Paper 1 - Japanese Expansion Events

Explain the use of education in the early 1900's.

Education, which in 1903 required all citizens to attend school for a minimum of 6 years was, before long, used as a tool to encourage nationalism and loyalty to the state. Initially it improved literacy and problem solving skills yet when this led to more people reading journals and criticising the government students were instructed in: - The value of Japan's special institution. - The emperor and his divinity. - And by the 1920's all students and teachers had to take part in military drills.

Explain the disaster of 1927 and how it harmed the economy.

In 1927, disaster struck again as the banks failed due to having given out low interest loans four years earlier. This happened as people who could not pay the banks and the banks then stopped lending money. - Skilled workers suffered 7% unemployment. - Unskilled workers suffered 40% unemployment.

Explain the results of the 1929 Wall Street Crash in Japan.

In 1929, disaster struck again as it was the Wall Street Crash. - Japan's GNP fell by 20%. - Tokyo's stock value halved. - 50% of small and medium businesses closed. - Exports fell by 40%. - Agriculture prices fell by 45% between 1929 and 1931. - Farmers could not afford manufactured goods so factories closed. - This led to strikes, riots and communism. - Tens of thousands were arrested in strikes. - The Zaibatsu profited as their share of the economy increased.

Explain the effect of industrialisation during and after WWI for jobs.

Industrialisation meant that many people went to cities to work as there were many jobs created in the factories there, stimulating the economy. WWI also led to higher wages, as there was a demand for Japanese goods since Europe was preoccupied with the war. - Between 1914 and 1918, cotton textile exports rose by 185%. - This led to a higher demand for workers and higher wages. - In 1920 the economy shrank rapidly as Europe began to manufacture non-war related goods again. - As a result of this, millions were unemployed and returned to rural life - This resulted in a lack of demand for farm goods so there were few rural jobs.

Explain the effect of the second Sino-Japanese war on Japan.

It was here revealed that Japan was not ready for a long term war and many generals and admirals believed that war with China was too great a drain on resources that meant they would be too weak to resist the Soviet Union that bordered on Manchukuo. However, some generals and admirals did believe that war with China was important. Therefore, millions of troops were deployed in China, preventing unemployment during the Great Depression. The war need were evidently dictated by economic and domestic policies. The mass unemployment and shortage of consumer goods led to inflation which led to the government instituting price controls.

Explain the response of Japan to the Manchurian Crisis.

Japan itself had been unaware of the military's plans to invade Manchuria and although they agreed that Manchuria should be dominated did not want to provoke the Great Powers. The government therefore ordered the arrest of those involved in the Mukden incident, yet the army refused, and the government, who could do little about it, collapsed. The next prime minister of Japan then attempted to negotiate with Jiang Jieshi, yet despite surviving two previous assassination attempts, died in the 15th May incident and was replaced by a navy admiral. This meant that Japan was completely under military control.

Explain the sequence of events leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbour.

Japan occupied China's ports yet China still received supplies in Chongqing so: - Japan asked France, who was at the time preoccupied with Germany in 1940 whether they could occupy the northern regions of French Indochina to cut of Chinese supply lines. - France gave permission as they were too weak and was in turn allowed to stay in French Indochina. - In September 1940, Japan landed troops in Haiphong in French Indochina before building airbases there. - Three days after this, the US prohibited the sale of scrap iron and steel to Japan which was necessary for Japan's industry and they increased financial assistance to China. - In July 1941 Japan occupied most of French Indochina and in response the US froze all Japanese assets in the USA, banned the sale of oil to Japan, granted $240 million to China's government. - Britain then also froze Japanese assets as did the Netherlands who was at the time operating their empire from London. - Japan was highly affected by the sanctions on oil as they had roughly enough left for another 18 months and the nearest supply of oil was the Dutch East Indies for which Japan made plans for occupation, although the USA, whose colony the Philippines lay between Japan and the Dutch East Indies would be provoked. - Admiral Yamamoto planned the attack on Pearl Harbour in the hope that the US would be so surprised that they would choose not to attack Japan, allowing Japan to absorb the Dutch East Indies and that if the US would choose to fight that it would take years to place any military stress on Japan so that they would be able to annex both China and the Dutch East Indies before any war would take place with the USA. - Another reason given for the attack on Pearl Harbour was the USA's support for the soviet union in its war against Germany, as it gave $1 billion of aid to the Soviet Union when Germany first invaded. - In April 1941 Japan signed a neutrality pact with the Soviet Union so that it wouldn't have to fight a war on two fronts yet now the pact prevented them from interfering with this. Then, two weeks before the attack on Pearl Harbour on the 26th of November 1941 the USA created the Hull note which demanded Japan remove its troops from China and Indochina, including Manchuria, it end its participation in the Tripartite Alliance and that it repudiate the puppet government the Republic of China led by Wang Jingwei.

