China Booklet 3: The Second Sino-Japanese War And The Pearl Harbour Attack

Question 1

What were the long term causes of the second sino-Japanese war?

Answer 1

Japanese imperialism, Manchurian Incident, Weakness of the GMD, Japanese army coup, Global depression

Question 2

What were the medium-term causes of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War?

Answer 2

NRA reform, 1932 National Defence planning (China more prepared), Xi’an incident , Communist c nationalist harmony, USA Great Depression, threat of 2nd World War

Question 3

What was the Xi’an incident?

Answer 3

1936 - CKS was kidnapped by north-east army generals, they wanted CKS to begin focusing on the threat in the north and stop attacking the CCP

Question 4

What were the short-term causes of the 2nd Sino Japanese War?

Answer 4

Marco Polo Bridge Incident, Japan capture of Tianjin, military readiness of China, Chiang’s consideration over Beijing

Question 5

What was the Marco Polo Bridge incident?

Answer 5

Japanese soldier went missing, Chinese soldiers refused the Japanese soldiers entry to find their soldier, lead to shots being fired - first example of violence

Question 6

What were the 4 major causes of the 2nd Sino-Japanese War?

Answer 6

Japanese imperialism, Global Depression, Chinese instability, Manchurian Incident

Question 7

What had caused increased Japanese imperialism?

Answer 7

Investment from the USA, young emperor Meiji transformed China as willing to open to reform (over Qing)

Question 8

What was the 1st key event in the Sino Japanese war?

Answer 8

Marco Polo Bridge Incident

Question 9

What was the 2nd key event in the Sino-Japanese war?

Answer 9

Fall of Beijing (airstrikes) - 8th August 1937

Question 10

What was the 3rd key event of the 2nd Sino-Japanese war ?

Answer 10

Battle of Shanghai - August-November 1937

Question 11

What were the aims of China before the Shanghai battle?

Answer 11

Change the north-south flow of Japan, delay Japan to move industry to the West, stall for international help as on coast, protect the Yangtze river

Question 12

How did China prepare for the Shanghai battle?

Answer 12

Propaganda, tanks, Yangtze and Nanjing defence

Question 13

How did Japan prepare for the Shanghai battle?

Answer 13

3000 naval troops, 32 vessels and tanks

Question 14

How did the Chinese attack the Japanese in Shanghai?

Answer 14

Surprise airstrikes - hit their battleship Izumo

Question 15

What were the issues with Chinese attacks in Shanghai?

Answer 15

Their missiles were poorly placed - they accidentally hit Nanking road, killing 1741 people and creating a refugee crisis

Question 16

What was the 4th key event in the 2nd Sino-Japanese war?

Answer 16

Rape of Nanjing - December 1937

Question 17

What were the results of the Shanghai Battle?

Answer 17

Japan sent 100,000 reinforcements - 3 months of fighting, China lost 187,000 and were forced to retreat to Nanjing, so the Japanese army could March onto Nanjing

Question 18

What was the 5th key event of the 2 Sino-Japanese war?

Answer 18

Fall of Hong Kong - December 1941

Question 19

What was the 6th major key event of the 2nd Sino-Japanese war?

Answer 19

CCP guerrilla warfare (1937-45)

Question 20

What were the CCP able to do during the second Sino-Japanese war?

Answer 20

Able to spread propaganda in the north promoting CCP

Question 21

What was the 7th key event of the 2nd Sino-Japanese war?

Answer 21

CCP 4th Red Army (1940-41)

Question 22

Where was the CCP base in the second Sino-Japanese war?

Answer 22

Ya-nan

Question 23

What were the impacts on civilians in China due to the 2nd Sino-Japanese war?

Answer 23

3 million were homeless and 1/2 a million were drowned due to the flooding of the Yangtze River, forced conscription, rape trauma

Question 24

Which Battle did the Chinese defeat the Japanese in in the 2nd Sino-Japanese war?

Answer 24

Battle of Taierzhuang (100,000 Japanese were dead)

Question 25

What were the impacts on CKS and the GMD due to the 2nd Sino-Japanese war?

Answer 25

Loss of all naval supremacy, GMD was reorganised in 1940 (Wong Jonwei became leader)

Question 26

What was the impact on the CCP due to the 2nd Sino-Japanese war?

Answer 26

Focus went off the CCP - Mao was able to spread communism through the Ya’nan province

Question 27

What was the impact on the economy of China due to the 2nd Sino-Japanese war?

