Drift To War

By Ivana

Japan in the League of Nations• World War I• Expand empire, not trade.• Joined Allies defeat

Germany.• Served material needs.• Occupied German territories.

– Seized Shantung (Shandong) & western Pacific islands.

– Forced China to sign a treaty “Twenty-One Demands” – January 1915.

– Seized Manchuria in 1931. Had war against China in 1937.

Japan in The League of Nations (Post-WWI)

• Proposed ‘editing’ the“racial equality clause” Rejected by the US, Britain & Australia.

• Arrogance & racial discrimination.• Great Britain cut off the 20-year alliance with

Japan.• Japan was ‘used’ to collect European empire.

– Claims on China.– Aggression.– Clash with Woodrow Wilson’s 14 Points.

• Lack of respect towards Japan.

Foreign Problems

• Versailles Japan given German rights in Shandong & Germany’s Pacific Islands.

• Wanted to imitate Britain’s acts in India in China.– 1937 war

against China.– Bombed Shanghai

for Japanese protection.

1933: Japan out of The League of

Nations!

Foreign Problems

• “Stop claiming China!”– Exclusion Act:

Forbidden to immigrate to the USA.

– USA stopped trading with Japan.

– Expansion to the south• Blocked by the US

Pearl Harbor, American bases in Luzon (Philippines).

Domestic Problems

• Population overgrowth.– Immigration cut off problem.

• Manufacturing & trade–More work & more trade.– Urbanization.• Rural life was hard.

• Banking crisis 1927.• Depression 1929-1930 destroyed

export industry.

FRUSTRATION!!!!

• Abandon democracy.• Militarism.

– Most politicians were in the military.– Removed

non-military politicians.

– Military in control of thegovernment.

– Western influences = limited.

– Japanese values (discipline, courage, obidience) =restored.

Stronger military + hopelessness

=

WAR

Resources• “Empire And Imperial Democracy, 1918-1932”, About Japan,

http://aboutjapan.japansociety.org/content.cfm/empire_and_imperial_democracy (Accessed 28 August 2010)

• “World War II in Japan”, World War II History Info, http://www.worldwariihistory.info/in/Japan.html (Accessed 28 August 2010)

• “Militarism and WW2”, Japan-Guide, http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2129.html (Accessed 28 August 2010)

• Buchanan, Patrick J. (2010) “Why Did Japan Attack Us?”, The American Cause, http://www.theamericancause.org/patwhydidjapan.htm (Accessed 28 August 2010)

• “World War I”,Country Studies, http://countrystudies.us/japan/29.htm (Accessed 28 August 2010)

• “Japan and the World War I Era”, United States HISTORY, http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1110.html (Accessed 28 August 2010)

• “Unit 3 Chapter 17: Modern Japan”, Global Insights, page 272-273.