Explain what Japan did during WWI when the Great Powers were preoccupied.

While Europe was preoccupied with WWI, Japan also threated China with the 21 demands in January 1915, which did not only alert China to the threat of Japan but Britain and the USA as well. Amongst the terms were: - That China cease leasing foreign territory to anywhere but Japan. - That they agreed with Japanese control over the Shantung Peninsula and Manchuria. - That they allow Japanese 'advisors' to work with Chinese officials on policy. - That they agree to Japan building railways to connect their territories. - That they allow Japanese citizens to travel freely within Manchuria. - That they allow Japan to open mines in Manchuria. - That they allow Japan to construct hospitals, schools and temples anywhere in China. - That they purchase all military equipment from Japan and undergo all military training in Japan.

Explain what some conservative members of society wanted.

Some conservative members of society, as well as rural farmers wanted to give the Showa emperor, Hirohito, full power, allowing him to rule without a privy council and without the Zaibatsu. It was believed that this would prevent corruption, which was tempting for those on the verge of starvation. Throughout this period, many people also joined the military, where there was a support for ultra-nationalist ideas.

Explain what Taiwan did after the first Sino-Japanese war.

Taiwan then also resisted the Japanese rule and declared itself a republic on the 23rd of May 1895. This led to a 5 month war between Japan and Taiwan that Japan won in October 1895.

Explain the structure of the Diet.

The 'Diet' had an elected house of representatives as well as a house of peers. The house of representatives was voted on after suffrage which allowed all men over the age of 25 to vote. The house of representatives could pass laws, which would pass to the house of peers and finally pass to the cabinet before it was approved.

Explain the response of the League of Nations to the second Sino-Japanese war.

The League of Nations was at the time consumed with European affairs and was aware of how little they could do and hoped that Japan might pressure the Soviet Union in Asia. Furthermore, many saw China as corrupt and chaotic and did not care about the Japanese invasion of China. - When China did appeal to the league on the 13th of September 1937, the League referred the matter to those who had signed the Nine Power Treaty in Washington in 1922 as that covered Pacific security matters. - They met in Belgium in November and declared that China and Japan should suspend hostilities and work with other countries to resolve the situation. - Nothing further was done.

Explain why Japan was appalled by the way it was treated in the Paris Peace Conference.

The Paris Peace Conference occurred after WWI and it was here that the League of Nations was formed. However, Japan were appalled at how they were treated there: - Japan had demanded a clause against racial discrimination which the USA refused. - Japan wished to keep Shantung Peninsula and Germany's former colonies that they had defeated during the war, yet were granted only supervision and not outright annexation. - Japan was only able to keep Shantung Peninsula, through a series of compromises for a few years as China wanted it returned to them and the USA wanted to limit Japan's military capabilities. - However, Japan still retained Korea and had been proven to be an important military power.

Explain what the positive policy was.

The Positive policy meant that Manchuria was declared a special case not related to other concerns in China, and that Japan was no longer concerned with the international community's input in Manchuria as they felt they were not supportive or understanding of Japan.

Explain the response of the Soviet Union to the Manchurian Crisis.

The Soviet Union was in the midst of social and economic upheaval, and was trying to stop revolt as millions were starving. Japan promised to not interfere with CER yet in 1935 the Soviet Union sold it to them as they were too weak to defend it.

State what was said in the Meiji Constitution.

The emperor was head of state and had divine powers. It also stated that government ministers were responsible to him alone and not the Diet.

Explain the events of Pearl Harbour.

