conflict and tension - chapter 6 Flashcards
why were the 1920s good for the usa until 1929
the 1920s were a time of excess for many in the usa - many new and exciting industries and businesses created lots of jobs
in 1929, the wall street crash hit america hard - thousands of businesses went bankrupt and banks collapsed
by 1933 how many americans were unemployed
around 15 million, and many had lost their homes
during the depression what did people start to do and why
with their families starving, people started to search for answers to their problems - sometimes they turned to extremist parties like the fascists in italy or the nazis in germany:
- hitler was very skilled at offering solutions using simple slogans like ‘Freedom, bread, work’. compared to the complex solutions offered by other parties, these ideas were very pleasing
- in a dictatorship the state (government) runs everything. this means that they would be more likely to take care of people such as the unemployed
- they promised to take land by force so that their populations could have space, food and resources
- they used the promise of victories in wars overseas to distract people from their problems at home. such victories would restore national pride and the population would support its gov more. this meant dictators such as mussolini and hitler started to look at expanding their borders
- dictators found victims to blame their problems on. for example, hitler said that germanys problems were caused by the jews and treaty of versailles. this encouraged racism, so countries were more likely to turn on other nations
timeline from the outbreak of war (1914) to depression and loss of support for league of nations (1929)
1) 1914 - outbreak of ww1; america do not join until 1917
2) countries borrowed money from america to fund their armies
3) 1918 - germany and its allies lost the war
4) the losing countries were forced to pay huge reparations
5) america loaned money to other countries to help them rebuild
6) 1929 - the wall street crash; the american economy collapsed
7) american industries went bankrupt and the people could not afford to buy luxuries
8) industries all over the world lost a valuable marker for trade and their profits dropped; they had to fire workers; people became more and more desperate
9) people lost faith in their governments and looked for strong leaders who could help these countries recover
10) political parties with extreme ideas (like the nazis) came to power, promising to make their countries strong again
11) countries were too busy dealing with their own problems to support the league
why did the league not threaten hitler and mussolini
- they were not afraid to use violence to get what they wanted
- they were not interested in collective security and weren’t scared by moral condemnation
why did the depression cause the league to fail
- depression caused people to support extremist parties
- to fight aggressive dictators the league would need an army
-> since it didn’t have its own it would have to ask its members to use their armies, but countries didn’t want the expense of war during the depression - the only sanctions the league could impose were economic sanctions
-> however, in a time of economic crisis countries weren’t willing to stop trading with others, as this would create more unemployment and hurt their own people
when did the Manchurian incident begin
september 1931
where is manchuria
a region of china on the north-eastern coast
why did the japanese gov have a policy of friendship towards manchuria
manchuria is an area rich in natural resources such as coal and iron ore, and countries like japan and russia had factories there in the 1930s
what was 1930s china like
- it was divided and weak
- the country was split into many regions, often run by local warlords who ignored the national gov
why did japan want manchuria
- japan was suffering in the great depression
- much of its economy was based on exporting silk to rich countries, like the usa
- however, silk is a luxury item, and people cut back on luxury goods when their families were starving
- so, japanese industry was in decline and many people were unemployed
- by 1932 silk was worth 1/5 of what it had been sold for in the early 1920s and production and employment had fallen by 30% by 1931
- japan is made up of small islands, with very little open space and few natural resources
- therefore, when the depression hit, japan started looking elsewhere for its resources
- manchuria, with its fertile farmland, industry and natural resources, seemed like a good place to invade
why did manchuria seem like a good place for japan to invade to get natural resources
- manchuria is geographically close to japan
- japan already had large industries, the South Manchurian Railway, and an army known as Kwantung Army in the area. this foothold would make invasion easier
- there was a history of confusion about who owned the area. russia, japan and china had all claimed it in the past. in 1931, it was ruled by a chinese warlord, but his power was weakening
- japan was scared that china might kick out the japanese industry
- japan had fought a war against russia in 1905. taking over this land would upset their old enemies as well as distract the japanese people from domestic problems
- the japanese army was getting stronger. after the Washington Naval Agreement in 1922, when japanese politicians had agreed that japan would have a smaller navy than britain or the usa, japanese generals felt that they could no longer trust their politicians to protect their country. they started acting without instructions from the gov: in 1928 they assassinated the warlord of manchuria. they thought the gov policy of friendship with manchuria was wrong and that they should invade the area and take full control. the people of japan were desperate for some good news and started supporting the army in hope that japan would become strong again.
