Generational memory of war shapes elites’ willingness to resist foreign pressure.

Evidence

The images of Japan in the media, nonfiction publications, and popular novels became increasingly derogatory. In parallel fashion in Japan a new generation of political leaders appeared who had not experienced American power in and benevolence after World War II, who took great pride in Japanese economic successes, and who were quite willing to resist American demands in ways their elders had not been. These Japanese “resisters” were the counterpart to the American “revisionists,” and in both countries candidates found that advocating a tough line on issues affecting Japanese-American relations went over well with the voters. — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 597

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the general pattern of generational replacement driving attitude change, as in Cold War revisionist historiography.