The events of Pearl Harbour were as follows: - On the 7th of December USA time and the 8th of December Japanese time Japan attacked Pearl Harbour and 6 Japanese aircraft carriers launched 353 airships in two waves. - This damaged 4 US battleships and sank 4 more. - This severely damaged 3 cruisers, 3 destroyers and 2 other naval vessels. - It destroyed 188 aircraft. - It killed over 2400 people and injured 1200 others. - Japan lost 20 aircraft, 5 small submarines and 65 men. - Japan didn't manage to destroy all 3 US aircraft carriers which were somewhere else and didn't damage oil and torpedo storage facilities. - The USA then declared war on Japan which would not end until August 1945. - While Japan attacked Pearl Harbour, they also attacked several other US colonies. - On the 7th of December USA time and the 8th of December Japanese time Japan attacked the Philippines by air and landed thousands of Japanese troops to begin the invasion. - On the same day they attacked Guam, a major junction point of undersea cables linking the USA and the Philippines by air, before taking control of the island. - On the same day they attacked Wake Island which held a US airbase. This was conquered within a few weeks' time. - Japan then also attacked British territories to secure its power in Asia. - On the same day it attacked the British naval vessels in the area as well as the independent state of Thailand from French Indochina. - As a result of this there was pressure on Burma who was a major supplier of oil and a British territory. - In Mid-February 1942 they also held Malaya and Singapore.

Explain the structure of the Japanese government.

The structure of the Japanese government was as follows: - Military authorities had direct access to the emperor. - The cabinet could not be removed by the diet. - All ministers had to agree on a policy for it to be passed. - The house of representatives controlled tax and budgets and was therefore able to block funding for something if they did not agree - The house of peers often worked against the cabinet. - The privy council and genro had access to the emperor as well as veto power.

Explain the effect of zaibatsu.

Zaibatsu, or monopolies, also began to form and expand. This meant that large-scale industries could be developed quickly as they had the capital to invest and the experts to produce. By 1918, the 8 largest zaibatsu controlled 20% of all manufacturing, mining and trade in Japan. However, as the zaibatsu increased in size and power the country suffered economically as smaller countries were no longer able to exist and the zaibatsu worked to control the Diet to pass policies in their favour.

Explain how Japan handled their role in Manchuria, facilitated by Zhang in the 1920's.

Zhang also allowed Japan to build their railways in Manchuria, yet the kwantung army officers, many of which advocated a Showa restoration and were members of the kodoha, believed that the government's dealings with Zhang were corrupt, and assassinated him in 1928. They went unpunished due to the popularity of their actions.

Explain the events of the Manchurian crisis.

- 18th September 1931 a bomb exploded on the South Manchurian Railway in Mukden, which many believe was done by Japan in order to be able to 'retaliate'. - The incident was minor, yet near a garrison of Japanese soldiers. - In 'retaliation' Japan occupied all of Manchuria, having taken the cities within a few weeks and the rural areas in a few months. - In February 1932, only Jehol remained unoccupied. - China had roughly 100,000 soldiers in Manchuria and Japan only 25,000 yet Japan was well equipped and Jang Jieshi ordered his troops to not resist an invasion.

Explain the coup d'etats of the 1930's.

- 1931 the 'March incident' was done by Sakurakai, which failed when it was not supported by the minister for war. - 1931 'October incident' which was also carried out by Sakurakai, which failed when the plot was discovered. - 1932 'League of Blood incident' which was carried out by radical national civilians and young naval officers who assassinated the leader of the Mitsui zaibatsu and the former finance minister. - In 1932 the May 15th Incident which was carried out by the League of Blood members who assassinated Prime Minister Inukai and attempted to kill other important officials. - August 1935 the 'Aizawa incident' which killed the anti-kodoha general Nagata. - 1936 the '26 February Incident' was carried out by the kodoha and other young officers who attempted to take control of the Emperor and have him abolish Japan's government. Several high ranking officials were killed and the coup failed when the emperor refused to support them.

Explain what Japan believed it should have received in the Treaty of Portsmouth (but didn't).

- An indemnity from Russia to pay for the war. - All of Sakhalin island. - Outright control over the Liaodong Peninsula, Port Arthur and Manchuria.

Explain the events of the first Sino-Japanese war.

- By October 1894 they had taken over Korea and begun the invasion of Manchuria. - By November 1894 they had Port Arthur. - By February 1895 they had seized the Port of Weihei. - By March 1895 they had seized Taiwan.

Explain the response of the League of Nations to the Manchurian crisis.