- the japanese army had murdered its prime minister in 1932, and the gov then became dominated by army generals who could force them to take more aggressive actions; the politicians were scared of the army.
why did the Mukden Incident occur
the japanese army wanted to take over manchuria
the Mukden Incident:
1) 18th september 1931 there was an explosion on the South Manchurian railway. the japanese army claimed that the train had been attacked by chinese soldiers, who had also shot at the railway guards
2) the chinese denied this. they said that all their soldiers had been asleep at the time
3) the Kwantung army used the events as an excuse to take over manchuria
4) the people of japan were delighted with this victory and celebrated openly in the streets. the gov wasn’t happy but had no choice but to go along with the invasion
5) in 1932, japan renamed manchuria to Manchukuo. they put Pu Yi, an ex-chinese emperor who had been thrown out of power in 1911, in charge as a puppet ruler. this meant japan could control him
why was the league reluctant to act on the manchuria incident
- although it was a clear case of japanese aggression, the league did not want a big fight. many people felt that japan owned manchuria and was entitled to take control - the chinese had even agreed in treaties that japan had economic rights in the region
- china and japan were far removed from the leagues headquarters in geneva. britain and france felt that the incident was too far away to be of real concern
- japan had been a powerful member of the league. the japanese claimed that the chinese had attacked them first; there was so much confusion about the episode that many people chose to believe the japanese version of events so that they didn’t have to get involved
- china’s politics were disorganised. many members of the league felt that it was a good thing that japan was trying to introduce order into the region
what did the league do to japan for invading manchuria
issued moral condemnation and told japan to withdraw its troops
when japan refused to withdraw their troops from manchuria, why was there very little the league could do about it
- members of the league could not afford to send troops so far away to fight someone else’s battles. britain and france were still facing depression
- the league could issue economic sanctions and stop trading with japan, but japans main trading partner was the usa, which was not a member of the league
- the nearest powerful country to manchuria was the USSR, but since it had not been allowed to join the league it could not be called on to help
what did the league do about the manchurian crisis
- the league put together a commission of inquiry, led by a british politician named lord lytton
- lytton went to the area, investigated what had happened, and put together the lytton report, which was published in october 1932
- it concluded what people already knew: japan was in the wrong -> even if there was an attack on the south manchurian railway, japan had overreacted and should not have invaded
- the leagues findings were official but japan still ignored them and left the league
what did the japanese do after they left the league
- in february 1933 they invaded Jehol, another chinese region
- they used Jehol and Manchuria as bases to invade the rest of the country in 1937
- in 1938 most major chinese cities were controlled by the japanese army
why was the manchurian crisis a main reason for the leagues failure
- one of its own members had ignored the covenant and acted with agression
- the league had acted slowly and had, ultimately, achieved nothing
- yet, many people believed if there was a problem facing european countries, the league would still be able to deal with it
- the league had failed to stop an act of war, and hitler and mussolini began to wonder how they might be able to get around the league too
where is abyssinia
today, abyssinia is called ethiopia
its on the north-eastern coast of africa
in 1935, it was surrounded by british and french colonies, but abyssinia itself was still an independent country
why did mussolini want abyssinia
- as a fascist dictator, mussolini had promised his people that he would rebuild the ancient roman empire. britain and france had added much of africa to their own empires throughout the 19th century, but mussolini felt that abyssinia, as an independent nation, would be an ideal target for invasion. he didn’t think that britain and france could object when they had so many colonies in the region themselves
- he thought the invasion would be easy because italy had already owned small colonies bordering abyssinia: eritrea and somaliland. mussolini could build bases in these countries and launch his attack from there
- abyssinia could also be good for the italian economy; it was rich in natural resources and had good land for grazing animals
- in 1896 italy had tried, and failed, to invade abyssinia. it had expected an easy victory against an undeveloped country, but had faced a humiliating defeat. mussolini wanted revenge and to restore national pride
- mussolini was so sure that he could invade abyssinia without the league taking action. he had had dealings with the league during the corfu crisis on 1923, when it had failed to stop him bullying greece. he was also made more confident by the leagues failure in manchuria
- mussolini was convinced that britain and france would not stop him from building an empire in africa. in 1935 they had signed an agreement to form the stresa front, agreeing that they would unite against hitler. france was afraid that hitler might invade them and gave mussolini the impression that they would do anything to keep italy as an ally against hitler
when did mussolini’s opportunity to invade abyssinia come
december 1934
what did mussolini do to begin his invasion of abyssinia in december 1934
- on mussolini’s orders, italian soldiers clashed with abyssinians at Wal Wal, an oasis on the border between abyssinia and somaliland
- 150 abyssinians and 2 italians were killed
