Mr. White’s World History

After we finish this section, we should be able to:Explain how nationalist and communist

forces struggled in ChinaDescribe how Japanese political, economic,

and social pressures resulted in Japanese militarism and expansionism

Chinese nationalists and communists struggled to take power in China; an invasion by the Japanese forced

them to work together.

Sun Yat-Sen was the leader of the Kuomintang, or the Chinese Nationalist Party

In 1912, Sun took power in China and tried to establish a democratic republic Held power for a few

months, then was overthrown by Yuan Shigai

Sun organized resistance to Yuan, but failed to overthrow him and fled to Japan

Yuan died in 1916, and China descended into civil war

Sun returned from Japan, and with the help of the Soviet Union and an officer named Chiang Kai-Shek, the Kuomintang took power in China

Even though Sun wanted a republic, the Kuomintang government was undemocratic

It improved infrastructure in the nation, but did not improve the lives of the peasants

In 1927, communists who had helped Sun and the Kuomintang tried to take over the party, but failed

Chiang Kai-Shek, fearing the communists, decided to purge them from the Kuomintang

The communists fled to the southern part of China and formed the Chinese Red ArmyWorked for the support of the peasantsOverthrew local landholders and

redistributed land to peasants

A civil war between the nationalist Kuomintang and the communist Red Army began

By 1934, the Red Army was almost defeated

The Red Army escaped through a year-long forced march, pursued by the Kuomintang army – known as the Long March

Japan’s invasion of Manchuria would force the Kuomintang and Red Army to work together

Japan’s military gradually took power from the democratic government of Japan.

Japanese relations with the western nations after World War I were mixed

On the positive side: Japan gained Germany’s Pacific colonies north of

the equator Japan was allowed, by an agreement, to build

the nation’s third-largest navy (U.S. and Great Britain)

On the negative side: The League of Nations had refused to accept a

Japanese proposal for a statement of racial equality in the League charter – insult

The United States had banned Japanese immigration

The western nations opposed Japanese influence over China, which Japan had basically made into a protectorate

Japan had experienced a population explosion between the 1870s and the 1920s – from around 35 million to 60 million people

Social, political, industrial, and military factors, plus this population explosion, encouraged Japan to expand or for its people to move by one of three ways: Immigration Imperial expansionCapitalism and world markets

Japan had rapidly industrialized during the late 19th and early 20th centuries

Because the U.S. would allow no immigration, the Japanese focused on manufacturing and trade to provide employment for people

Heavy industry expanded in the hands of rich industrialists known as zaibatsu, and the government

Increased manufacturing spurred a desire for cheap raw materials - colonies

Social changes placed more pressures on Japan that could be relieved by expansion

Overpopulated rural areas and land scarcity drove many Japanese into the cities to work in industrial jobs

In those cities, western customs and culture were adopted – clash of cultures with traditional

More and more Japanese had the right to vote, so there was growing democratic representation

Even though more and more were voting, political power in Japan was concentrated in the hands of nobles, zaibatsu, and the military

Emperor Hirohito and the people, in theory, were supposed to have power, but didn’t

When the Great Depression caused prices to drop in Japanese manufacturing, many unemployed and desperate Japanese began to call for strong leadership

Militarism began to influence many aspects of Japanese life

The military opposed western lifestyles and promoted Japanese culture

The military leaders thus were wary of the western customs that many people were adopting

September, 1931 – without government approval, the Japanese military invaded Manchuria in China – government had lost control

The military gradually took more power in the government, and by 1937 basically was the government

The emperor, fearing a strong stance would result in his overthrow, didn’t take a stand against the militarists

As Japan invaded other nations, western criticism of Japan led to many Japanese backing the military

With this, the support for militarism in the nation grew