- December 1931 they formed the Lytton Commission to investigate the incident. - The Lytton Commission only began to function in late January 1932. - The Lytton report was submitted in October 1932; a year after the invasion. - The report stated that there had been an inefficient and corrupt government in the area, but that Japan's invasion was not for protection, and that there was no obvious support for them as 90% of the population was Chinese and not Manchurian. - The report recommended that Japan pull its forces out of Manchuria. - February 1933 the League of Nations voted on whether or not to condemn Japan as an aggressor nation. - 42/43 nations condemned Japan, with Japan being the 1/43. - Japan withdrew from the League of Nations in March 1933 and suffered no consequence.

Name some of the reforms that happened under the Meiji Emperor who ruled from 1867-1917:

- Feudalism was abolished. - There was massive industrial development. - A parliament called the 'Diet' was created. - Japan's first constitution was created.

Explain what the Treaty of Shimonoseki of April 1895 which ended the first Sino-Japanese war did.

- Granted Korea full independence from China. - Gave Taiwan and Liaodong Peninsula to Japan. - Required China to pay roughly 13,600 tons of silver to Japan as an indemnity. - Allowed Japanese ships to operate on the Yangtze river. - Allowed Japan to have factories in 4 Chinese ports.

Explain the result of the Japan-Korea treaty of 1876

- In 1884 Japanese supporters overthrew the Korean government. - Shortly after a counter-coup was launched by China. - 1885 Britain took control of a Korean port as they realised how defenceless Korea was. - 1894 there was a peasant revolt that was partly due to Japan's treatment of Korea. - In response to the revolt Korea asked China for assistance. - In 1895 Japan declared that Korea had violated the treaty and occupied its capital with 8000 troops before installing a government in Korea and assassinating Empress Myeongseong, who was the leader of the opposition.

Explain the additional benefits to Japan's victory in the Russo-Japanese war.

- International respect and military prestige. - Control over Korea, in return for allowing the US to control the Philippines. - Acceptance of their control over Korea from Britain

Explain why Japan was interested in Manchuria.

- It was more than twice the size of Japan with low population and many resources. - It was part of China and had access to Chinese markets. - By invading Manchuria they believed they could prevent communism because it shared a border with the soviet union. - They wanted to prevent their southern Manchurian railway from being undermined which would mean a decreased revenue.

Explain the terms of the Anglo-Japanese treaty.

- Japan and Britain would aid each other militarily if either was at war with two or more other countries. - If either was at war with one other country the other would remain neutral.

List four major incidents of war that Japan faced between 1876 and 1918.

- Korea 1876-1905. - The first Sino-Japanese war 1894-1905. - The Russo-Japanese war 1904-1905. - WWI 1914-1918.

Explain the terms of the treaty Korea was forced to sign by Japan in 1876, due to Japan's increase in power.

- Korea was no longer a tributary state to China. - Japanese citizens could not be tried in Korean courts. - Korea could not impose restrictions on Japanese trade. - Japan was allowed to use three of Korea's ports for its exports.

Explain the events of the Russo-Japanese war.

- On the 8th of February 1904 Japan attacked Port Arthur. - In April 1904 Japan entered Manchuria. - In April 1904 Japan defeated the Russian navy at Port Arthur. - In January 1905 Port Arthur surrendered. - In March 1905 Mukden fell to Japan after a battle involving approximately 500,000 soldiers. - In May 1905 Russia's European-based navy arrived and was conquered at the Battle of Tsushima Straights. - Japan then occupied Sakhalin Island. - A revolution occurred in Russia.

Explain the terms of the Treaty of Portsmouth, 1905, that ended the Russo-Japanese war.

- Required both Russia and Japan to withdraw from Manchuria. - Allowed Japan to lease the Liaodong Peninsula and Port Arthur from China. - Granted Japan the southern half of Sakhalin island.

Explain some of the reasons given for the rise in nationalism and militarism in Japan.

- They had never been annexed to a western empire. - They had a 'divine' emperor. - They had an ancient history of independence. - There were few foreigners which allowed ideas of nationalism to more easily spread and go unopposed. - They were the only non-European state to defeat a European power in the Russo-Japanese war in 1905. - They were an important power in the Paris Peace Conference in 1919.

Explain how the Shidehara Diplomacy came about and what it was.

After WWI, the Japanese military wanted to continue to expand and increase, however, people were afraid of what the international response to this might be. This led to a tactic called the Shidehara Diplomacy, named after the Japanese foreign minister Kijuro Shidehara of the late 1920's and early 1930's. This maintained and strengthened the military whilst ensuring foreign governments that it wasn't a threat. However, after the Mukden Incident in 1931, this government policy collapsed.