- the league tried to intervene but found it difficult to stop mussolini
- both italy and abyssinia were members of the league, but italy was intent on war
what happened in january 1935 (about the invasion of abyssinia)
- the french foreign minister, pierre laval, met with mussolini and made a number of secret agreements
- france promised italy not to interfere in Somaliland and Eritrea, and gave it land in chad
- laval also promised to let mussolini deal with abyssinia however he saw fit
when did mussolini’s troops enter abyssinia
3rd october 1935
how did mussolini invade abyssinia
- in spite of moral condemnation from the league, mussolini’s troops entered abyssinia on 3rd october 1935
- italy was a modern and advance country with a large army with the latest technology
- the italians bombed the tribal villages of abyssinia and used chemical weapons to terrorise the people into surrendering
- the only resistance they met was the small abyssinian army - some soldiers armed with nothing more than spears
what happened on the 30th june 1935
Haile Selassie, the abyssinian emperor, had addressed the league in geneva, warning it of the effect its failure to deal with mussolini would have
what happened on the 5th may 1936 and what did the league do
- italian troops took the abyssinian capital, Addis Ababa
- the league did nothing
why was many peoples faith in the league ruined after the abyssinia incident
- the league once again failed to stop one of its members from violating the covenant
- many historians claim that it was no longer viewed as a serious peacekeeping organisation
what were the main reasons of the leagues failure in abyssinia
- trade sanctions against italy
- failure to close the Suez canal
- the Hoare-Laval pact
- trade sanctions against abyssinia
why was failure to close the suez canal a main reason the leagues failed in abyssinia
- the suez canal was built to connect the mediterranean and the red sea
- it was owned by the british and french and meant that they could travel to eastern africa or asia without having to go all the way around the cape of africa
- britain and france could have closed the suez canal to stop mussolini moving troops and supplies to invade abyssinia
-> but they didn’t because they wanted to avoid upsetting mussolini
-> they were worried that mussolini might unite with hitler so they tried to keep him on their side
why were trade sanctions against italy a main reason the leagues failed in abyssinia
- members of the league were forbidden from importing italian goods and from selling weapons to italy
- however, it took 2 months to decide what else to ban, and when the decision was made, trade sanctions didn’t include oil, steel, iron or coal
- the british were worried that banning the trade in coal would cause unemployment in british mining areas
- the league felt like banning oil was pointless because countries like the USA and USSR would continue to supply mussolini
- mussolini later said that if coal and oil had been banned he would have had to stop his invasion, as he needed those to fuel war machines like tanks
why was the Hoare-Laval Pact a main reason the leagues failed in abyssinia
- britain and france sent their foreign ministers, pierre laval and samuel hoare, to come up with a settlement to offer italy
- in december 1935 they met in secret and agreed that italy would be given areas of abyssinia
- abyssinia would be reduced to half its size and the land it would keep would be mainly mountain regions, while italy would be given the fertile areas
- the land was not theirs to give and they did not discuss their plan with italy or abyssinia
- details of the hoare-laval pact were leaked to the press, and public outcry followed
- the two politicians were forced to resign, but the damage had been done
-> they had proved that britain and france were willing to undermine the league for their own self interest
why were trade sanctions with abyssinia a main reason the leagues failed in abyssinia
- the league banned members from selling arms to abyssinia as well as to italy
- abyssinia was left with nothing to defend itself with against mussolini’s modern army
when did italy leave the league
may 1936
who was left to run the league after italy left
britain, france and the USSR (they joined in 1934)
the end of the league:
- italy left
- britain and france had shown they were more interested in their own welfare than protecting the covenant of the league
- many historians say that from this time on no one really respected the league and its days as the international police force ended
- small countries knew the league wouldn’t protect them from invasion
- aggressive dictators, like hitler and mussolini, realised that it was powerless to stop them starting a war
what were the reasons the league failed
- no army
- bad organisation
- depression
- self interest of britain and france
why was the absence of an army a main reason the league failed
it meant the members had to lend the league their armies, but didn’t want to as they were recovering from the war or the depression
why was the bad organisation a main reason the league failed
- only met once a year
- council could veto proposals
- decisions had to be unanimous
-> all meany decision making was slow - complex structure
- weren’t enough people to carry out decisions that were made
why was the absence of the usa a main reason the league failed
trade sanctions did not work because other countries could still trade with usa
why was the depression a main reason the league failed
- meant countries were concerned with their own problems
- meant people turned to extremist dictators, such as hitler or mussolini, who were keen to invade other countries
- ultimately, this led to ww2, as hitler invaded more and more countries without the league stopping him
why was the self interests of britain and france a main reason the league failed
the british and french were too worried about keeping mussolini as an ally against hitler to stop the abyssinian crisis
