Summary
Summary The Move to Global War: Japanese Expansionism in East Asia Notes
- Module
- IB History
- Institution
- Kings College London (KCL)
Paper 1 notes for the topic - The Move to Global War: Japanese Expansionism in East Asia
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Case study 1: Causes of expansionJapanese • The impact of Japanese nationalism and militarism on foreign policy
expansion in • Japanese domestic issues: political and economic issues, and their impact on foreign relations
East Asia • Political instability in China
(1931–1941)
Events
• Japanese invasion of Manchuria and northern China (1931)
• Sino-Japanese War (1937–1941)
• The Three Power/Tripartite Pact; the outbreak of war; Pearl Harbor (1941)
Responses
• League of Nations and the Lytton report
• Political developments within China—the Second United Front
• International response, including US initiatives and increasing tensions between the US and Japan
The Impact of Japanese Nationalism and Militarism on
Foreign Policy
Contact with the West
● Japan was previously isolated from the outside world → protect against Christianity
● BUT was forced into opening to the West → Commodore Perry (1853)
○ Perry’s three objectives:
■ That Japanese authorities would protect and provision US sailors who are
shipwrecked in Japanese waters
■ To gain permission for American shipes to enter Japanese ports → obtain
food, water, fuel…
■ To obtain permission to trade into Japan
○ Used force (eg. threatened to bring 100 ships within 20 days to wage war on Japan
when negotiations were slow)
● Increased nationalism and militarism → to have power against the West
Victories of Japan
● First Sino-Japanese War (1894 - 1895)
○ Treaty of Shimonoseki (1895)
■ Gave the Pescadores Islands, Formosa and Liaodong Peninsula to Japan
■ China had to pay Japan 8 million kilograms of silver
■ Had to sign commercial treaty that permitted Japanese ships to operate on the
Yangtze River
○ BUT the Triple Intervention occurred after a few days
■ Germany, France, Russia were concerned about Japan’s growing power
■ Pressured Japan into giving up territories acquired
■ Russia took Liaodong Peninsula
■ German took Shandong province
■ France and Britain seized port cities
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, ■ Increased nationalism and militarism → wanted to protect themselves against
Western powers
● Russo-Japanese War (1904 - 1905)
○ Went to war over interests in Manchuria and Korea
○ Japan secured territory and naval victories → BUT both were open to negotiations
as…
■ Russia was experiencing social and political unrest → built up of the 1905
Russian Revolution
■ Japan experienced economic pressures → was accumulating foreign debt
○ President Roosevelt acted as an intermediary → signed the Treaty of Portsmouth
■ Gained territory of Korea, South Manchuria, railway rights in Manchuria,
southern half of Sakhalin Island
■ Although this was less than they expected → Japan was now respected in the
West and admired by other Asian countries
○ Increased nationalism → Japan’s belief of their destiny as the leader of Asia
● Twenty One Demands (1915)
○ Japan had already gained influence in China (eg. Manchuria, Liaodong Peninsula) +
political instability in China from the overthrowing of the Qing dynasty → Japan
saw an opportunity to expand into China
○ Terms
■ China to agree to the Japanese remaining in Shandong
■ Grant Japan extra commercial privileges in Manchuria
■ China could not lease any more coastal territory to other powers
■ China was to accept political, financial and military advisers from Japan
○ Yuan Shikai agreed for political and financial reasons → wanted to keep good
relationships with Japan and the West
Strengthening of Japan
● Meiji Era (1868 - 1912)
○ Aimed to modernize and industrialize Japan
○ Compulsory education
■ Equalized the population
■ Allowed more people to enter the workforce
○ In 1877, Tokyo University was established → used ⅓ of its budget on foreign
experts and lecturers
○ Common slogan in Japan: “catch up, takeover”
○ In 1869, a naval academy was established in Japan
○ In 1871, the first national bank was established
○ In 1872, the first railway line was completed → by 1900, 5000 miles of track were
laid
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, Relation with the West
● Anglo-Japanese Alliance (1902)
○ Ended diplomatic isolation
○ First military alliance signed between a Western and non-Western nation
● Results of WWI
○ Gains from ToV
■ Japan had a seat in the LoN from 1920 - 1933
■ Gained former German Pacific islands as mandates
■ German concessions in Shandong was transferred to Japan instead of
returned to China
○ BUT failed to pass the racial equality clause at the Paris Peace Conference
● Japanese immigration
○ Increased after 1900
■ Faced discrimination → fear of the “yellow peril”
■ Worked in unkilled jobs
○ Immigration Act (1924): US banned Japanese immigrants
● Washington Naval Conference (1921)
○ Four-Power Treaty (to replace Anglo-Japanese Alliance)
■ Britain, Japan, USA, France
■ Confer if the rights or possessions of any power is threatened in the Pacifc
○ Nine-Power Treaty (1922)
■ + China, Belgium, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal
■ Respect Chinese independence + sovereignty
■ Japan agreed to return German concessions seized in WWI
○ Five-Power Naval Treaty (1922)
■ Restricted battleships + aircraft carriers
■ Ratio - 5:5:3 (Britain : USA : Japan)
● Japan’s navy to abandon massive expansion (deeply opposed by the
Navy General Staff)
■ Ratio - 1.75 for France + Italy
○ These three treaties made up the Washington Treaty System → Japan was committed
to international cooperation BUT revealed their weaker role compared to Western
powers
Japanese Domestic Issues
Political Issues
Fragile democracy
● Financial scandals and election law violations were linked to political parties → undermined
Japanese democracy
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