Explain the response to Zhang's assassination in 1928.

After Zhang's assassination in 1928, the Japanese army increased in size in Manchuria and Liaodong Peninsula in response to the threat of a united China. Insubordinate officers were however not removed and continued to believe in the importance of Manchuria. Japan's government did however decide to replace the leaders of the Kwantung army in the hope of better controlling them, yet just hours before the change in leadership the Manchurian crisis occurred.

Explain the response of China to the second Sino-Japanese war.

After moving his government to Chongqing China had hoped that Japan would be exhausted for resources and leave, and they used guerilla fighters to help with this. However, Jiang also wanted to consolidate his power and so he executed many former warlords. In addition to this, he did nothing to assist the millions of Chinese who had been made refugees as a result of the war. Finally, his government was corrupt as officials demanded payments to even cooperate with the military and international financial aid was often given away only to Jiang and his supporters. The CPC used this to reduce the support for Jiang. Jiang then further decreased his support by ordering the destruction of anything useful to the Japanese and in June 1938 ordered the destruction of the Yellow River Dikes that caused 70,000km2 to flood and kill almost 1 million Chinese people. It also destroyed food and resources. Meanwhile there were tensions between the CPC and the GMD and by 1939 there were many occasions of small battles between them. In 1941 the alliance finally broke when a GMD force essentially destroyed the CPC's New Fourth Army. This further helped the CPC undermine Jian's rule.

Explain how Japanese industrialisation came about after the abolishment of the feudal system.

After the abolishment of the feudal system Japan began to rapidly industrialise not only for wealth yet also for security as it believed industrialisation would aid them in achieving independence. So: - Between 1895 and 1915 industrial output increased by 250%. - Between 1895 and 1915 the processing of minerals increased by 700%. - By 1900 the Ashio coppermine were among the top copper producers in the world. - By 1900 Japanese railways covered 5400km.

Explain the impression Japan tried to give about the rule of Manchuria after having taken control of it.

After the invasion of Manchuria, Japan created the impression that they had helped Manchuria achieve independence from China, calling in Manchukuo and installing the previous Qing Emperor Puyi as a puppet leader, naming him the Kangde Emperor. They gave the country its own imperial army, a postal system, and sponsored it to join the League of Nations and the Olympics, although their entry there was rejected as the world suspected that it was simply a puppet state.

Explain what Japan did as a result of the first Sino-Japanese war.

As a result of this humiliation, Japan began to focus more on industrialisation and also sought allies against European powers, and formed the Anglo-Japanese alliance in 1902.

State how many prime ministers Japan had between 1932 and 1941.

Between 1932 and 1941, Japan had 9 prime ministers, 6 of which were admirals or generals from the armed forces.

Explain why Britain took part in the Anglo-Japanese Alliance.

Britain created this alliance due to a fear of Russia's expansion in Asia, as Russia was building a railway link to Port Arthur and was starting to expand towards China; a country that Britain had always dominated. They believed the treaty was the easiest option as they were not able to afford a large naval fleet.

Explain the sequence of events leading up to the second Sino-Japanese war.

By 1935 Japan had no interest in participating in treaty's that limited Japan. - In January 1935 they withdrew from the Second London Naval Treaty. - They also formed the China Garrison Army which acted outside Manchuria. - By mid-1935 the army occupied the eastern half of the Chatar province, before moving south to enter the neutral zone formed by the Tanggu truce. - They demanded China withdraw from the Hebei province or face invasion after two Chinese newspaper owners were assassinated for being pro-Japanese, which was made official in the Umezu-He agreement of the 10th of June 1935. - This agreement created a large demilitarised zone throughout China, which was ruled by the East Hebei Autonomous Council which acted as a puppet government for Japan. - 27th June 1935 China agreed to remove all troops from the Manchukuo border and from all Chatar province in the Doihara Kenji-Qin Dechun Agreement because they were more concerned with the CPC - The China Garrison Army then created a puppet state. - In 1935, Demchugdongrob, a descendant of Genghis Khan became the head of inner Mongolia's government. - Fighting then erupted between pro-Japanese and pro-Chinese factions. - In 1936 the Mongol-led state was named Menjian or Mongolland or Mengkukuo in Japan. - By 1936, much of China was led by Japanese puppet governments. By this time, Jiang Jieshi's policy of opposing the CPC and neglecting the Japanese was becoming unpopular, and in December 1936, after a meeting at Xian, Zhang Xueliang held him under house arrest until he agreed to form the second united front with the CPC against the Japanese, fighting together under the Chinese Revolutionary Army.

