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02) Japanese expansion and FP, 1931-38 - Coggle Diagram
02) Japanese expansion and FP, 1931-38
Japanese Occupation of Manchuria and northern China
Manchurian Incident
Background: China's warlordism, the assasination of 'Old Marshal' Zhang Zuolin in 1928; Political Instability; China was in disarray and unlikely to have the military capacity to prevent takeover of Manchuria
Japan's Gwandong Army exploded a bomb on the South Manchurian Railway near Mukden on 1931 September 18th, as a justification for defending Japanese interests against the Chinese bandits, the Gwandong Army took control of cities along the whole length of the South Manchurian Railway.
Manchukuo creation
After taking control of South Manchurian Railway -> Gwandong Army occupied three Manchurian provinces (Liaoning, heilongjiang, Jilin) claiming that Manchuria was 'independent' -> rename Manchuria as Manchukuo -> "PUPPET STATE", "client regime'
Japan and China's response to the Manchurian Incident
JAPAN :
Political
:
1931 PM Hamaguchi Yuko- assasinated (twice, first attempt didn't take his life) by an ultranationalist for signing the London Naval Treaty which limited the growth of Japanese navy - death in the same year
Hamaguchi's successor, Reijiro had a lukewarm response to the Gwandong Army, reiterating policy of non-expansionism, his successor Inukai Tsuyoshi also expressed Manchukuo as NOT an independent state from China. Tsuyoshi got assasinated in 1932 for agreeing the ceasefire in China -> a virtual end to Taisho Democracy -> start of 'national unity cabinets'
Popular Response
Legacy of the Russo-Japanese War, costing lives of 100,000 Japanese soldiers, served as an important reason for the public to SUPPORT THE takeover of MANCHURIA. Gwandong Army was justified to 'defend its hard-won territory', not a forceful seizure.
Japan got RICH with Manchurain resources: coal and iron ore vital for Japan's continued industrialisation. By 1945, 320,000 Japanese emigrated and settled in Manchuria.
China's Response
Shanghai Incident- conflict broke out -> shanghai became a DMZ
Non-resistance, non-compromise, non-negotiation: Jiang did not want to respond to the Gwandong Army's provocation- hoped that the territory seizure would be limited and be resolved by the West's intervention to 'reverse this situation'. BUT Japan continued to take the whole of Manchuria -> but Jiang was also fighting the CCP in Jiangxi province -> further leading to prevaricated action. BECAUSE: GMD army was no match for Gwandong Army, and sending his best soldiers would have weakened his precarious hold on the rest of China; defeating CCP was his main priority; Manchuria was also was an unfamiliar region and held a limited importance -> GMD approached LON to solve the problem
But popular public opposition: demonstrators in Shanghai boycotted Japanese shops & goods. Imports from Japan fell by 30% by the end of 1931 and 90% by 1932. Slogans such as 'Death before Surrender' was shouted -> shows a strong resentment.
International Response to Manchurian Incident
LON & Lytton Commission- a slow reaction, condemned Japan's aggression but by the time the report was accepted by LON in 1933 Japan already was beginning to occupy the Jehol province -> 1933 Tanggu Truce with Japan & China: China forced to merge Jehol and Manchkuo -> Jiang accepted the coexisting Japanese until the 1936 United Front with CCP
USSR's respose
Second United Front -> Xian Incident (Jiang kidnapped)-> public announcement of the Second United Front, stating that GMD + CCP would join forces to defend China against Japan
Political tensions within Japan: February Coup 1936 happened which emphasised the division of the military into two factions (Imperial Way (anti-capitalism, zaibatsu) vs Control Faction (anti-West))
Anti-Comintern Pact, 1936: Japan signed this due to the increasing concern of the threats from USSR to its interests in Manchuria and Northern China.
Sino-Japanese War 1937-41
Marco Polo Bridge Incident 1937- momentous step towards full-scale war with Japan.
A Battle for Shanghai- 1937 Aug-Oct
The Brussels Conference: China appealed to the signatories of the Nine Power Pact -> Britain acknowledged, considered economic sanction to Japan -> but nothing happened because it didnt want a risk without USA's participation (where it was isolated)
The Panay Incident- the bombing of the US patrol boat USS Panay by the Japanese forces (almost triggered global war). (International chaose - Britain -USA relations, etc) But USSR supported China by signing non-aggression pact, USSR also aided 300 military aircraft and US $250million to China.
The fall of Nanjing, 1937 Dec
Popular response to Nanjing
Japanese reaction to the 'China Incident'