explain how the militarists consolidated their power in Japan

Question 1

three ways the militarists consolidated their power

Answer 1

1. political consolidation
2. economic policies to strengthen economy and tighten control
3. social polices

Question 2

political consolidation

Answer 2

1. increased military influence
2. emergence of the Control Faction in the Japanese Government

Question 3

increased military influence

Answer 3

• by 1934, the military could take positions that were traditionally reserved for non-military/civilian politicans
• civilian politcians were still divided by party differences while military had increasing support of the Japanese people
• military even carried out a campaign of ‘electoral purification’ to remove corrupt practices in the government in 1935
• it was more like a purge of politicians who opposed the military

Question 4

explanation (feelings + outcome)

Answer 4

• their continued dominance in government emboldened military to continue to intervene in politics and oppose civilian government (FEELINGS)
• the divisons within the civilian political parties meant that there is no one able to stop the military and over time, people no longer believed in voting in the elections and it further weakened the civilian government (OUTCOME)

Question 5

link

Answer 5

thus, the increased military influence helped them consolidate their control and power over the Japanese government

Question 6

emergence of the Control Faction in the Japanese government

Answer 6

• military itself was not united as there was a split between the Control Faction and the Imperial Way Faction
• on 26th February, young officers of Imperial Way Faction led a military coup
• they attempted to assassinate key government leaders and demanded a new government
• coup failed and emperor condemned their actions
• 19 leading figures of the Imperial Way Faction were executed
• failure of the coup resulted in the Control Faction being able to seize control of the military
• Control Faction began to prepare for its expansionist plans

Question 7

explanation (feelings + outcome)

Answer 7

• as a result, civilian politicians saw their political power and influence diminish as the Japanese people supported the military and their expansionist plans (OUTCOME)
• by October 1941, General Tojo Hideki took over as PM as a sign of military’s total control over the Japanese Government (OUTCOME)

Question 8

link

Answer 8

thus, the Control Faction was able to consolidate their control and power over the Japanese government

Question 9

economic policies to strengthen economy and tighten control

Answer 9

1. Japan’s industralisation
2. Control of the industry
3. Control o f Labour Unions

Question 10

Japan’s industralisation

Answer 10

• Japan’s industralisation efforts were further encouraged by its new emphasis on war and expansionist polices
• consumer industries gave way to focus on heavy industries, chemical production, arms manufacture and infrastructure projects
• government increased spending to stimulate economy and put money aside for heavy industries, expanding manufacturing and strengthening Japan’s economy
• military wanted Japan to be self-sufficient and industrially strong

Question 11

explanation (feelings + outcome)

Answer 11

• these policies resulted in new Zaibatsu (Nissan, Nichitsu, Mori) which are closely linked to the military
• these industries are greatly influenced and allowed the military to exercise greater control over the industries and Zaibatsus

Question 12

control of the industries

Answer 12

• the militarists government believed that competiton between Zaibatsu was wasteful and feared that the corporations would be selfish and seek profits over the interests of Japan
• in 1931, the military influenced government to introduce the Principal industries Control Act, which forced the Zaibatsus to form cartels to limit competition and regulate production and prices of they sold
• initially, the cartels were run by the heads of the Zaibatsu, but later the government took more control

Question 13

explanation (feelings + outcome)

Answer 13

as a result, the militarist government had control over the industries and ensured that industrial production would be dictated by the government and enable the Japanese economy to focus on preparing for war

Question 14

link

Answer 14

thus, the economic policies increased the influence the military had over the zaibatsus and helped to consolidate the military’s position in the government

Question 15

control of labour unions

Answer 15

• back in the 1920s, the government encouraged formations of unions as a way to bring back stablity to Japan
• however, by 1936, the militarist government no longer favoured labour unions and forced thousands of workers to withdraw from their unions
• these included those in the union of government employees

Question 16

explanation (feelings + outcome)

Answer 16

• the workers lost their main support in the form of trade unions, leading to bitter resentment
• the militarist government strictly controlled the workers and worked with the Zaibatsus to get the most out of the Japanese workers (OUTCOME)

Question 17

link

Answer 17

thus, the control over the labour unions ensured the military influence over the workers and helped to consolidate the militarists rule

Question 18

Social changes

Answer 18

1. Censorship
2. Propaganda
3. Use of Fear
4. Control of Education

Question 19

Censorship

Answer 19

• censorship was practiced with Publications Monitoring Department (PMD) that scrutinised all media including fiction books
• ideas that do not conform to the government’s belief or seen as threats to Japanese identity were censored by the government
• materials that presented the emperor the military in bad light were also censored

Question 20

explanation (feelings + outcome)

Answer 20

• as a result, it allowed the militarists to control the people’s thinking because it ensured that any information hostile to the military or the emperor was kept away from the people (OUTCOME)
• by constantly feeding the Japanese with positive information of their polices, the military was able to win the support of the Japanese people and control their public opinion more easily (OUTCOME)
• generally, this led to a lack of freedom of expression and ideas among the Japanese (OUTCOME)

Question 21

link

Answer 21

thus, strict censorship allowed the militarist government to control the Japanese people and win their support

Question 22

propaganda

Answer 22

• government took action to promote loyalty to the state and to the emperor as well a strong military spirit
• introduced** campaigns**, such as the Campaign for Economic Revitalisation, which focused on traditonal values of rural Japan , and the Implemented Network of Discussion Councils, that promoted the idea of workers being equal in the eyes of the emperor
• Information and Propaganda Committee worked with PMD to further control the media and promote militarist ideas

Question 23

explanation (feelings + outcome)

Answer 23

• the use of propaganda allowed the military to control the people’s thinking because they could control what the Japanese could see, read, and listen on the media
• this enabled the military to gain the people’s loyalty and maintain control over the people (OUTCOME)

Question 24

link

Answer 24

thus, the use of propaganda enabled the militarist government to win the loyalty of the Japanese people and thus have control over them

Question 25

use of fear

Answer 25

• individuals who promoted ideas that did not conform to the government were silenced
• people with socialist belief as well as other political leaders, intellectuals, and university students, were imprisoned or dismissed from their positions
• a special police force (Kempeitai) was set up to enforce the government’s control over the Japanese people

Question 26

explanation (feelings + outcoem)

Answer 26

• the presence of the Kempeitai struck fear in the people and helped the military to consolidate thier control over Japan because no one dared to oppose or challenge thier authority for fear of arrests, punishments, or being silenced (OUTCOME)
• the people lived in constant fear and suspicion because they did not know whom they could trust, as there were many informers working for the Kempeitai (FEELINGS)

Question 27

link

Answer 27

thus, the use of fear created a suspicious and tense environment for Japanese to live in and no one dared to oppose the militarist government

Question 28

control of education

Answer 28

• Japan’s education system already had strong emphasis on national pride and importance of Japanese traditons
• it also stressed Shinto beliefs (traditional religious beliefs in Japan), loyalty to Emperor and the community over individual
• the militarist governmnet introduced the Kokutai no Hongi in 1937 which served as the basis of the Japanese education system

Question 29

explanation (feelings + outcome)

Answer 29

• as a result, the education system continued to generate national pride by its focus on traditional values and the victories of the military
• this enabled the military to gain the loyalty of the younger Japanese and maintain control over the people (OUTCOME)

Question 30

link

Answer 30

thus, the control over education enabled the militarist government to win the loyalty of the Japanese people and thus have control over them