited supply of food, blankets, tools, and most importantly, medicine. "American GIs showed great generosity toward villagers, gaining tremendous goodwill, " (Bergerud 114). Consequently, the Allies benefited greatly by being able to befriend and associate with the native people who assisted them in the war effort. New Guinea was a very different tale. While along the coast, many Allies received life-saving assistance; inland the native people loathed outsiders.

The natives killed Allied and Japanese troops alike; where in the jungle, they had the upper hand. "Likewise, on the island of Bougainville, the Japanese Army and many indigenous peoples were at war with each other late in the conflict, " (Bergerud 118). The Islanders and Allied troops were able to communicate with ease; they did so by means of gestures and Pidgin English. They entrusted the Allies and believed that "with the white men for the first time, islanders received an insight into a new order of human life, " (Howe 160). The natives no longer found it difficult to understand, and they were now more open to change. The Islanders had a chance to learn more of life beyond the island. However, within the desires of the Islanders, came demands.

There were now greater needs and wants for new things, they began to speak only of dollars and Americans. "The implications of such changes were enormous and were early manifest in a greater readiness among Pacific Islanders to challenge the authority of their colonial rulers, " (Howe 161). Already before the war, the Islanders showed interest in social reform. For the most part, the war initiated it. The United States presence on the islands had awakened the people to aspire for economic modernization and for racial equality with the Europeans. Until they came the native people never knew how envious they were of the outside world. They also provided new meaning to the word freedom.

As liberators, the Americans won the admiration of the Islanders. Another visible result of the war has been the boost it gave to migration from the Pacific Islands. In Samoa, for instance, new skills acquired during the war helped in a particular way to generate an eagerness to succeed in labor markets overseas. The Islanders began to seek for the further betterment they desired. Nevertheless, the impact of the war continued in many ways. "Relics of it, both material and otherwise, abound and conspicuous among them are the wartime airfields scattered through the islands, " (Howe 166). This was just the beginning of what was to grow into a self-sustaining movement, as people came to recognize materials of the outside world.

World War II in the Pacific during and until now, not only a major turning point that changed the lives of the Pacific Islanders, it was moreover an introduction to colonization and what it had to offer. Although most are now deserted, "much of the formerly productive garden or plantation land lies lost beneath a layer of compacted crushed coral or concrete, " (Howe 166). However, islands like, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, New Caledonia, the Solomons, Western Samoa, and Fiji have successfully built international airports, their countrys main gateway to the outside world. Additionally, paved roads and buildings, such as the hospital in Honiara, have been constructed during the war, and have contributed to the infrastructure of modernizing the Pacific.

The fact of the matter is that the war helped the indigenous people learn the meaning of the word westernization. In many aspects, the invasion of the Americans and its Allied troops, and even the Japanese, were beneficial in terms of the abundant supply of food and especially medicine that were introduced to the native people. They were taught personal hygiene and manners. They were led and encouraged to develop new ideas, often to help better their lives in their island paradise.

There were major improvements in education, health services, agriculture, trade, and water supply; also by developing a controlled government they had a better handle in trying to deal with criminals within their villages. They began to see the importance of an organized colony; and aside from what they were already accustomed to, they began to adapt many of the Western lifestyles. They learned how to use their resources efficiently and productively. Moreover, the people of the Pacific had a better understanding of who the outsiders really were. Bibliography:


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Research essay sample on Allied Troops Pacific Islanders

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