Explain China's response to the 21 demands.

China delayed responding to the 21 Demands until May 1915, and negotiated to have the 21 Demands reduced to 13.

Explain the role of communism in Japan in the 1920's.

Communism had always appealed to the unemployed as the communist party advocated an overthrow of social class and a reordering of society. In 1925, the government passed a peace protection law that meant that the government could arrest anyone who wanted to change to government system, which in 1928 was amended to execution. This was in part to suppress the power of the Soviet Union which bordered on Manchuria and Korea. - More than 1000 advocates of communism and socialism were arrested in 1928.

Explain what happened in the Marco Polo Bridge Incident.

Despite Japan's invasion of China, they were not officially at war until the Marco Polo Bridge incident in 1937. - In July 1937 they fought briefly at the Marco Polo Bridge near Beijing. - Japan then demanded an apology from Jiang who refused. - At the end of July they both sent large armies into China in the north, with many areas rapidly occupied by Japanese forces, including Beijing. - On August the 13th Jiang had a bomber attack a Japanese area of Shanghai. - After this they were at war.

Explain why Japan found it easier to take advantage of China between 1916 and 1928.

the warlord era which made China internally unstable. Under Zhang Zuolin's rule, Manchuria declared independence from the rest of China in 1922, before further continuing to expand into much of northern China, including Beijing.

Explain the policy of diplomacy that Japan adopted from WWI to 1927.

From WWI to 1927 Japan followed Shindehara diplomacy, stationing troops in China, but only where agreed upon by treaties. However, in 1927, they adapted the Positive Policy towards China. This was because: - They were afraid of Jiang's success. - They preferred a weak and divided China. - They wanted to prevent the GMD from entering Manchuria.

Explain the disaster of 1923 and how it harmed the economy.

In 1923 disaster struck as a fire and earthquake destroyed most of Tokyo. Banks were, as a result of this, encouraged to give low interest loans for rebuilding, which created more jobs and factories.

Explain the response of Germany to the second Sino-Japanese war.

Germany initially supported Jiang's government and by 1936 supplied 80% of all weapons used by China and China supplied Germany with Tungsten. Although China did benefit from the agreement it is likely that Germany benefited more as it needed the tungsten for its military expansion. - In 1936 Japan and Germany formed the anti-comintern pact hoping for increased pressure on the Soviet Union yet Japan was focused on China. - After the outbreak of war in 1937 the Soviets faced little pressure from Japan. - Germany meanwhile, attempted to be friendly with both China and Japan and supplied Germany with roughly 60% of weapons until 1938, when Japanese insistence forced them to end military exports to China . In August 1939, Germany made the Nazi-Soviet non-aggression pact in which they agreed not to interfere with each other but also that Germany gave the Soviets weapons and received raw materials in return. This greatly abhorred Japan and as a result the Japanese government collapsed and a new government came into power that sought to make better international relations. - In September 1940 they signed the Tripartite pact. - Mid 1940 Germany attacked France and the Netherlands, allowing Japan to conquer French Indochina. - April 1941, Japan signed a neutrality agreement with the Soviet. - This meant they did not have to fear a Soviet attack when expanding into French Indochina, the Dutch East Indies and the USA.

Explain what the Tripartite Intervention was and what it demanded.

However Russia, Germany and France declared that the Treaty of Shimonoseki had to be altered to allow for them in the Tripartite Intervention, and because Japan was too weak to fight them they gave in to their demands, although this humiliated them: - Russia took Port Arthur and Liaodong Peninsula. - Germany took parts of Shantung.

Explain China's response to the Manchurian crisis.

In China there was a lack of resistance as Jiang had been forced to resign in December 1931 and was replaced by Wang Jingwei. Jiang did wish to take back Manchuria but the Japanese army was stronger and he was preoccupied with the challenges to his own leadership. - March 1933 Japan conquered Jehol and some ports of northern China outside Manchukuo. - 31st May 1933 China signed the Tanggu truce which recognised Japan's control of Manchukuo and Jehol.

Explain what Britain requested from Japan in WWI and how Japan responded.

