Talk:Reverse Course

Rather incorrect
This article needs a complete rewrite. The popular idea that there was an acutal "reverse course" in SCAP/US policy towards Japan is at best weakly supported and at worst a completely false. "Winners in Peace: Macarthur, Yoshida, and Postwar Japan" by Richard B. Finn and "The American Occupation of Japan: The Origins of the Cold War in Asia" by Michael Schaller would be two good sources to start with as well as the actual writings of George Kennan, NSC-68 and other US foreign policy papers. The conclusions that I could draw from lengthy research in 1998-1999 was that this is indeed false. George Kennan never argued for Japan as part of an Asia containment policy. He is quoted in one Japan occupation era book as specifically saying just that. The causes for what was seen as a reverse in policy decisions were many and complex. The popular conclusion that this was a "reverse course" due to communism and the containment policy embodied in NSC-68 is clearly a correlative fallacy.

I hope to "cleanup" this article with writings based upon my 1998-1999 paper on this specific topic. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 199.67.238.232 (talk • contribs) 08:33, 21 February 2005


 * I hope you were joking that the article needs a "complete rewrite". It hasn't even been written.  I welcome your contribution so long as you cite from articles and books and don't publish your own original research through wikipedia. DirectorStratton 12:06, August 3, 2005 (UTC)


 * I think it's worth noting that the no original research policy doesn't say that you can't quote your own research in an article, just that wikipedia isn't the place to publish that research. You'd need to be careful to reference sources, though. Hughcharlesparker 14:47, August 18, 2005 (UTC)

Something to consider
"reverse course" is a term that just means "turns around" - that should be noted in the intro as well as saying that poly sci people see the use of the term as an allusion to the idea that there was a reversal of policy regarding japan during the cold war. Dreamingkat 05:49, 3 August 2005 (UTC)


 * Write about it Be Bold. I've been meaning to write this article for some time but have been just too busy. DirectorStratton 12:22, August 3, 2005 (UTC)

I believe the term "reverse course" refers to the shift towards the right side of the political spectrum in postwar Japan; whereas initially there were attempts to foment democracy through electing socialists and the like, the Korean War spurred a rightward shift, due to the fact that the US needed Japan as a forwarding base. Also during that time, certain wartime rituals were brought back in vogue, antitrust laws were overturned, etc. Essentially, undoing much of MacArthur's liberalizing process. Reversing the course, as it were.

A good source for editing this article might be: Kenneth B. Pyle's "The Making of Modern Japan".