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causes of Outbreak of WWII in Asia Pacific - Coggle Diagram
causes of Outbreak of WWII in Asia Pacific
Rise of militarism in Japan
Ultranationalist military commanders rose to prominence in the early 20th century who believed that Japan should remove Western powers from Asia and rule the continent
Beliefs became more popular, because of their victories in the early 20th century increased the confidence of the public and the military in their ability to expand
The Great Depression
In 1929, the Wall Streer Crash happened in the United States, leading to the Great Depression
Damaged Japan's economy due to its heavy reliance on foreign trade. This led to majot political implications
Terrible unemployment and other effects of the Depression increased the pressure on the civilian politicians in Japan. The economic crisis convinced the ultranationalist politicians and military commanders that democracy was failing, as it could not solve the problems for the people
Introduction of tariffs by the United States in the 1930s to protect its economy also hurt Japan's export trade badly, making Japanese goods more expensive
Tariffs were extended through the 1930s and hurt Japan's exports trade badly. US actions to impose tariffs on Japanese goods convinced the ultranationalists that other countries could not be relied upon and that Japan needed to be self-sufficient
The Manchurian crisis
With the changes in domestic policies, worsening relations with the Western powers and the economic problems in Japan, Japan began to see building an empire as a means to protect their economy.
For the great majority of these commanders and politicians, the obvious place for Japan to expand was through the conquest of China's territory, particularly in Manchuria
By 1931, the idea that influence and control should be extended over Manchuria had gained a lot of ground in Japan, as Manchuria was rich in coal and iron and was seen as the perfect solution to Japan's lack of natural resources
Japan's former Foreign Minister, Shidehara Kijuro, was a good example of how entrenched the belief that Japan needed to expand was. He had taken part in negotiations to limit arms and was a firm supporter of the League of Nations.
The Manchurian crisis had major consequences, like tarnishing the prestige of the League, undermined the confidence of League officials, and encouraged Japan to further expand into Asia in the following years as Manchuria's location placed it in a strong position for expansion into China
Japanese Aggresion towards China
In 1933, Japanese troops effectively took control of Jehol province, forcing China to sign a treaty known as the Tanggu truce
The Japanese tried to incite conflict in inner Mongolia between local warlords and the Chinese government
In 1936, the Japanese moved into Chahar province, establishing control by 1937
Hostilities between the Chinese and the Japanese continued to rise in July 1937, it exploded into open war with Marco Polo bridge Incident at Wanping near Beijing, The battle is generally regarded as the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War. (1937-1945)
There was a long and bitter battle over Shanghai. It fell to the Japanese forces in November 1937.
The Japanese took Nanjing in December 1937 at a terrible cost in civilian lives
In October 1938, the Japanese captured Wuhan and the coastal region of Guangdong province. However, the war turned into a bloody stalemate in 1939-1940. Though the Chinese were unable to drive the Japanese out, the latter were also unable to completely defeat the Chinese forces