War and Resistance: The Philippines 1942-1944

Morningstar, James

War and Resistance: The Philippines 1942-1944

dc.contributor.advisor	Sumida, Jon T	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Morningstar, James	en_US
dc.contributor.department	History	en_US
dc.contributor.publisher	Digital Repository at the University of Maryland	en_US
dc.contributor.publisher	University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)	en_US
dc.date.accessioned	2018-07-17T06:10:47Z
dc.date.available	2018-07-17T06:10:47Z
dc.date.issued	2018	en_US
dc.description.abstract	ABSTRACT Title of Dissertation: WAR AND RESISTANCE: THE PHILIPPINES, 1942-1944 James Kelly Morningstar, Doctor of History, 2018 Dissertation directed by: Professor Jon T. Sumida, History Department What happened in the Philippine Islands between the surrender of Allied forces in May 1942 and MacArthur’s return in October 1944? Existing historiography is fragmentary and incomplete. Memoirs suffer from limited points of view and personal biases. No academic study has examined the Filipino resistance with a critical and interdisciplinary approach. No comprehensive narrative has yet captured the fighting by 260,000 guerrillas in 277 units across the archipelago. This dissertation begins with the political, economic, social and cultural history of Philippine guerrilla warfare. The diverse Islands connected only through kinship networks. The Americans reluctantly held the Islands against rising Japanese imperial interests and Filipino desires for independence and social justice. World War II revealed the inadequacy of MacArthur’s plans to defend the Islands. The General tepidly prepared for guerrilla operations while Filipinos spontaneously rose in armed resistance. After his departure, the chaotic mix of guerrilla groups were left on their own to battle the Japanese and each other. While guerrilla leaders vied for local power, several obtained radios to contact MacArthur and his headquarters sent submarine-delivered agents with supplies and radios that tie these groups into a united framework. MacArthur’s promise to return kept the resistance alive and dependent on the United States. The repercussions for social revolution would be fatal but the Filipinos’ shared sacrifice revitalized national consciousness and created a sense of deserved nationhood. The guerrillas played a key role in enabling MacArthur’s return. Their legacy shaped Philippine national identity and the political contest between exiled officials, collaborationists, and the members of resistance. The research presented in this dissertation crosses military, cultural, social, political, economic and diplomatic fields. It gives voice to the Filipino, Japanese, and American actors and shows how their actions and stories are not only interrelated but interdependent. In this way it hopes to reach several audiences at once. For the military student, this case study reveals the multiple and particular roots of guerrilla warfare. For others, it reveals the fundamental role of military action in important social and cultural developments. Finally, and most essentially, it tells a fascinating story that has been long ignored.	en_US
dc.identifier	https://doi.org/10.13016/M2901ZK01
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/1903/20956
dc.language.iso	en	en_US
dc.subject.pqcontrolled	Military history	en_US
dc.subject.pqcontrolled	World history	en_US
dc.subject.pqcontrolled	International relations	en_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolled	Guerrilla Warfare	en_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolled	MacArthur	en_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolled	Occupation	en_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolled	Philippines	en_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolled	Resistance	en_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolled	World War II	en_US
dc.title	War and Resistance: The Philippines 1942-1944	en_US
dc.type	Dissertation	en_US