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Japan World I – Post WW II
Presentation by Robert MartinezPrimary Content Source: A Short History of the WorldImages as cited.
Japan joined World War I on the side of the Allies. During the conflict, Japan occupied
several German territories, including Jiaozhou in north-eastern China and some islands in the
Western Pacific, most of which it was allowed to
retain at the war’s end.
china-mike.com
In 1919, Japan’s wartime territorial gains are confirmed by the Treaty of Versailles.
schoolworkhelper.net
The war brought economic prosperity to Japan, with an enormous boost in munitions exports, creating a large
industrial labor force.
mitsubishielectric.com
Inspired by the growth of democracy in the West, many Japanese began to
demand political reform. In 1925, the Japanese Imperial Diet expanded the
suffrage to include all adult males.
aboutjapan.japansociety.org
After the WWI, in foreign affairs, Japan became more focused on the pacific
region.
harpercollege.edu
In 1920, it joined the League of Nations and in 1928, Japan was one of 14 countries that
signed the somewhat idealistic Kellogg-Briand Pact, which renounced war as a means of
solving international disputes.
cookit.e2bn.org
Japan’s wartime boom ended in 1920. The economy suffered a series of recessions
through the 1920s; it was made worse by the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, which
devastated Tokyo and Yokohama and caused up to 140,000 deaths.
cpacscience.wikispaces.com
When the worldwide depression struck in late 1929, Japan’s already faltering economic
situation deteriorated even further. Factories laid off workers, prompting a new wave of
strikes. Farmers suffered as agricultural prices
plunged.
lit-circles-2011-5.wiki.hhh.k12.ny.us
Public opinion turned against the party leaders and the political establishment. Many regarded
Western influences, including democratic government, as part of the problem, and wished
for a return to traditional Japanese ways.
keepapitchinin.org
Such conservative, nationalist views, found a violent outlet with the formation of several
extreme right-wing terrorist organizations. One of these groups, supported by elements within the military, assassinated Prime Minister Inukai Tsuyoshi in 1932, ending Japan’s brief flirtation
with democracy.
en.wikipedia.org
The major parties voted to dissolve themselves and form a single party, the Imperial Rule
Assistance Association. The IRAA, which was dominated by military and bureaucratic figures
and claimed to stand above party politics,
continued to rule Japan until 1945.
commons.wikimedia.org
There were several reasons for Japan’s invasion of Manchuria. The vast areas of undeveloped land and abundant natural
resources were ripe for exploitation.
commons.wikimedia.org
More urgently, Japan’s existing economic interests in Manchuria were under threat from Chinese nationalists, who were hoping to drive out foreign-
owned businesses from China.
history.cultural-china.com
In September 1931, Japan engineered a
crisis in Manchuria as a pretext for an
invasion. A Japanese force moved in and asserted control. Manchuria was
renamed Manchukuo and a puppet
government was installed there under Emperor Henry Pu Yi.
en.wikipedia.org
Japanese forces occupied the Chinese province of Jehol to create a buffer zone, and threatened Beijing. Denunciations of Japanese aggression at the League of Nations were not matched by action, and in May 1933 China agreed a truce
that accepted Japanese control of Manchuria.
images.gmu.edu imgur.com
In 1933, Japan withdraws from the League of Nations.
iconicphotos.wordpress.com
The Second Sino-Japanese War broke out on July 7, 1937, when Chinese and Japanese troops clashed near Marco
Polo Bridge on the outskirts of Beijing.
historyfollower.com
By the end of the year, Japanese forces had captured Beijing, Shanghai and the
Chinese capital Nanjing and were in control of most of northern China.
bloomberg.com en.m.wikipedia.org
Japan’s aerial bombardment of the cities, and the
massacres it carried out in the capital, known as
the Rape of Nanjing, were
internally condemned.
stimulatedboredom.com
The Chinese government retreated to the inland province of Sichuan, refusing to
negotiate. By the end of 1938, the Japanese had progressed along the lower Yangtze River valley beyond Hankou and had won control of
several ports in southern China.
forum.paradoxplaza.com
However, the war had reached a stalemate. The Chinese adoption of guerilla tactics, scorched earth and
sabotage effectively stalled the Japanese advance.
magnumphotos.com
With the fall of France and the Low Countries to Germany in 1940, Japan saw
opportunities to expand its influence within Europe’s South-east Asian
colonies.
xtimeline.com
Japan’s war machine relied on plentiful supplies of oil and rubber, which the
region had in abundance.
warchat.org
In July, the Japanese government
announced the formation of a
‘Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity
Sphere’, an economic and political alliance of East and South-
east Asian countries under Japanese
leadership.japanfocus.org
In September, Japan formed the Axis Pact with Germany and Italy and received
permission from the Nazi-allied Vichy regime in France to occupy northern
French Indochina.
demons.swallowthesky.org
Despite these moves, Japan remained greatly dependent on the USA
for vital materials, including oil, steel and heavy machinery. The
U.S. government, alarmed by Japanese expansionism, began placing embargoes on
these goods.
personal.psu.edu
Japan’s leaders knew that they could not sustain their war effort in the long term without
U.S. oil, so agreed to negotiate in April 1941. However, when Japanese troops occupied
southern Indochina in July, the U.S. responded
by placing a complete embargo on oil.
louislamourgreatadventure.com
In October, Prime Minister Konoe resigned, having failed to reach a diplomatic resolution
to the problem. Konoe was replaced by the hawkish General Hideki Tojo, who began
preparations for war with the United States.
en.wikipedia.org