Why We Fight 7: War Comes to America

In the end, it was the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour (December 1941) that dragged the United States into the World War. To many Americans it was unclear why they, just as at the end of WW I, would again fight for European interests. The authorities commissioned series of instruction films, the most famous of which is the series (1942-1945) by the well-known director Frank Capra. The foundations of American democracy were explained and it was emphasised that the English fought for them, too. Initially intended for soldiers, these documentaries were also screened in cinemas later on. The seventh in the series, (1945), is screened in this section and looks back on how the United States got involved in the war.