Answer 27

Flooding of the yellow river caused the loss of fertile land, Burma road built helped trade

Question 28

What was the impact on Chinese nationalism due to the 2nd Sino-Japanese war?

Answer 28

Migration to Chongqing, Burma road, Increased with CKS in GMD

Question 29

How did the Soviet’s aid the Chinese during the 2nd Sino Japanese war?

Answer 29

Gave air force, 50,000 rifles, 1000 tanks

Question 30

How did the USA support China during the second Sino-Japanese war?

Answer 30

Helped build the Burma road, USA support increased after 1942 due to the Pearl Harbour Attacks

Question 31

Who did China create an alliance with in 1943?

Answer 31

USA and Britain

Question 32

What was the reason behind the pearl harbour attacks?

Answer 32

Japan tried to buy time to stop USA preventing them taking over Asia

Question 33

What occurred in the Pearl Harbour attacks?

Answer 33

18 warships and 188 aircraft were destroyed

Question 34

What were the economic impacts on China due to the pearl harbour attacks?

Answer 34

USA gave $1 billion aid to China to help them against Japan, paid for the building of the Ledo Road to help military supplies get to China

Question 35

What military aid did USA give to China as a result of the pearl harbour attacks?

Answer 35

50,000 troops, 829 bomber planes, Joseph Stillwell became the chief of Chinas army

Question 36

How were the Pearl Harbour attacks able to legitimise CKS power?

Answer 36

Became an international statesmen, USA+Britain promised to return concessions to China

Question 37

Why did CKS lose power after 1945?

Answer 37

He turned his attention back to the CCP, lost respect as went against USA demands

Question 38

How were USA able to stabilise the political environment of China ?

Answer 38

Demanded GMD and CCP work together in a united front, stabilised China

Question 39

How were the USA able to preserve the CCP due to their involvement with China?

Answer 39

Mao convinced the US was a nationalist party, CKS didn’t want to annoy USA by keep attacking CCP

Question 40

What was the significance of the Pine Point?

Answer 40

In Ya’nan, gave CCP resources to grow

Question 41

How were Japan finally defeated in 1945?

Answer 41

Atomic Bombs dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima

Question 42

Why did Japan bomb and then occupy Shanghai with 70,000 troops in January 1932

Answer 42

To ‘teach China a lesson’ for boycotts, uprisings and attacks on Japanese living China and for the GMD/NRA opposition.

Question 43

CKS finally resolved to fight the Japanese after the Marco Polo Bridge Incident. Where did he attack and why?

Answer 43

Shanghai to open a second front for Japan (other than Manchuria), outnumber and surprise Japanese, attract international interest/sympathy

Question 44

Why did Chiang lose Shanghai by 1937?

Answer 44

aerial bombing errors, Japanese naval support, lack of equipment (e.g. tanks) and ineffective shells, refugee chaos, 300,000 fatalities

Question 45

Why did Chiang destroy the Yellow River dikes, creating 3 million refugees and killing 500,000?

Answer 45

To stop Japanese Western advance - did delay by 3 months

Question 46

What was the Anti-Comintern Pact 1937 and how did it affect China?

Answer 46

Germany recalled their military advisors as they started an alliance with Japan in 1937

Question 47

Why did Chiang create forced conscription and increase taxes in 1938?

Answer 47

Chiang was hoping more western assistance would come, if China could hold out (especially if Japan continued to expand empire). Also, hopefully China’s size (geography and population) would wear down Japan.

Question 48

Why did USSR withdraw military support from China in 1939?

Answer 48

Signed Nazi-Soviet Pact

Question 49

What aid did the USA give before December 1941?

Answer 49

Loans to GMD to stabilise economy, 14th US Air Force and Claire Chennault, P-40 fighters, economic sanctions against Japan (e.g. froze Japanese assets in US banks, stopped oil and iron exports).

Question 50

America declared war with Japan and allied with China - how did this benefit China?

Answer 50

$500 million loan and $630 million Lend Lease to provide military supplies (e.g. B29 Superbomber) General Stillwell as Chiang’s Chief of Staff, ‘Hump’ (supplies flown over the Himalayas) to overcome closure of Burma Road.

Question 51

Why was Japan in retreat before Summer 1945?

Answer 51

Overextended, 40% of troops drawn into China, could not compete against industrially superior USA (Pittsburgh out produced Manchuria by 40 times), End of war in Europe, Soviet attacks in Manchuria.