In WWI, Britain requested Japan's help against the Germans as Germany had leased Kiaochow on the Shantung Peninsula since 1889, as well as several warships in Tsingtao. These war ships were removed at the threat of a Japanese attack and in November 1914 Tsingtao surrendered after a blockade and siege. Japan then proceeded to take more German colonies in Asia, including: - Palau. - Archipelagos of Marianas. - The Marshalls. - The Carolines.

Explain how the government reacted to the Wall Street Crash.

In response to this, the government tried to reduce farmer debt, spend money on infrastructure and , after 1936, send landless peasants to Manchuria. They also tried to reduce taxes and limit imports. However, on the 26th of February 1936, the finance minister was assassinated and replaced by a military appointee, so spending priorities changed.

Explain the series of events that led up to the Russo-Japanese war.

Russia, who had built a railway to Port Arthur in December 1897, the port was fortified and they began to move through Manchuria and pressure Korea for mining and forestry rights. This provoked Japan. Later, in the boxer rebellion of 1899 and 1900, Russia stationed 200,000 troops in Manchuria to protect the railway and prevent Japan from stationing troops there. However, after the Boxer Rebellion, they did not remove their troops, which threatened both Britain and Japan. Where Korea and China were too weak to act against this, Japan scheduled a series of diplomatic meetings, although when Russia did not respond, Japan severed all relations with them in February 1904. It is believed that Russia wanted war as a show of Tsar Nicholas II's power and strength to reinforce his dwindling popularity and suppress calls for a constitution.

Explain the response of the Soviet Union to the second Sino-Japanese war.

The Soviet Union was largely pleased with Japan's invasion of China - It pressured Jiang's government to end persecution against the CPC. - It allowed the Soviet to help China's unified government whilst the Japanese soldiers and industries were wasted. - This meant they had little to fear from the border with Manchukuo. - In mid-1938 they took advantage of Japan's distraction and deployed 22,000 troops against less than 10,000 Japanese troops at Lake Khasan on their border with Manchukuo, and although less than 1000 soldiers were killed the delay allowed them to give larger quantities of weapons to China's armies, slowing the Japanese invasion. - In May 1939 the Soviet and Japanese forces battled in Nomohan, Mongolia which was a puppet led state that allowed the Soviet to deploy their forces. - In September 1939 20,000 Japanese soldiers were killed by Soviet tank forces and Japan offered the Soviets a section of Chinese territory in return for an end to the fighting. - The Soviets accepted, although they continued to give supplies to the CPC even when Jiang turned on them in the middle of the war. They gave a total of over $173 million yet stopped when they were attacked by Germany in June 1941.

Explain the factions the military was split into.

The Toseiha, or 'control' faction, wanted reform but without a destruction of government and would later ally with the Zaibatsu and government officials, suppressing political parties, controlling the economy and preparing for war. The Sakurakai and the Kodoho wanted complete destruction of the government, leaving the Emperor as complete ruler. They also wanted war with the soviets.

Explain the response of the USA to the second Sino-Japanese war.

The USA wanted to preserve its open door policy with China yet they did not wish to anger Japan who might prevent its trade with China or move against its colony in the Philippines. As a result the USA began to indirectly support China. - They prohibited the shipment of weapons to both China and Japan, although this only harmed China as Japan could produce its own weapons. - They did not prohibit oil imports from Japan although Japan heavily relied on them for their industries, until 1941. In December 1937, a US navy ship was sunk by a Japanese aircraft yet they paid the USA and apologised. Reports were also circulating about the Nanjing massacre, which slowly turned the US against them. In February 1938 they lent China $25 million but remained relatively uninvolved until Japan began to move on territories outside of China.

Explain the response of the USA to the Manchurian crisis.

The USA was in a period of semi-isolation but had always enforced its open door policy with China, which was threatened by Japan's presence in Manchuria. They did not however have the economic power to invade and so created the Stimson Doctrine which had little effect, and the USA decided not to place restrictions on trade with Japan or Manchuria.

Explain what happened during the second Sino-Japanese war.

The events of the war were as follows - 15th August 1937, Japan formed the Shanghai Expeditionary army. - While Chinese troops attacked the Japanese military instalments in the international settlement, Japan bombed Nanjing on the 23rd of August. - Japanese armies moved further south using Chinese railways. - Hundreds of thousands fought in Shanghai yet Japanese troops were better trained and equipped as in October 1937 Chinese troops evacuated, leaving the city to Japan. - China then redeployed their troops to protect Nanjing. - Japan then organised the Central China Area Army in November to move against Nanjing. - On the 16th of November Jiang ordered the relocation of the government to Wuhan, leaving only a small army to protect Nanjing, which was completed by December. - Prince Asaka the ultranationalist uncle of Hirohito was appointed head of the Central China Area Army and ordered that any Chinese captured in Nanjing to be executed. - By the 9th of December Nanjing was under siege and by the 11th of December it was captured. - Tens of thousands of women and children were raped, mutilated and killed, many were tortured and a series of decapitation races were published. It is estimated that 300,000 people were killed. - After Nanjing Japanese armies moved further south and central, aiming to take railways, cities and ports, thinking that by severing Chinese supply lines they could collapse their armies. - October 1938 the temporary capital of Wuhan was captured along with most ports and railways along the coast. - Mid 1939 Japan had conquered most of eastern China where the bulk of China's population and industry was located. - Japan then tried to bomb Chongqing into submission but failed and instead focused on cutting supply lines which then led to conflict with the USA. - A rival Chinese government also formed to manage areas of China under Japanese control which was led by Wang Jingwei. - The economy, education system and other aspects of the government led by Wang Jingwei was controlled by the Japanese. - The government led by him had a population of approximately 200 million which made it one of the largest countries in the world, with the capital of Nanjing.

Explain what happened after a military government took over.

The military, in 1936, adapted a 12 year plan to modernise and expand the army. The spending on armies increased as the incidents of war increased in frequency. This put a strain on the Japan as fewer and fewer consumer products were on the shelves, there were fewer exports and there were labour shortage. The solution proposed to all of this was of course more war to acquire more territory where there would be resources.

Explain what was demanded from a series of treaties created after WWI to reduce armaments amongst certain powers.

There was also a reduction in armaments after WWI as the Great Powers no longer wished to maintain them. This was completed in the Washington Naval Convention of 1921-1922, in which: - Large battleship production was halted for 10 years. - Battleships and cruisers were scrapped. - Japan was only allowed 60% of the USA or Britain's number of capital ships. - They agreed to no fortifications in the Pacific, except for Pearl Harbour, the USA's military base. The Four Power Treaty followed after in 1922. This: - Ended the Anglo-Japanese alliance. - Required Japan, the USA, Britain and France to respect each other's territories. The Nine Power Treaty followed after that in 1922. This: - Required respect for China's borders. - This included the removal of Japanese military from the Shantung Peninsula. The Japanese were surprisingly happy with the Nine Power Treaty as they did not have the economic resources to maintain their navy. The London Naval Conference followed this in 1930, after the Great Depression, to review the previous treaties. It was called because many countries could not maintain their navies and did not want an arms race. However, Japan was more aggressive, and demanded to have 70% of the amount of the US or Britain's fleet, a 10% increase from what they had been allowed previously. Japan responded as follows: - The government agreed to this number. - The navy did not agree as they believed this was too little. - The navy threatened to bring down the government. - Genro Siaonji ordered the Privy Council to remove ministers who objected to the treaty. - Japan's prime minister was shot by an ultranationalist.

Explain why the military had so much power in the newly created system under the Meiji Emperor.

They held two cabinet seats in each government and answered only to the Emperor. Furthermore, cabinet decisions had to be agreed upon by all ministers.

Explain the effect of a unified China for the kwantung army leaders.

This was unfortunate for the kwantung army officers as they had hoped to weaken Manchuria which would allow them to step in and claim power, even annexing it outright, but Zhang's son took power and unified it with a newly united China.

Explain how the government attempted to prevent further political instability.

To prevent further instability, the government turned to the Toseiha, who eventually took control of the government. This meant there was a massive reorganisation of the economy, suppression of political parties and dissent, as well as an expansion of military spending and war. They also aimed to avoid conflict with the Soviet Union.

Explain what happened towards the end of the warlord era for the Chinese government.

Towards the end of the warlord era, the GMD seeked to unite China, and remove foreign powers as well as warlords from it as they had become more nationalist due to the discrimination shown by foreign powers. They therefore proceeded on the Northern expedition that took 2.5 years and a million troops. Initially this was together with the CPC yet after 1927 they removed the CPC (although the CPC did survive). - This resulted in destruction of important infrastructure. - A famine in the northwest of China that killed 3-6 million. - Isolation of China from the Soviet Union who could have been a potential ally.